If you want new ideas, read old books

I’ve found more innovation in ancient texts than in many business bestsellers.

• Epictetus helped me coach executives through restructures

• Lao Tzu taught me to trust the pause in a coaching session

• The Bhagavad Gita offered insights on values-based decision-making long before it was a corporate buzzword

Revisiting these voices reminds me: wisdom isn’t always loud. It’s not always trending. And it rarely comes with bullet points or a 5-step plan.

As a coach, my role isn’t to supply the newest frameworks. It’s to help others see more clearly. Sometimes that clarity comes from an idea written on parchment two thousand years ago.

How do you let old wisdom guide new conversations?