In a world yearning for guidance, Dr. Corrie Block emerges as a lighthouse of hope and transformation. Our conversation, steeped in the urgency of our era, unveils a brilliant mind and a visionary heart. As we delve into his insights, it becomes clear that Dr. Block doesn’t just see the future; he’s shaping it, one meaningful interaction at a time. His words offer a glimpse into what could be and a roadmap for those daring enough to follow.
With over 25 years of experience as a business strategist, leadership expert, and executive coach, Dr. Block has been recognized as the ‘UAE’s Top Business Coach’ by prestigious outlets and holds a prominent position on the global leadership stage. His consultancy spans over 150 companies across more than 30 countries, including work for notable clients such as Microsoft and the UN. A prolific academic and author, Dr. Block has earned four post-graduate degrees and contributes to leading publications, sharing his expertise on topics like employee engagement, innovation, and the future of organizations.
Before Dr. Block became an inspiring leadership coach, I ask him what shaped his life to become who he is today.
“I’m the product of my community. I am the eldest son of the eldest son of one of Canada’s largest clans: I’m one of 100 first cousins in my family.”
In his early 20s, he moved to Estonia in 1998 to start his first companies there. It was then that he sought mentoring from people who were successful in the ways that he wanted to be successful.
Did a turning point occur before you transitioned to coaching, where you realized this was your ideal path to making a difference? His journey into leadership and coaching stemmed from a deep fascination with the essence of leadership itself. He believed leadership was not a choice but a result of living a life others deemed worthy of following. This philosophy was put to the test when a chairman from a multinational company sought his guidance, not for strategic advice, but to learn how to communicate with empathy and effectiveness.
Dr. Block’s transition from focusing on entrepreneurship and strategy to coaching underscores his belief in the transformative power of leadership. He posits: “If the leaders can think differently and behave differently, then the entire direction of an organization can change.” This conviction led him to focus on coaching as a primary service, aiming to instigate significant organizational culture and direction shifts through leadership.
Unfortunately, my upbringing, blessed with unwavering love and support, lacked one crucial lesson: the art of navigating failure. Victories in sports and academics reinforced a narrative of perpetual triumph, leaving me ill-equipped to grapple with defeat. This early blind spot, I believe, resonates with many top executives, where the fear of losing often eclipses the allure of success. Coach, I seek your guidance on how we can demystify failure. His response is profoundly enlightening: “Reflecting on failure, I’ve come to see it as a learned behavior, not inherent to us at birth. Observing my five children learn to walk illuminated this belief for me. They didn’t start walking perfectly; they stumbled, yet never considered themselves failures. This natural resilience demonstrates that we’re designed to win or learn. However, around the age when language and understanding mature, we’re sometimes taught by loved ones that it’s okay to stop trying, and it’s okay to give up, introducing us to the concept of failure as a choice rather than a step in the learning process.”
As a leading executive coach, how does he shape the future? He has identified vital traits distinguishing high-performing executives from their peers: fitness, confidence, discipline, connection, rest, and a unique perspective on competition. Dr. Block asserts: “We only become as strong as we can when faced with a competitor that pushes us to beat our own limits.” This approach to competition, aimed at self development rather than merely winning, along with other qualities, drives significant change within individuals and, by extension, their organizations.
A question I’m often faced with is, how can highpotential leaders grow into global players? “I’ve come to realize that embracing diversity isn’t just the right thing to do; it’s a profitable strategy,” he shares. “Understanding that diversification in investment is akin to a ‘free lunch’ helped me see the value in seeking diverse inputs for better decision-making. Surrounding myself with people of different backgrounds, be they educational, religious, or especially gender-balanced in leadership, has proven to enhance not only decision quality but also execution. It’s clear to me that prioritizing diversity is not just ethical but smart business — if you’re not doing it, you’re missing out on tangible benefits.”
“I encourage children to understand that their potential is limitless, not confined to a single profession but open to a multitude of paths.”
Discussing one of his books, ‘Love @ Work,’ I ask him what it means to him. He elucidates: “Work is not just a job; it’s a significant part of our lives. The perspective that work is separate from life, a notion that gained traction in the 1980s, undermines the value we derive from our professional endeavors. Recognizing that work constitutes a major portion of our existence is crucial. It shapes how society perceives us and plays a central role in our identity. Emphasizing the importance of the ‘who’ over the ‘what’ or ‘why,’ we understand that our connections and the reasons behind our actions imbue our work with meaning, not merely the tasks we perform. This mindset encourages a deeper appreciation of our contributions and the relationships we build in our professional lives.”
The conversation naturally veers to discussing the future. I believe we’re living in an era of abundance. One of the factors for this is peace and love. Dr. Block shares his profound perspective: “We are a product of thousands of generations of survival and adaptation, embodying their legacy of discerning connections and affections. Yet, in our professional worlds, we’ve distanced ourselves from the language of love, focusing instead on professionalism that omits the deepest forms of empathy, servitude, and psychological safety. It baffles me that we exclude the most profound human connection from our work, where we spend most of our time. Acknowledging love could streamline trust, respect, and error management, enhancing organizational culture and profitability.”
What is his advice for parents of children in this rapidly transforming world? Dr. Block advises:
Discussing his mastery as an executive coach, Dr. Block emphasizes the universal need for coaching to achieve peak performance, stating: “There’s no such thing as an Olympic athlete without an Olympic coach,” a principle applicable across all high-level endeavors. This necessity for guidance underpins success in every field, highlighting that continuous learning and improvement are crucial at all stages of one’s career.
His message in a bottle is a clarion call for the future: “Pay attention to evolutionary psychology and neuroscience because that’s actually going to be the predictor of how we work. Our interactions with AI, with each other, are all going to be governed by a million-year-old design, and we’re just the latest iteration of it.”
My conversation with Dr. Corrie Block has been deeply meaningful, a connection of like-minded people in which humanity and technology, family and friends, and the business world can be better as we go into the future.
