An executive coach's early lesson.

• Author: Kristie, James
• Position: LEADERSHIP

From Coach Yourself to Win by Howard M. Guttman. Copyright 2011 by Guttman Development Strategies Inc. Published by McGraw-Hill (www.mh-professional.com).

AWHILE AGO, I Was asked to step in after a dispute between a male and a female executive. The male had made some remarks that were obviously sexist. The female was outraged and complained to the CEO, demanding that her male colleague be fired immediately. The CEO believed, and I concurred, that the man would be able to change once he became more conscious of his behavior. The female executive would hear no such talk. In her opinion, the offender was a dyed-in-the-wool misogynist--period. "Even if he changes," she said to me, "I'm not sure it will be in his bones." I explained that bones don't much matter. You can't hold someone accountable for his "bones" or his attitude; you can only...