I was always intrigued by people from varied backgrounds choosing to be a coach and came to an astounding realisation that I was limited in my thinking that ‘ONLY’ HR & Training professionals would choose to be a Certified Professional Coach.
Since these compassionate people committed to working towards transforming lives of people around them using the coaching methodology; I couldn’t help but compile my interaction with different coaches and their experiences.
It must have taken immense courage and conviction to choose their path to be a coach working independently; at the same time learn the art of Entrepreneurship to quit their plush fat salaried job and stand up for making a difference to lives of people whom they don’t even know yet.
I learnt from them that being a Professional coach is not just a career option; it needs to be fuelled by Passion then only it will give them the fulfilment they have been seeking in life.
Raised Awareness and Mindfulness
“If I had an hour to solve a problem and my life depended on it, I would use the first 55 minutes determining the proper question to ask, for once I know the proper question, I could solve the problem in less than five minutes.” – Albert Einstein
Mrinal Shastri says “very often I have observed that people are confused with “What they need” vs. “What they want”. Many of us seeking answers to wrong questions or in wrong places.
The key impact that a coach makes is about making the client be aware of his feeling thoughts actions and Behaviour, This is a double-edged sword that
Not only Impacts the coachee, But also the coach. It takes a coach to a new level of Self-Awareness and there is no way that they can dodge it if they wish to be successful.”
Shruti adds “With coaches around, this world will be a better place. When you become a coach, you tend to learn to look inwards and be more aware of your reactions and emotions. This awareness has positively affected all aspects of my life; I believe I am now a better professional, a better wife and a better mother.”
Vishakha sees herself as a glow that spreads peace; Being a coach helped me to go within, reflect and raise my own level of self-awareness. It helped me to come out of a trap where I see most people live believing that they do not have a choice; whereas they have not yet worked on their blind spots; There is more to it than meets the Eye.
Vasundhara Talware exclaims “I am even more wired and connected yet calm and in control from within. It’s a beautiful state I am experiencing every moment.”
Free yourself & others
Everywhere around we have behavioural and social rules that one invariably imposes on others or threaten them with consequences of rejection, disapproval and making them feel outcasted. We are surrounded by hundreds of judgement as hurdles to move on; It requires us to steer our path ahead and succumb to them.
Coaching is a way to make a coach free of Judgement towards the client and allows a client a safe space to BE who they wish, and find their lost power.
Sudhanshu says “There is a huge amount of stress everywhere, resulting from the complex environment we are living in; There is a high level of noise and air pollution, excessive bombarding of information, too many distractions and all these are adding a new challenge to our regular work and personal life challenges. With coaching, We can help a client identify what truly matters to them and help them achieve results in that area in a subtle, non-intrusive and in a manner they choose to.
Listening Skills
The first and profound learning from the training that 90% of coaches admit that they have been better Listener. I am yet to come across a forum or training that do not lay emphasis to not listen actively.
Listening is not to react but to understand and then respond without the need to interject, assume or jump to conclusions.
Mrinal shares “I am more empathetic towards others since i became a coach; the impact was on my overall interpersonal skills. I do not offer my opinions or advise any more, in fact I help my colleagues look at solutions that are more suited to them.”
Sagarika Mishra says “Coach Training has made me non-judgemental about people and things, and If at all it happens, i am fully aware of it and do not allow it to interfere with my actions. Now i am more curious to understand people and their perspectives rather than giving my suggestions or advice to them; So that they are inspired to take their own decision as they have all the answers within themselves.”
New Found Courage and Confidence
Manju says every session conducted was comparable to looking into the mirror without holding back anything and every question asked from a coachee was reflective on me; answering that for myself created a positive shift in my mindset. Each session was unique and left me wiser than ever before; I experienced a paradigm shift inside out.
She also shares ‘While I find it strange but true what my Master Coach said: “You will attract clients you can handle and would be able to relate, I am amazed at how coaching is so powerful and intuitive?“
“Having the courage to live a life of my choice has been the biggest takeaway for me.
By being a coach, I moved from living a default or an auto-pilot routine of life like most others to living in conscious awareness. This gave me clarity and courage to say “No” to many things that were not helping me. The resulting confidence brings about a certain ease and aura visible to people around.” says Vishakha.
Sonal coaches a lot of teenagers and has a very uplifting experience with them; She shares an instance where the impact on her clients.
Once she was coaching a couple of girls who live in a home for girls and women (Details not to be Disclosed – Coaching Confidentiality Agreement) where she was given to understand that teenagers may not be very receptive to coaching and it won’t be of help; within 3 months she was proud to certify this belief as a myth, because “Coaching always works”. The girls moved ahead with a new Found Courage and confidence that was unmatchable.
Performance and productivity at Work
The core purpose of Coaching is to unleash the untapped Potential and use what you have optimally, rather than looking upwards in the sky for more. To be the best version of yourself these coaches work on the Blind Spots and the power of the Subconscious mind.
Like many others, Sudhanshu Mishra is using coaching in his own career rather than setting up his own practice as an independent coach.
Sudhanshu says “Being a coach inspires me to look at any situation or problem from multiple perspectives which helped him to create stronger relationships, and respect at his workplace. I see tremendous opportunity at work to make a difference in people’s lives with some well-timed coaching interventions and helping them achieve their goals and lead more fulfilling lives.
My relationships have grown and are deep-rooted; I am perceived as an approachable and warm person. Life is Good and i am positive about it; Some values like abundance, kindness and care have become an integral part of my thought process.”
Rajan Kasture shares a profound impact in his work life and was generous to share in great detail.
“Coaching has helped me to identify and overcome mental barriers with which I was struggling for few years. Today I have become a better HR professional with this art of coaching.
1. I have excelled at interviewing as I encourage a candidate to do more talking and commit myself to listen.
2. I am aware I used to ask closed questions earlier…I have replaced them with open-ended questions…”How & What” has replaced a lot of “why” questions.
Rajan also says “During feedback sessions, i thought my job was to just tell..tell and tell; Post coaching my style changed. Now I encourage them to tell me how or she did…do a self assessment…….what could have made them think that way…….once that person has done self-analysis then presenting your findings becomes easy. I ask them to set up their own standards of improvement with respect to the assessment and come up with solutions…my suggestions are now mere additions which were earlier as recommendations.
It is a delight to see some peers follow me as to how effective feedback is given.”
Ashwin Kukreja have experienced “My performance at work has increased tremendously, I am able to see things which I couldn’t earlier, I am able to overcome challenges faster and effectively.
Being a coach has transformed my outlook positively towards health and the environment. I started paying heed to small things, happy moments and creating beautiful memories, these were things I had not bothered about earlier. Out of Gratitude for what received, I would now everything like to give back and it feels exciting to think of different ways I can contribute to others and the world at large.
Happiness and positivity empower me to not leave any stone unturned to light up the lives of people who exist in my contact sphere and also those who are out there ……beyond my reach!”
Peace of Mind & Patience are definite outcomes
Mrinal says “GrowMore self-coaching method has calmed me down. I am much at ease with views and opinions that are way different from mine, being Neutral is easy and natural to me.I believe that whatever is mine will come to me, eventually that has relaxed me; I give my best shot and wait patiently for the outcome.”
Mrinal also shares a recent episode, a younger colleague was quite blunt to an extent of being rude during a business development call; I was surprised to see that I remained calm and objective to steer the conversation in a manner that the colleague realised what was going wrong in our discussion and corrected it.
Manju Says “Being a coach has made me more responsible towards my attitude, my outlook and behaviour. Staying non-judgmental has been the foremost learning, took away a lot of frills attached to being judgmental and have set me free. The changed outlook towards the world around me made me calmer, accommodating and compassionate. Now I may score higher on Emotional Intelligence with improvement on the art of active listening; with an intent to understand and not to answer. Life is good and looks easier; I see opportunities rather than challenges. “
The future of coaching
Dr. Marshall Goldsmith says “ Everybody needs Help and its Okay”
More and more people are coming out of the closet and actively seeking help from coaches. These are the most Secure times than we were ever in, there is no reason to fear, there is no need for the insecurity; You have fought all your battles and came out winning and none of the past fears has killed you so Far.
The era of keeping it to yourself and brooding on your own is gone; the only way to Grow is to seek out a helping hand.
Manju is optimistic about the future of coaching, She believes that the scope of coaching is limitless. The boundaries exist neither in subjects nor on maps. Coaching anyone, anywhere and on any aspect will only leave one enriched.
Her life purpose is to empower people so that they live in the state of self-belief. Empower them to focus on solutions and to own responsibilities for their lives and circumstances.
She aspires to nourish their growth, harness the immense potential which each one of them has and to live a life of purpose and contribution.
Vishakha adds “With a renewed sense of peace it has benefitted the relationships with my family, friends and every person I came across.“
I see the future with abundance and a world full of possibilities. The world is a beautiful place and being a coach gives me the power to make a valuable contribution by hand-holding people to be the best version of who they are and live to their fullest potential.
Improved Communication
Priyanka says “My relationship with my daughters ( 16 and 11) & my husband has improved because of enhanced communication and practising the virtue of patience. Coaching has taught me to be available emotionally & mentally with objectivity. All this contributed to a happier me.
Self Love & Fulfilment
“if you don’t love yourself, No one else will”; You are first responsible for yourself; then what is it that makes you do things that you do not Love?
Self Love will be experienced by most successful coaches; Once you become a coach, you will not only cherish this gift But also find others to
Sagarika says “My critical analysis of myself have taken a back seat and is replaced by awareness, Self-acceptance and Self-love.”
Vishakha added coaching qualification that she once aspired for and made a major career shift which gave her the fulfilment she was seeking for.
This world needs more coaches to empower each and everyone looking for answers or seek a fulfilled life and be the Best version of themselves; Till then these are the coaches one may approach to make a difference and stand by you.
Expressing my Gratitude to all these wonderful Coaches who openly Contributed to my Article and helped me compile the experience of being a Certified Professional Coach.
Cheers, Life is Good,
Geet Batra
Vote of Thanks & Brief on the coaches who contributed
Sagarika Mishra is an Emotional Wellness Coach, ACC Certified and trained Psychologist.
Rajan Kasture is a HR Consultant in Talent Assessment & HREM
Mrinal Shastri is a Life & Business Coach, HOGAN Personality Assessor, Certified Career Development Facilitator and OD and L&D Consultant
Shruti Swaroop is Marshall Goldsmith & a ACC certified Coach and a HR professional.
Sonal Satelkar is a Learning and Development| Coach| Psychometric| Human Resources| Capability Development
Sudhanshu Mishra is General Manager and Vertical Head – Central Government at Wipro Limited
Priyanka Kumar is a Certified Coach, Image Consultant and a Speaker.
Others are
Ashwini Kukreja is a Certified Coach and Director at Realtime IT Concepts Pvt. Ltd
Vishakha Bhagnani is a Personal Effectiveness Coach, Career Guide, L&OD Consultant
Manju Chhabra is a Les Brown and ACC Certified Coach, Speaker & Trainer; Founder of Cactus Lily Consulting
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