Six Tenets of a Leader-as-a-Coach: A Coachee’s Takeaways on How Coaching Facilitated Enrichment of Potential for Self and Teams

As we inch towards the grand finale of #InternationalCoachingWeek 2023, enriched by the various personal and organizational stories of how #professionalcoaching has empowered individuals and businesses, we invited the celebrated business leader and executive coach and ICF Foundation Trustee Jeff Cheah, PCC Trustee, ICF Foundation to share his thoughts on how coaching impacts #humanpotential and here is a client success story that he has generously shared: 

In my work as an Executive Coach, very often the coaching conversation went by in a fleeting moment. Since I was fully present and focused on listening to what the client shared, very often I don’t remember the questions I asked and the stories I shared.

 This morning, there was an opportunity for my client, a Finance Director, to reflect on her seven months coaching journey. It was her defining moment and mine too.

This is what she shared. What she discovered, learnt and decided to implement. And this is what I am learning too.

 Spend time to save time: She relates a story about a direct report who was new to the job and always sends in questions expecting a response. My client used the coaching approach, asked her to not just bring the problem but also share the background and come up with some possible solutions. In that way, my client will have to spend time with her walking through the possible solutions and empowering her direct report to decide on the solution. This takes time but eventually saves lots of time as her direct report no longer comes to her on small issues.

 Slow down and be patient: She felt that in the office, she’s always rushing, not enough time to have a good conversation. She decided to adopt a different strategy. Share key points ahead, let them think first, then allocate time for these important conversations.

 I am not better than others: As a Leader, I’m more exposed to coaching and mentoring skills. Even then, I may not have all the answers for them but I’ll listen to them, ask questions, share experiences and unlock potential together.

 Meeting for the first time. The 1st session: See this as a Session to get to know each other, learn from the person, ask “what do you want?”. It’s the coachee’s agenda. Find out their expectations of me. Something good will happen.

 Put myself in people’s shoes. Show empathy: Learn from the journey. I may not fully understand the situation, so I ask them what they think, analyse what they see.

 Important to provide a safe place: A safe platform, a place where people feel comfortable to share, not judged or penalize for saying things that contradicts

 And what has she noticed about changes in herself?

Heightened self-awareness. Understand more how people see me.

Practice to pause and listen. The results? Get to hear more.

Leadership is a privilege. Get comfortable to be questioned.

Connections and relationships are important. Build them.

Talk less, ask more, listen more.

Be vulnerable.

Learn how not to take things personally.

 I’m mighty proud of my client. She has the humility to learn from her direct reports and peers, be aware of her limitations, the courage to change and the discipline to take action.

 And for that I’m grateful to be her Coach. I felt validated. Most important of all, coaching works! That’s why I do what I do.

 Author Bio: Jeff Cheah has 40 years of experience in corporations and leading entrepreneur businesses. He has over 1,500 hours of experience in executive coaching and he has conducted over 200 Coaching and Mentoring workshops. He is active in the local chapter of International Coaching Federation (ICF) having served as Vice-President (2016-2018), President (2018-2020), Immediate Past-President (2020-2022). He is now serving as a Board Trustee in ICF Foundation. For the past 11 years as an Executive Leadership Coach, he has coached over 600 C-Suite Leaders to shift from “Telling” Leaders to “Asking” Leaders, one that is more supportive than directive, with the courage to make the shift.

#InternationalCoachingWeek #unlockyourpotential  #CoachingBenefits #PersonalGrowth #ProfessionalDevelopment #CoachingImpact #internationalcoachingweek #growth #impactofcoaching #exploreyourpotential #Coaching 

Jeff Cheah, PCC Trustee, ICF Foundation ICF Pune Charter Chapter ICF Delhi NCR Charter Chapter ICF Chennai Charter Chapter ICF Bengaluru Charter Chapter ICF Hyderabad Chapter ICF Hyderabad Chapter Nilima Lalsare Sindhu G CA. Devarajan Iyer ICF PCC, EMCC SP, SHRM SCP, PGPM, ACA Sudip Verma Priti Gupta, PCC ICF Anju Saini   Tushima Mukherjee, PCC Rachana Sundaram