How do you build deeper human connection in your relationships so that you can more effectively lead change and help others?
That question sits at the heart of some of the most influential books in my work, including Helping and Humble Inquiry by Edgar Schein: how we help, not as the expert with all the answers, but by asking better questions as a leader and creating the conditions for other people to develop their own ideas.
Edgar’s work has profoundly shaped how I think about leadership, learning, and helping. And in the later years of his life, his son Peter Schein became an important partner in continuing to develop and evolve these ideas of humble leadership and organizational culture.
Peter spent 30 years in Silicon Valley in corporate strategy and development before partnering with his father to co-write seven books. He recently released the third edition of Humble Inquiry, continuing to bring these foundational ideas forward for how we lead, learn, and create change today.
In this conversation, Peter and I explore how to move beyond transactional relationships to build genuine personal ones. We get underneath the meaning of many of the words we use today—curiosity, vulnerability, and psychological safety—and why seeking clarity gets you further than seeking certainty.
You’ll Learn:
- Why "don’t bring me a problem, bring me a solution" teaches people not to speak up
- Why you're most vulnerable when you don't know what you're missing
- How "Sharing the MIC" makes humble inquiry practical: Motivation, Intervention, Contribution
- The difference between helping as the expert with the answer and helping as the process consultant who creates the conditions
- Why going to see isn't the same as transparency
ABOUT MY GUEST:
Peter Schein is the co-founder of the Organizational Culture and Leadership Institute. He spent thirty years in Silicon Valley in strategy and corporate development at companies including Apple, Silicon Graphics, and Sun Microsystems, and studied anthropology at Stanford University.
Peter partnered with his father, Edgar Schein, to co-write seven books, including Humble Leadership, and has continued to evolve their work through new editions of Humble Inquiry and The Corporate Culture Survival Guide. Edgar Schein was Professor Emeritus at MIT's Sloan School of Management and is recognized as one of the founders of organizational psychology.
IMPORTANT LINKS:
TIMESTAMPS FOR THIS EPISODE:
03:06 Transactional vs. relational leadership and why connection matters
08:10 Why efficiency without relationships limits effectiveness
12:19 When expertise gets in the way of seeing the bigger picture
16:24 Why clarity matters more than certainty
20:31 When curiosity, vulnerability, and psychological safety become buzzwords
22:08 Why you’re vulnerable to what you don’t know
24:36 What Humble Inquiry actually looks like in leadership
27:26 How Humble Inquiry builds both trust and better information
28:35 Why “bring me solutions, not problems” keeps people from speaking up
30:35 How to “Share the MIC” and make Humble Inquiry practical
36:21 Helping as the expert vs. helping as a process consultant
38:33 How AI is changing where leaders and consultants add value
44:03 Making invisible team dynamics visible
49:35 Why being open to what you don’t know changes how you lead
52:26 What going to Gemba teaches us about Humble Inquiry
54:29 Why transparency and openness aren’t the same thing
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