Leader as a coach in a post-pandemic world

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Subject: Leader as a coach in a post-pandemic world - April 2022

Pandemic continues to have a lasting impact on each one of us - directly or indirectly. Some of us have lost a loved one, some have lost jobs, some are on the verge of a relationship crisis, & some dread loneliness & much more…
Will there be the next wave? How much worse can it get? The fear will continue to be there for years to come & no one really has a definitive answer to it.
In these unique & never before VUCA times, the leaders have the additional responsibility to be sensitive & present to the individual challenges & needs of their team members.
It’s unique because the leaders are likely experiencing the compounding effects of the pandemic too. As the saying goes - “You can't pour from an empty cup”, the leaders simultaneously have to take care of their own physical, mental & emotional well-being as much as being there as role models to enable, inspire, guide & transform their teams.
We strongly believe, Leader as a Coach is the most effective & sustainable leadership style to lead in a post-pandemic world.

Leader as a Coach is about

Embodying Empathy & Compassion for self as well as others.

Navigating challenges with sensitivity & awareness.

Creating a psychologically safe space where one gets a sense of belonging & not feel judged or shamed or rejected for their uniqueness.

Co-creating new possibilities through self-accountability to the committed goals.

Being vulnerable about the unknown & courageous about exploring collectively & creatively.

Adopting a coaching mindset to drive both business & people excellence.

Like from Chaos comes order, the “Leader as Coach” approach could precisely be the antidote to redefine & Co-Create a new world where VUCA would stand for Vulnerable, Unnerved, Candid & Awakened people & planet.
Click here to know more about Regal’s Leader as Coach offering.

BLOGS

Staying career resilient and market-responsive in a VUCA World.

Every year, we muddle our way through VUCA. Feel relieved when the year-end pressure gets over. We celebrate the year-end until the next one arrives. Have we got any wiser?

Transactional minds carry on regardless. Transformational minds question the wisdom of reacting to VUCA, which entails a

Knee jerk reaction that causes erratic non-performance

Poor resource mobilization, allocation, utilization and

Invoke undesirable results and unintended consequences

Diligent minds recognize slow-mindedness that culminates in doing too little and too late. Symptoms of slow thinking are

A poor understanding of causes and consequences

Insensitivity to the demand-supply dynamics and

Overcoming handicaps by overplaying the strength.

Frozen minds demand a refreshingly different perspective and reorientation. Adopt a new business operating system to function as a unified business entity. That calls for Aligning the stakes of the top twenty stakeholders Interlinking the roles of the top twenty functionaries to Institute a market-responsive system of self-governance and Compensate the executives for the results they deliver.

Such an operating routine evolves itself into a work ethic that

Interprets VUCA and converts crisis into an opportunity

Aggregates the daily experiences into subject matter expertise and

Build executive bandwidth as a core competence.

Individuals and organizations are entities suspended in space. We are not born tough but get airworthy. We build a wind tunnel and learn to thrive in the extremes of VUCA. We supplement vision with guidance, lace passion with caution, and practice the art of navigating our way through turbulence.

Want to stay career resilient and market-responsive in a VUCA World? Find a tough-minded coach if career fitness for life is your goal! Read full blog here.

Shekar Rangarajan

Why become an ICF Coach? A Coach’s perspective

“Why become an ICF Coach?”
This is a question I have asked myself at different conjectures and have been asked by many others who want to pursue , or are curious about coaching. If I had to sum it up in one word, for me, its - freedom. I got to this in parts and I am still on its journey .

When I first started my ICF - ACC journey the gift that coaching gave me was a foundation and structure.Both may not seem like glamorous goals for a professional course. While we all know how essential it is, we stand and appreciate the beauty of a building rather than the strength of its foundation.

Coaching has various competencies and every competency has been carefully placed in an order to serve the client. If our life was to be viewed in a socratic manner as pursuit of questions and our journey the ability to answer them . Then doesn’t a life well lived require that we ask the right questions and ponder over them? An appropriate question, I believe, opens doors to different possibilities in life and hence can change the course of our narratives, view on life, decisions and life path itself.

When I decided to sign up for the ICF - PCC certification , I found myself back with the question of Why Coaching ? What was the need of it? The competencies were no different, The structure was the same . I then sat with the question of why ICF - PCC? The answer to this I got in a coaching session myself - Freedom.

It's just like a speech that needs to be rehearsed before going on stage so one can be present, like an actor who becomes completely thorough with the script and their character sketch so they can be, without thinking or analyzing - justflow . Likewise, my ICF - PCC journey is to get to that stage of freedom to flow. It comes with understanding the length, breadth and depth of the questions and competencies.

To conclude, Eric Weiner in his book on philosophy, rephrases the socratic thought really well when he says- “An unexamined life is not worth living and an examined life that doesn’t produce practical results isn’t worth it”. To me coaching definitely leads to practical results through continuous & daring examination - making life worth living. Read full blog here.

Rama Venkataraman

Why it's essential for leaders to Co-Create a new VUCA World: Vulnerable, Unnerved, Candid & Awakened.

“VUCA” – Vulnerability Uncertainty Complexity Ambiguity – a concept which has been around since the 1980s, and has been researched, socialized and embraced over the last several years. The term itself can raise alarm bells and anxiety in some. And yet, understanding and navigating the VUCA world we are in, is a critical life-skill today. Geo-political changes, social changes, rapid advancements in technology are but a few factors that contribute to us being in a VUCA world today.

So how do we operate and mindfully thrive in this complex, ever-changing environment – be it at home/work/places of learning etc?

In my experience, three essential skills are needed to counter a VUCA environment – Adaptability, Resilience, Learning mindset. These are all interconnected.

Adaptability - Let’s take an example of the pandemic. A completely unforeseen scenario, with a majority of the global population, moving to a work from home and learning from home situation with no pre-warning or preparedness. Yet, we saw some organizations thrive and exceed their profit goals. Companies which thrived, were largely those that were further into the adoption curve on their digital transformation initiatives. Some others which struggled initially, but managed to get back on their feet, quickly jumped on the “go digital” bandwagon. The adaptability of their business decisions to switch from a business model requiring physical presence to a virtual one, were a key enabler in this period (and continue to be so).

Resilience – Resilience is the ability to bounce back during times of adversity and chaos. The process also includes personal growth. Resilience is a developed skill. Similar to the ICF coaching competencies, it allows one to move out of the “Why me” scenario to a “What else can I do” mindset. The cornerstone of resilience requires one to persevere, be rooted in optimism, to look ahead, build networks and support systems that nurture growth and unlock new possibilities.

Learning mindset – The world is ever changing. Methods, procedures we had yesterday may not work well for the future. Think about the invention of the light bulb. This was a prolonged process with several trials and error, incremental success and failures. But, a will to persist despite failures, have us all enjoying this technology even today. Prior to this it was candle-light for everyone. Using the same mindset with marginal improvements, would have merely given us a fancier candle rather than a light bulb. The take-away here is that during decision making learn to look ahead and around corners – make some leaps of faith. Don’t be afraid to fail in your endeavors and keep an open mind to the possibilities. Keep a very curious mind for what can change, what is the experience you are trying to create. Reframe the problem, and then look at how the solution is emerging. Be prepared to throw away the old learnings and adapt new systems, technologies, mindsets to move forward.

Coaching and VUCA – Coaching ties in very well with navigating VUCA. Coaches create a safe, non judgemental space. With powerful questioning, they help individuals and teams break limiting beliefs and known pathways, enabling exploration of news ones, creating those moments where magic happens as you unlock new possibilities and ways of operation. Whether you are in a coaching session or not, leveraging the coaching competencies and skills, will help you navigate those times of uncertainty or making critical business decisions. Read full blog here.

Mini Shah

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Team coaching

Is your organization still ‘managing’ the teams? Successful organizations have migrated to ‘Coaching’ their teams to high performance & potential. Coaching is a POSITIVE - SUM game - a multiplier of performance and business outcomes!

We are happy to announce our recent launch of team coaching interventions. Team coaching sets the stage for an organizational culture that

Boosts productivity & business outcomes

Expands creativity & innovation,

Encourages collaboration & problem solving,

Supports individual & team growth,

Enhances overall employee wellbeing & establishes a sense of belonging.

Improve your team's effectiveness by partnering with us. Learn more about our team coaching offering here

Coaching Unlimited

“As a coach, are we Coaching at a MASTERY level - session after session?” This question inspired a 4- day Coaching intensive specially designed for ICF Practicing Coaches to propel them to coach at a mastery level. A deep dive into the Core competencies, enriching discussions and real-life case studies mulled over in the serene lap of nature @yelagiri hills. A Coach-Centric program that thread bares the nuances of a practicing coach. Know more.

LAUGH & LEARN

Interview with Ayshwarya Desikan

Regal talk with Ayshwarya Desikan

Ayshwarya Desikan is a Senior Vice President with HSBC & a recently credentialed ACC Coach. In our recent conversation with her, we explored how “Becoming a Coach” journey is different from the other leadership interventions she had experienced in her more than 2 decades of experience. Our open & curious conversation touched upon how the banking sector is getting warmed up for “Coaching for their leaders” at all levels & why not just banking but professionals from all sectors should consider taking up “Coaching” as a leadership skill to create lasting impacts & powerful outcomes.
Click here to watch the full video of the latest Regal Talk.

Our Credentialed Coaches