What AI and Books Can't Give You

You can find the answer to almost any question in seconds. How to give better feedback. How to manage your time. How to have difficult conversations. How to be a better leader. It's all there — in books, podcasts, articles, and now AI. More information than any generation before us could have imagined. And yet. Knowing what to do and actually doing it are very different things. The Information Illusion We live in an age where information feels like progress. Read another book. Listen to another podcast. Ask ChatGPT for a framework. It feels productive. It feels like growth. But here's what I've observed after 6,000+ hours of coaching: most leaders don't have an information problem. They have an implementation problem. They already know they should delegate more. They already know they need to have that difficult conversation. They already know their workaholic tendencies are unsustainable. What they don't have is someone in their corner helping them actually do it. What Books Give You Books are extraordinary. I read constantly and recommend books to my clients all the time. Books give you frameworks. Mental models. Other people's hard-won wisdom distilled into pages you can consume in hours. But books can't ask you follow-up questions. They can't notice that you tense up every time you mention your boss. They can't call you out when you're rationalizing inaction. They can't celebrate with you when you finally have the conversation you've been avoiding for months. Books are one-way. Growth is relational. What AI Gives You AI is remarkable. I use it daily. It can synthesize information, brainstorm options, and provide instant answers to complex questions. But AI doesn't know you. It doesn't remember that three months ago you committed to setting better boundaries. It doesn't notice the pattern in your questions that reveals what you're really struggling with. It doesn't hold you accountable to the commitment you made last week. AI can answer your questions. But it can't ask you the question you didn't know you needed to hear. And it certainly can't sit with you in the discomfort that real growth requires. What Coaching Gives You A coach is a thinking partner who knows your story, your patterns, and your aspirations. A coach asks the questions that stop you in your tracks — the ones that reveal what you've been avoiding. A coach holds up a mirror so you can see yourself more clearly — including the blind spots that no amount of reading will reveal. A coach holds you accountable — not with pressure, but with presence. Someone who remembers what you committed to and asks how it went. A coach provides a space where you can think out loud, explore options, and process the complexity of leadership without judgment. Most importantly, a coach is a relationship. And transformation happens in relationship. Why the Best Leaders Have Coaches Think about the top athletes in the world. Every single one has a coach — usually several. Not because they don't know how to play their sport. But because excellence requires an outside perspective. Someone who can see what they can't. Someone who pushes them beyond what they'd push themselves. Leadership is no different. The best leaders I know don't have coaches because they're broken. They have coaches because they're serious about growth. Because they understand that sustained excellence requires support. The Question to Ask Yourself If you've been reading books, listening to podcasts, consuming content — and still feeling stuck — maybe information isn't what you need. Maybe what you need is someone to show up for you. Someone to help you show up for yourself. That's what coaching provides. Not more answers. But the right questions, at the right time, from someone who genuinely cares about your growth. Some things you can't learn alone. Some things you have to experience in relationship. Coaching is one of them.