"Where do you see yourself in five years?" I've asked it. I thought I meant well. Then I watched it land like a test the person didn't study for. Most people don't have a five-year answer. They have a right-now answer, and you have to ask for it.

In this episode:

• Why the question sounds thoughtful and isn't, and what it costs you when the conversation dies
• Two high school coaches, weekly goals, and the three Ws
• Bob Ladouceur at De La Salle: winning games was never spoken of, because what you're building is individuals
• Larry Gelwix and the Highland rugby team: we not me, and what's important now
• The three questions that open a real career conversation
• Mentorship the coach introduces and then leaves alone — no homework, no weekly mandate
• The stretch goal my manager handed me at Zillow, and why he stayed quiet while I fielded the questions
• Protected time on work hours, said out loud, with the team covering
• My daughter's first week of high school, and why her present is the whole job

One correction: I say "Coach Lassiter" on air. The De La Salle coach is Bob Ladouceur — 151 straight wins, 1992 to 2004. Being teachable goes both ways.

Radical candor is Kim Scott's. The 85% figure is Korn Ferry.

Free 1-on-1 Starter Kit: https://beyondjustleadership.com/links

• (00:00) - Cold Open
• (00:40) - Why the Five-Year Question Fails
• (01:58) - The Korn Ferry 85% Stat
• (03:34) - Coach Hesser & Coach Schaefer: Goals Now, the Three Ws
• (05:06) - Coach Ladouceur / De La Salle: Build Individuals
• (06:23) - Weekly Goals, Accountability & Adaptability
• (08:40) - Larry Gelwix: We Not Me, W.I.N.
• (09:44) - The Three Right-Now Questions
• (11:23) - Mentorship: Make the Introduction, Keep It Organic
• (12:28) - The Stretch Assignment: Zillow & Stan Humphries
• (13:49) - Protected Learning Time on Work Hours
• (15:36) - His Daughter's Freshman Year
• (17:06) - The Close: Move Their Present / PATC