By plano 
Honestly, I was getting pretty fed up with things. Felt stuck in my job as a manager, kinda just going through the motions, you know? Arguments with teammates kept happening over dumb stuff, projects were dragging… felt like I was spinning my wheels.
Hitting a Wall & Looking Around
So, last month, I finally snapped. Had yet another pointless meeting that went nowhere, full of finger-pointing. Enough is enough, right? I started googling like crazy looking for anything – books, talks, you name it – on fixing my leadership mess. Stumbled onto this “Pedro Paulo Executive Coaching” thing. Saw a bunch of people raving about seeing results “fast.” Sounded good, but also sounded like the usual marketing mumbo-jumbo. Decided to poke around some more.
Taking the Plunge (Sorta)
Found their sign-up page. Looked simple enough. Filled in my name, email, all that jazz. Then hit “Register.” Boom. Error message. Tried again. Another error. Seriously? Took three tries just to get signed up! Wasn’t the smoothest start, I tell ya. Almost gave up right there. But finally got this confirmation email. Their welcome stuff was… weird. Felt kinda airy-fairy, talking about “unlocking potential” and “synergy.” Ugh. Still, I paid, so figured I might as well give it a shot.
First Steps & Getting Annoyed
Got access to their portal thing. First assignment popped up: “Define your Core Leadership Anchor.” Huh? What the heck does that even mean? Sounded like consultant speak for “write down some goals.” Felt like a bunch of nonsense. But whatever, I scribbled down something about wanting my team to actually like coming to work and getting stuff done without drama. Hit submit feeling kinda stupid.
Then came the kicker: a call with my assigned coach. Dude was intense. Started grilling me straight away about that “Anchor” thing I wrote. Asked things like “Why does this matter to you right now?” and “What’s the exact behavior change you’ll see if this anchor exists?” Man, he wouldn’t let me get away with vague answers. Got really frustrated! I mean, I just wanted some quick tips, not psychoanalysis. But he kept pushing. Made me dig deep on why that meeting earlier pissed me off so much. Was uncomfortable as hell.
The Weird Part That Actually Clicked
Next task looked even dumber. Had to pick one communication habit I wanted to change in the next two weeks. I picked “actually listening when my team gives project updates, instead of just waiting to talk.” The exercise? Write down one question I’d ask during each update call. Just one. Every single time.
Felt ridiculous. But the coach kept checking in, like, daily: “What questions did you ask today?” Had to report back. Started doing it just to get him off my back. Asked simple stuff: “What’s the biggest obstacle you see with that?” or “Help me understand step Y better.”
Wait, Something Actually Happened?!
And then… weirdly… stuff started shifting. Not overnight, but within about ten days? After one update call, Sarah from my team actually pinged me privately saying “Thanks for asking about the timeline thing earlier, felt heard.” Another teammate, Mark, stopped looking so damn stressed in meetings. The snappy arguments? Started happening less. Seriously, the arguments calmed down noticeably. Not zero, but way less. Meetings started finishing faster because we had less BS going around.
Had one meeting where Tom was clearly headed off a cliff with his plan. Old me would’ve just jumped in with “No, do it this way,” and we’d fight. Instead, because of that stupid ‘ask one question’ habit, I managed to ask, “What outcome are you expecting from that step?” Made him stop and rethink himself. He actually revised his approach on his own without me fighting him. Blew my mind. Saved us maybe two weeks of hassle.
So, Is Pedro Paulo Good? My Real Take
Look, it wasn’t magic beans. Some of their stuff feels pretentious, their sign-up was clunky, and that first week was frustrating as heck. You gotta be willing to feel a bit uncomfortable and actually do the simple (sometimes annoying) tasks they tell you.
But that “see results fast” claim? For me, that part held up. Focusing on that tiny, tangible habit change made a difference way quicker than I expected. It wasn’t about becoming a flawless guru in two weeks. It was about seeing that changing one small thing can ripple out fast, like:
- Fewer stupid arguments. Just by shutting my mouth more and asking something simple.
- Better team morale. People actually feel like I’m hearing them? Who knew?
- More progress. Less friction meant we actually moved forward quicker on projects.
So yeah, is Pedro Paulo “good”? For a quick, actionable kick up the backside when you’re stuck? Definitely. Don’t expect hand-holding or easy answers. They poke you hard to poke yourself. It’s work. But if you actually do the small thing they tell you to do? You can see real changes faster than you might think. Helped me, anyway. Still can’t believe I’m saying that.