4 reasons why you may need an executive coach - The Business Journals

Great post. The author lists out the benefits of Executive Coaching for a business leader (at all levels, not just CEOs, I may add) in simple words. 


- None, just no one, can give unbiased assessment, if part of same organisation. That is how organisations are!!  Not even the popular tools such as, 360 degree feedback or any poor cousins thereof. A Coach can...



- Same with feedback. Being not part of the system, a coach can give valuable feedback, esp after interacting with other members of organisation, across different levels. A certified coach is trained to ask the 'right questions' to go to the core of the issue/opportunity. 



- External guidance for reflection and self-analysis  is the core of any coaching intervention. It is both external and also passive. Not prescriptive, advisory or consultancy/mentoring. You are already a leader. All solutions to problems & opportunities are within you. You need external guidance to just tap into THAT ! A Coach can help... 


- Coaching, being an outsider's perspective, is as such appropriately 'detached' too, at a very practical & philosophical level.



Of course, it is for the client/organisation to use the information and derive the benefit of Coaching, at a very holistic level. 



On a lighter note, why is CEO of financial services co is being singled out ?:)) 

All the friends in banking/financial services in leadership roles, this may be very valuable information... 

Hire a Coach..Become a coach. Sharpen Coaching skills, whatever you do at work!



4 reasons why you may need an executive coach - The Business Journals

The Interesting Link Between Yoga and Executive Coaching

Indeed, Mind, Body & Spirit can not be separated...

I am into Yoga, as it was part of my bucket-list! Why it was on the list, because I thought that will help me physically, mentally and of course, spiritually... 

Meditation/Mindfulness was part of my life, over two decades. But incrasingly mindful of how much to learn through direct experiences.

Do I use them in my Coaching? Yes & No. 
- Where I feel coachee is 'ready' (not judgemental here), I share with them how useful these can be for them
- Otherwise, fitness is the starting point, yoga or simple 20-minute walking! I experience total mindfulness in the latter. (Master said, 'Simplicity is the best "city")

Check out how Executive Coaches in are using Yoga in US:
http://www.ozy.com/fast-forward/the-interesting-link-between-yoga-and-executive-coaching/32622.article

Seth's Blog: Burning bridges

"A bridge well-crossed gets better over time." This line and rest of the post by Seth Godin touched my heart, to say the least. 

Very often, we are so focussed on the goal, we miss the journey. We even miss the need to be aware of the journey. The tragedy is when we promote the virtue of reaching the goal. More so in corporate world :(( It may not be just worth it. Think of it... 

I just checked the dictionary meaning of burn one's bridges (behind one)

1. Lit. to cutoff the way back to where you came from, making it impossible to retreat. The army, which had burned itsbridges behind it, couldn't go back. By blowing up the road, the spies had burned their bridges behind them.

2. Fig. to act unpleasantly in a situation that you are leaving, ensuring that you'll never be welcome to return. If you get madand quit your job, you'll be burning your bridges behind you. No sense burning your bridges. Be polite and leave quietly.

3. Fig. to make decisions that cannot be changed in the future. If you drop out of school now, you'll be burning your bridgesbehind you. You're too young to burn your bridges that way.

You don't want to miss reading the original post from a Philosophical Seth: Seth's Blog: Burning bridges

Indra Nooyi on Why Women Can't Have It All

This topic has been trending in the media & social media. 

Nooyi's candor is very inspiring, as she does not sugar coat the difficulty to 'balance' work/life or manage multiple roles. I was touched by her ability to display vulnerability. That ability perhaps makes her a leader with difference.

As I read through the report, one thought stuck to me. What would have been different if she had hired a Coach? Wonder if she has a Coach!
She has Coaching as one of her popular 5Cs, being her roadmap to success: Competency, Courage & Confidence, Consistency, Compass & Coaching. (MIT Sloan)

A Coach would have been a good sounding board for her, at different stages in life. 

A good Coach would have helped her to handle her 3R's (Regret, Resentment & Reject), in a holistic way. 

PS: Friends in corporate world, it is never too late to hire a coach - an experienced, certified/credentialed one, only. 

For more on Career coaching for women, check out: 

http://www.womensagenda.com.au/career-agenda/builders/why-it-might-be-time-for-a-career-coach/201407034273#.U7dZ542SwQc


http://www.forbes.com/sites/moiraforbes/2014/07/03/power-woman-indra-nooyi-on-why-women-cant-have-it-all/

Want to Be a Better Manager? Get a Dog. | Entrepreneur.com

Can't agree more: 'If you’re good with domesticated animals – and probably children, as
well – I bet you’d make an effective manager with leadership potential. If not, you’ll probably benefit greatly from the experience.'

But don't agree to: 'Instead of getting a coach, try getting a dog and a trainer.' But, get a dog and a coach. 

'You’ll be amazed what you learn.'

PS: Get a dog now. It will elevate the energy at home... So much to learn from them. Their love, loyalty and the state of BEING!

Want to Be a Better Manager? Get a Dog. | Entrepreneur.com

Chennai Traveler

@ Chennai! My new Karmabhoomi!

New?! Or is it back, ‘home’? Where it all started, professionally, on 1/1/91. At #21, Patullos Road!

‘Took the road less travelled’! Drove down, enjoyed driving through torrential rains. Heavy traffic on the NH (courtesy, ‘CV’s!) do not allow to speed up. I empathise with CVs (commercial vehicles, that is) on highways, having worked with the industry for 15 yrsJ A little lane-discipline, from us all, will surely help.

The tollbooths should add this to their KRA? Upkeep of the stretch and better driving experience for the commuters?! Why not, if customer experience is the ultimate goal, instead of just collecting toll for the infrastructure. Every tollbooth announces, ‘lane #1 for cars’. But filled with trucks & buses.

Have you noticed, we are evolving to a new traffic rule – slow moving traffic on the last lane ?!! May be we should formalize! Height of lane-indiscipline!

There were just too many butterflies on the road. Are the flowers on the road-dividers attracting them? If yes, do we need flowers? People pluck flowers too! Risk for butterflies, animals & people?!

I observed hardly any bird, even on the horizon. Where have all birds gone?

Coffee at Krishnagiri and Sambar Vada at ‘Dimple Group’s Anandabhavan’ were just super!

Life Coaching Is Not Weird | Michael Feeley

What is not coaching? And why we all benefit from a professional, certified coach... Well summarised


Life Coaching Is Not Weird | Michael Feeley

Anyone can be a life coach, so is it time to ask: who is really coaching you?

DO surely get a coach...  
Only one who 

- has the certifications/credentials,  from a reputed agency like #ICF (International Coach Federation), or #ICA in Australia. 

- has the experience, proven track record

- lives the life worthy of a Life Coach... who walks the talk 

Will you buy a car recommended by a doctor, instead of a qualified,
experienced salesman, who gives you the clarity and comfort? Weight loss
expert is a very good example.

After all, it is a choice we make... Let us be smart in our choices, not only in selection of a Coach, but on all aspects of our lives?!

Then satisfaction guaranteed... in case of coaching, Bliss guaranteed!

Anyone can be a life coach, so is it time to ask: who is really coaching you?

What is your Legacy?

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Legacy is anything handed down from the past, as from an ancestor or predecessor.

For, what I do for myself is gone when I am gone, but what I do for others remain my legacy. 

As we move up the corporate ladder, and every other such ‘ladders’ in family & society, when get ample opportunity to do good to others. Or at least resist doing evil. Through our thought, word and deed.

At the end of our sojourn on earth, only one thing matters. How much love we have shared. Unconditional, selfless, pure love… which is divine. And this is not some exotic concept, beyond our reach. It is well within our reach. That is actually our natural state of being. We just avoid the truth, unknowingly!

My passion becomes my legacy when I serve others being who I AM, doing what I love.

What is your legacy? This is a question that comes up often in a coaching situation.

Beyond our worldly needs & wants, at some stage, this becomes an important element of our journey. The sooner we reach that stage, the better for us. We will have that much extra time to make a difference.

What is important is to ask ourselves. Then take responsibility and move in the right direction. It would help immensely to reach out to a Life Coach.

 

Lessons From Leading 20,000 Soldiers In Iraq To Coaching Corporate America | Fast Company | Business + Innovation

Inspiring lessons from an army veteran-turned Leadership Consultant/Coach:

An interesting perspective on Work-Life Balance.  This is one thing that deserves lot of positive focus, but not negative obsession.

It is also our perception of ‘work’! When work is a way of life and very internal, it is already in balance. Ask an entrepreneur!

Finding battle rhythm may be a lot more appropriate. She suggests ”that could be as simple as going for a 30-minute run or taking a few minutes each morning for quiet reflective time”.

Lead with emotions (not emotionally lead), coming from an army general is a powerful reminder.
Through active, empathetic listening.

When you are confused, speak up: This is useful even when not confused. Coaching approach to leadership takes the leader to reach out, communicate. Being vulnerable and not hesitating to exhibit it may not be recommended in army. But surely works elsewhere.

Honesty always pays in the long run (Just received a quote on What’sApp: If you are honest, people may cheat you. Be honest anyway – Mother Teresa. Loved the timing & ‘coincidence’)

Let ‘s take care of mind, body & spirit!

 
Lessons From Leading 20,000 Soldiers In Iraq To Coaching Corporate America | Fast Company | Business + Innovation

Transformational Leaders, Sikka & Mulally

Infosys is a hugely successful start up. An inspiration for an entire generation, now passing out of India’s universities.

- One more case of an iconic founder returning, but not making much of an impact in the second innings. But, NRN steps down with humility and hands over reins to a professional, hand-picked. They could have done better succession planning? An area where Microsoft perhaps fumbled, but Apple did not?!

- Sikka means ‘money’. A self-confessed ‘fake punjabi’, brought up in Gujarat and successful at Silicon Valley. But what Infy will look for is proverbial ‘Midas touch’.

- What Infy needs is Sikka the executor. (The Hindu)

- Interesting to note one of his fav books is Hermann Hesse’s, ‘Siddhartha’.

- Asked about Sikka's appointment, Chairman of the Nominations & Governance Committee KV Kamath said: "At this point in time, what is happening all over the world is transformation. We basically had a bias for the transformational leader." (Economic Times)   

While the media was busy with the ‘returning’ of a son-of-soil, another transformational leader was in India too.

- But he was here to say ‘good bye’, after turning around another iconic brand.

- Alan Mulally came from a totally different background to lead Ford out of bankruptcy. His ‘One Ford’ strategy saw Ford ‘selling off luxury brands, Volvo (to Chinese), JLR (to Tata) and Aston Martin, and transforming the company into a globally integrated orgn’.

- A 53 yrs young, Mark Fields, succeeds him. Sikka is younger at 47 yrs!

- Mulally will continue to inspire us, just as NRN & KVK.

- The future belongs to Transformational Leaders. Leaders have a choice now. To Be or Not To be… a Transformational Leader. 

Why cos hang on to the bell curve

It is appraisal time!!! So many friends in corporate world (senior) are sad about its impact on team dynamics and personal confidence. 

Bell Curve is more like The Duckworth-Lewis Method in cricket. (If not worse!) Everyone is aware of its imperfections. But for want of a better alternative, everyone hangs on to it. 

Thankfully, some global companies, known to be people-oriented, are taking the courage to dump it. 

Till such time a "new, improved" method (with all its jargon & complications) comes on scene, we got to see if we can be more professional and at the same time empathetic to staff. It is not impossible to look at some simple methods, within organisations, that will suit them better. It need not be complicated, to confuse intelligent folks at an organisation. 

Simplicity is a great virtue! 
 
Let us treat employees as 'human beings', at its holistic level!

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/opinions/36119596.cms

Top 5 Professional Coaching Myths - Need for right Coaching certification/credential

Came across this article “Debunking The Top 5 Life Coaching Myths”.

Coaching, as defined by #ICF is a ‘thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential. Coaches honor the client as the expert in his or her life and work’. 

As such it is different from Counseling (myth#2) or anything similar, mentoring to consultancy!

As a coach that is one of the key ‘un-learning’, not to prescribe! The focus thus shifts from the coach to the client, totally. The right training to become a coach puts us on that path! Hence, the need to select the right training institution that lead to #ICF credential. 

Check myths:http://christianlifecoaching.com/top-5-professional-life-coaching-myths/

#ICF Coaching-Certification/Training@Chennai

Source of Music and everything else

ILAYARAJA On not reaching saturation point even after scoring music for thousands of songs…

“ The reason is simple. It is not my property. It is not my mental concept or presentation or for that matter, my effort. It (music) comes all by itself and I give it to others. Only when I harbor the thought that I have accomplished all this will this question of what will I do next arise. I do not have that thought at all. It comes all by itself and therefore, I give it as I receive it”

Courtesy: TOI, Chennai

#ICF Coaching-Certification/Training@Chennai

#ICF Coaching-Certification/Training@Chennai

To choose a doubt as a philosophy of life is akin to choosing immobility as a means of transportation... - Yann Martel

#ICF Coaching-Certification/Training@Chennai