professional mastery

The Calling

In my experience, in India people view coaching as a quick fix solution to a problem – post an in house assessment, mostly 360 in a large organizational context or an appraisal discussion in mid size firms, a Coach is assigned to an individual. Earlier a Coach was assigned to an individual who was on a fast track, to help bridge the gaps, more recently a coach is assigned, every time there is a ‘problem’ post an assessment, that the HR Department cannot fix on their own. In the garb of an objective view, what they are really looking for is to shoot off an external consultants shoulder!!

It is both my belief and conviction that, coaching is not a quick fix solution to a problem, coaching is a mindset. In the absence of fostering a coaching mindset, organizations tend to get stuck in coaching tools, techniques, models and units of measurement to evaluate, document and measure the effectiveness of Coaching. All these tactical aspects limit the capability to think strategically and create shifts in the way individuals in an organization think.

Coming out of the boardroom, some organizations approach coaching with a workshop mindset – wherein they will look to run a 6 – 8 hour program on the subject with top leadership team to drive the concepts and fundamentals of coaching. Such workshops do not effectively transfer knowledge or create desired impact. It becomes yet another training program ticked off in the Learning & Development training calendar of the organization

Prior to being a Coach I ran my own business in daycare for 13 years – even then I had to educate my clients on daycare being different from a baby sitting or a crèche, and I feel that life has come full circle, as I establish myself as a Coach, I find once again I need to approach it from educating the market on what coaching is and what purpose does it solve.

For me personally, coaching is more than a profession, it’s a calling! It is a holistic and effective way to assist people in discovering new possibilities for work and life, ultimately jumping into their full potential. It’s exciting and rewarding, and it carries a significant responsibility. Coaching people to move towards living a good life, a life of satisfaction, gratitude and service.

It is a special kind of relationship that opens up possibilities through encouraging different thinking. It is a relationship that inspires and frees the person being coached. A coach simply raises the awareness of the person being coached, and holds them responsible and accountable to the choices they make.

In a leadership concept, a coaching mindset is critical. When a leader demonstrates a coaching mindset he is able to build relationships and influence decision making. A great Coach, will always be a great Leader however the reverse is not necessarily true. So, what does it take for a leader to have a coaching mindset.