How Federico Malatesta Thinks About Moving Forward Under Uncertainty

Some problems in life keep you up at night, and you can't say why. Federico Malatesta says a quick fix is the wrong tool, and he shares what to do instead.

Federico Malatesta is the chief executive officer (CEO) of FM Transformational Coaching. In this conversation, he and Kenny talk about why a technical fix can't solve a problem about life, how Aristotle drew the line between making things and living, and what leadership looks like when you can't be sure: moving forward under uncertainty and assuming responsibility. They also cover why people keep treating you like the old you, why you need someone who can push back, and why he tells people to read good fiction. He closes with a first step you can take in the next 24 hours.

Chapters

00:00 Welcome To The Show

01:27 A Client Who Can't Sleep

03:49 Making Things Vs. Living

06:10 Why Life Isn't A Game

09:03 When The Story You Lived By Ends

11:50 Necessary Endings

14:20 A Year Of Recalibration

16:02 When People Still See The Old You

20:02 Read Good Fiction

23:05 We Become Who We Are Through Others

25:13 Owning Your Own Identity

27:31 Moving Forward Under Uncertainty

31:14 Assuming Responsibility

35:28 Why The Chance To Fail Gives Life Meaning

37:16 Finding What You Can Become

39:51 A Baby Step For The Next 24 Hours

41:53 Where To Find Federico

What You'll Learn

• Why a quick fix is the worst answer to a problem about life. Federico says it is like putting your thumb on a leaking faucet: the pressure builds, and it all bursts out when you let go

• Why life is not a project with an end goal. Aristotle split making things (poiesis) from living (praxis). Federico says a routine or a three-step plan applied to life is a category error

• Leadership in three parts: moving forward, under uncertainty, assuming responsibility. He says that if someone else pays for your bold decision and you don't, that's not leadership

• Why people keep treating you like the old you. Their brains predict, so they reach for the old box. Federico says it's nothing personal, and it takes time to recalibrate

• Why you need someone who can push back, and why he says to read good fiction. We only have one perspective, ours, and they widen it

• A first step for the next 24 hours: spend no money, say what is troubling you in real language, and tell a real person who can push back, not ChatGPT

About Federico Malatesta

Federico Malatesta is an author and executive coach. He founded FM Transformational Coaching™ and The Artha Ranch™ in Texas after a career in global energy that included serving as Chief Investment Officer of a major Oil & Gas company overseeing a $40 billion capital portfolio. He writes on leadership, identity, and the second half of life.

Federico Malatesta Resources

Website: https://federicomalatesta.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/federicomalatesta

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/federicomalatesta_coaching/

Book, They Are Lying to You: The Self-Help Delusion (Amazon): https://www.amazon.com/They-Are-Lying-You-Self-Help-ebook/dp/B0HL4X7HD6

Book page: https://federicomalatesta.com/book/they-are-lying-to-you/

Listen on Other Platforms

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-leaders-think-with-kenny-lange/id1434737807

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2wKtzb6KaF1vNlG9TsZkzh

Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/b13c5d64-50db-4626-9685-c356116ec54b

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@KennyLange/podcasts

Website: https://howleadersthink.kennylange.com/