Transformational Coaching

What is meant by Transformational Coaching?

Let’s discuss  transformation at three levels: at the human level, in the process of coaching, and within the Coach.

Even while a child is in the womb, a sense of self begins to form – call it an ego.  Within moments of birth, a baby realizes that it is different in body, thought than the ‘other’ outside. It senses a notion of this is my body, my thoughts, etc. Transformation is Change. (read Eric Ericson, Seven stages of Man).

This self forms an identity over time, a process that comes from human interaction, through socialization and re-calibration. The movement is two fold: socially at one level, for deeper engagement, both to relate and express. At another level, the journey is inwards at the same time: a deeper self awareness of the Self. The connect between the two, is crucial for social and personal maturation. It is a process of seeking simultaneity, both for validation and confirmation from outside and self affirmation from within. Even as one exists socially at the circumference, one is in touch with the inner center of one’s being. 

The continuum of Identity and Self, exists on another horizontal level: the continuum of location that creates Role Taking, and that allows for evocation for role taking, meaning making, choice making, action taking. 

Let me show this visually below:

	Identity	King Rama
Location		Role Taking
Lord Krishna	Self

As we journey from the Known to the Unknown, to each of us a Journey of a 1000 faces (Joseph Campbell), we embark on a great adventure. At one level, the goal is to seek financial success, achievement at work, etc, but soon with time a sense of inner purpose gets discovered. Let’s call this Personal Purpose.

The true aim of Transformational Coaching is to move the Client to this path: towards discovering one’s Personal Purpose. Most Coaches wonder what powerful questions to ask. Let’s pause here: There are No Questions, one should ask, from a ‘tool kit’ – all exploration must come from the emergent coaching process anchored in the ‘here and now’. It must come from where the client is in the process and not drawn from outside. It is about presence: meeting the client where he/she is at.  The transformation process is a healing process that allows the client to work with himself.  To use the energy that exists and acts as a mirror. Deep Coaching at this level creates disturbance in client, and the coach must be the calming force while the tempest rages around. One has to enter the doorways that are opened by the client, not creating one’s own purpose doorways. Being where client is, staying with client, and going where client wishes to go. Staying with heart rather than head. Attuning to the clients deeper self, and going within, with one’s own vulnerability and with authenticity.

Its like two dancers, soon the dance is what emerges, the dancers disappear. 

Just practice by itself will not do: Practice with bad habits is ineffective. It goes against the notion of practiced knowledge, of being a skilled technician. 

For the coach too, it’s a very personal journey. On a practical basis, one thinks, that clients come for solutions to issues, so its important to help meet this expectation. However, its critical that the Coach should be on a journey to support life providing ‘Choice and Opportunity’ rather than ‘drama and situation’. Clients come to Coaches because they feel disempowered. Clients tend to explain the phenomenon, describes it as a ‘problem’ and searches for the ‘solution’.  To help explore the sub stratum of interpersonal, intrapersonal and intra psychic dynamics surface for insights with client.

At a Vedantic level, there is the experience, the experiencer, and the experiencer being aware of the experience itself. There is no need for ‘seeking’ for something; we just have to remember who we are. We are Lovable, Competent, and Compassionate and we are Unique beings.

Steps to Speedy Decision Making

A case Study

My spouse and I wish to go on a short vacation in October. The choice is either London or Goa. What are the 20 questions I would ask?

·      Budget

·      How many days

·      Climate I prefer

·      Choice of what spouse and I want to do on vacation

Three Steps to Clear Decision making

1.     Who is the decision Maker? – Spouse and I together

a.     All others have a voice. There are just two votes

2.     Agree Clear Criteria that govern the decision making (Explain to a 12 year old)

a.     Often this is not clear from the start itself

b.     Keep it simple

3.     Search for information and classify and rate as per criteria.

a.     Too often we look for maximum information first for its own sake. (What if it cost a Million?)

Being Clear who the  is ‘D’ is the most critical step. In a meeting this is not clearly understood even by the D himself.

(For this insight I owe this to my friend Pankaj Gupta). 

Igniting Leadership

Designing of workshop to Ignite Leadership – Kick off for the year

As CHRO’s most of us have the responsibility to help support senior leadership ignite commitment and passion to deliver the new year. How could one possible go about designing the event for top Leaders in the business?

To start with:

Setting the Context:

CEO to kick off and remind everyone about the Organization Purpose, for us at Diageo (to Celebrate Life Everyday, Everywhere) its ambition to be the Most Trusted, Respected and Best Performing CPG in India. To remind each one, of the journey over the year, in particular the previous year, and gains made and losses.

From there, to confirm the Strategic Vision of the Organisation and what it wishes to Shape aligned with ask from multiple stakeholders. Clarity on Where to Win, and How to Win. And clear battle grounds. Ensure time is spent on getting voice into the room. Identifying early who is the decision maker is critical. Clarify, Many Voices, But One Vote for Speed, Smartness, and Simplicity to pave way for clear Accountability and Decision making.

Business Growth through People Growth

Confirm that all of this would get done through People who are passionate and committed. CHRO to talk about the Leadership Standards all Top Leaders must demonstrate and would include:

·      Winning in Execution

·      Future Focus

·      Inspired in Purpose

·      Investment in Talent.

Clarify what this would mean in the context. Offer Personal Context. Tell Stories from real life. Make it personal. Connect with the audience. Use of slides, are meaningless to do this. Use of theatre could be very useful here. Have team create the AS IS now world, through non- verbal theatre and the desired world where these leadership standards are demonstrated.

Through processing and engaging and reflecting on this Experience, participants see connections between what they do as a result of their Leadership style and the climate they create in their teams and in the environment. What Leadership Standards show up more often, what less, which ones do we struggle with. By function, which requires more attention.  How does each Leaders relate to each of the standards. How do we measure success on these. For what we treasure, we must measure, and review and with consequences and rewards positive and otherwise.

Connecting the parts to the whole

The third stage is to connect the vision of the functions and the functional strategic journey to the whole. One smart way to do this is by setting up a bazar, in an interactive way showing the progress made by each functions, previous year achievement, goals for upcoming year, support and inter-dependencies with others. Through gaming, quizzes, clips, and creative ways one can do this smartly. Imagine having a Kuan Banega Crorepati, for Compliance related questions, or building the 4 pillars of a house (strategy) with bricks denoting initiatives, with clear colour codes related to Sales, Margins or cash or better still having a Dragon’s Den to giving a pitch for ideas around Simplification.

Making this Fun, Interactive and engaging is critical to get past this stage and to ensure every participant is signed on.

Support Leadership Effectiveness for Leadership, Not Management

In the final module one needs to help support Leaders to live their Leadership Standards by investing in people and support amplifying personal purpose. Performance Coaching and real practice sessions help make that happen.

Conclusion:

Ensure every leader leaves the room:

·      Clear about Performance Ambition for upcoming year

·      Clear priorities and owners

·      Inter-dependencies

·      Commitment to Leadership Standards

·      Commitment to lead self and others with Purpose.

·      Clear understanding of Business Results expected.

·      And more importantly, what’s in it for each one.

Closure could be a ceremony, a ritual around self commitments made in public to honour and abide.