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Dear Leader,Hope you are doing well during these challenging times.Leadership is facing the biggest challenge, at work, home and in the community. In the corporate world to the political world. How we handle this crisis would define our legacy as a leader. – What is storytelling?– Does it mean different to different leaders? What does it mean to you?– Is storytelling a key leadership skill? After two successful global webinars on ICF Team Coaching and Emotional Intelligence, we are delighted to bring to you a session on Tactical Story Telling with the master storyteller Neil Bearden, MD, Plot Wolf and Associate Professor of Decision Sciences at INSEAD, Singapore on July 28, 2020, at 7 PM India Time/6:30 AM PST. To register, please visit https://tactical-storytelling.gr8.com/ Storytelling describes the social and cultural activity of sharing stories, sometimes with improvisation, theatrics or embellishment. Every culture has its own stories or narratives, which are shared as a means of entertainment, education, cultural preservation or instilling moral values. (Wiki) Stories “fulfill a profound human need to grasp the patterns of living—not merely as an intellectual exercise, but within a very personal, emotional experience.” – Robert McKee Leaders who tell stories also communicate a compelling vision around desired beliefs, behaviors and results. … In essence, storytelling helps leaders change the way their teams think, which is a critical step in shifting the way employees act. Let us add storytelling to our leadership, life. Happy storytelling, leading.

Topics covered in the webinar Definition of Resilience Social and Emotional Intelligence The Four quadrants of EQ to manage awareness 26 Competencies of Emotional Intelligence Healthy relationship with Self Overcoming guilt Self awareness The emotional side to Change How do you care for physical well-being, Spiritual well-being and Mental well-being Brief Summary of the Webinar Regal Unlimited’s webinar on Resilience During A Time Of Change highlights the importance of building resilience especially during the present times by drawing on the strength of our inner-self.  Cathy Mott in this Webinar outlines the many ways to build  resilience and focuses on building Emotional Intelligence. Cathy Mott is a PCC, an executive coach helping Organizations create better leaders and a published author. The webinar is extremely invigorating as she draws examples from her own personal life on how to bounce back in spite of many hiccups life might throw at you. Mott patiently guides the participants to traverse the path to self-discovery to recognise the importance of self-care and build a resilient self which can bear positive impacts on one’s social relationships. She says, resilience is the ability to bounce back, resume a normal shape or sometimes perhaps create a new norm. She emphasizes the need to tap into our personal power in order to bounce back. Mott also mentions that each of us has the ability to be strong and buoyant. She makes a mention of Daniel Coleman where he states that Emotional Quotient is four times more important for success than intelligence quotient. Cott says that IQ is what gets you hired while EQ is what gets you promoted. She says it’s very important to give a name to our emotions, validate them, accept the same and learn to navigate them. It is very important to respond rather than react to our emotions. When you validate your emotion, it lessens the intensity and helps us to manage it well which can have a ripple effect in the sensewe will be able to have better social interactions. Mott also discusses in detail the four quadrants of Emotional Intelligence — Self Awareness, Self Management, Social Awareness and Relationship management. When we are aware of our Self, we are able to manage ourselves better, which can result in empathizing with others and help us manage our relationships better too. She mentions that   body language constitutes 55% of human communication. Therefore, she says how important it is to recognise this to help us build bonds. She says how self care is extremely important on the road to becoming resilient. She also says that one need not feel guilty to indulge in self care. Self care she says helps you in coming face to face with yourself, helps you experience a wide range of emotions and work through them. She also mentions that it is crucial to have a great relationship with self as it creates space to listen to our own Self. She says there is more happiness in giving than receiving when our cup/bucket is full. Lastly Cathy Mott also mentions the 4 components which constitute individual well-being and the many ways to fill these buckets to build resilience.

Topics covered in the webinar Introduction: Paddy Padmanabhan What is Phoenix Mindset Why CEOs need Phoenix Mindset How leaders disrupt their own organizations using Phoenix Mindset Q&A with Paddy Padmanabhan How Coaching can pivot the mindset of CEOs How leaders are made using Coaching Brief Summary of the Webinar Regal Unlimited invited Prof Paddy Padmanabhan, a distinguished INSEAD Professor and co-author of the book, “The Phoenix Encounter Method” for an interactive webinar on decoding the nuances of the phoenix mindset. The topic gains extreme relevance and significance in these unprecedented times where the relentless waves of CHANGE are testing organizational leadership.  From the Global recession to the Great Resignation & other variants thereof, the organizational ecosystem is being negatively disrupted. The phoenix mindset has ‘urgency of doing’ at the heart of its framework. It is no surprise that legacy firms are equally vulnerable to becoming obsolete, being outrun by competitors, and being disrupted by nimble startups from seemingly unrelated industries, thanks to the amorphous industrial boundaries.   In such times, the Phoenix Encounter Method becomes an eye-opener (a tool of resurrection). In the webinar, Paddy delves at length on the framework, its use cases, its procedures and its application to various organizations. The basic premise is concerned with asking powerful questions (objective confrontation and provocation) to the senior leaders, and one such question which Paddy mentioned was, “ Can you list out three things which you can do to completely destroy your OWN business? (resources being abundant)” Kill your own business before the competitor does it because “Somewhere, someone is working on a product that can make your product obsolete.” Paddy then shared a few tips on developing a phoenix mindset. He sprinkled the session by giving amusing real-life examples of organizations and leaders who have successfully transitioned and adopted the ‘Phoenix Mindset’, truly they have gone through “a veritable firestorm of change to be re-born.”

Topics covered in the webinar Why Teams and Individuals matter? Anatomy of Team Coaching Engagements. Difference between a Coach and a Facilitator Team Coaching outcome : Foster autonomy Defining Generative Team Coaching  Role & Principles of team coaching Brief Summary of the Webinar Janet Harvey is a renowned Coach, a Visionary, an author and an eloquent Speaker. She awakens the leader within and helps people delve deep to lead wholesome lives. She chooses to term Team Coaching as 1 to Many (1:Many). She begins the webinar by telling us she started to coach Teams at a time when Coaching was beginning to differentiate itself from Mentoring, Training or Change Management interventions. Janet emphasizes that the emotional and social intelligence of the teams are extremely important and it cannot be ignored for teams to perform in synergy with the organizational goals. She explains in detail why teams and individuals matter within Organizations. Janet says that it is the prerogative of the Coaches to help teams operate in safe  and secure spaces. It should be the Coach’s endeavour to know what keeps the teams motivated and how often they get into those moments of motivation.  She also talks of the anatomy of team coaching engagements in detail. She says these engagements nurture the teams besides helping them to realize the purpose of their existence. It is also the responsibility of the leaders to keep the teams nourished and free from skepticism. In this webinar, Janet draws out the differences between a Coach and a facilitator. A Team Coach uses powerful questioning to help teams become aware of the choices teams make. She says that the outcome of team Coaching must foster autonomy. In an effective team interaction there is a level playing field and hierarchy is softened. Once a team has attained autonomy it is ready to take on the responsibility of taking action. As Coaches we are opening clients to many possibilities through the power of questioning. This probably can disrupt certain habits but can infuse action to realize the shared purpose of the organization. The webinar takes you through the entire gamut of team coaching and the outcomes for organizations.

Banks have been slow to adopt a holistic leadership development, across the globe. Monetary and non-monetary benefits in the form of increment, performance incentives, promotions, contests/foreign trips, and of course, stock options, have helped to get bankers (& BFSI leaders) to deliver. To be fair, a lot of effort, energy, and man-days have been spent (not invested?) on (not holistic nurturing) talent. A lot of training focus has been on skill development, to fulfill the requirement to tick boxes in annual appraisals. A lot of great places to work have dumped the ‘annual appraisals and adopted a more regular feedforward, nurturing  Nothing wrong with the training and appraisal approach. It was the need at that point of time, aligned with the prevailing consciousness. For individuals, they would have lived and died as ‘mere’ bankers, not fulfilling their real potential.  Times have changed, and the leadership approach has not changed. At BFSI, Are we really investing in our manpower? Do we care for their holistic development? Do we take into account their inherent potential? Coaching is about maximising personal & professional potential (ICF) A case study, courtesy @Forbes: Of course, there are exceptions, thankfully. This small bank in the US seems to be trying. Why they now place so much value on leadership” ‘ …We haven’t always been strong on leadership development, but we evolved because we saw how valuable and meaningful it was going to be to the bank overall ‘ (Sr VP, HR). It obviously makes business sense! No wonder, the bank’s mission is to create “FANS” and talks about “killing stupid bank rules” in their annual report. They also call their branches “stores” to better reflect the retail buying experience they strive to offer. For more check out:  https://www.forbes.com/sites/kevinkruse/2019/02/21/from-great-bankers-to-great-people-leaders-leadership-development-at-republic-bank/#68f397cf47a2 A generation of smart bankers would have lived and retired without even aspiring to live to their full potential. Maslow’s self-actualized state is also living to the full potential. Will, that works with millennial, Gen Z and others? If the leader leaves it entirely on the organization, it will be at his/her own risk. Don’t take such a big life-risk. Every banker, BFSI leaders deserves an opportunity and choice. Our coaching model, R_E_G_A_L, is GROW+Light (L), ‘L’ being a self-actualized state. This is not a nirvana or self-realized state. But also living to full potential. Introduce executive leadership coaching, coach training and also counseling/healing for mental wellness of leaders in BFSI. Check out our coaching model, and more about Executive Leadership PS: We also offer coach training/mentoring, counseling and healing.

The Stanford commencement speech by Steve Jobs was not just inspiring, but a moving one…from one of the icons of the century One certainty of life is death, for sure. We tend to live as though we are immortal? At the same time is it necessary to live with the end in mind or one’s own eulogy?! How about life , at its best, is that goal? The Science may support. As the article points out, ‘thinking about death can lead to decreased militaristic attitudes, better health decisions, increased altruism, and reduced divorce rates’. Is it a good idea to visualize death, rather than life, in all its majesty… #BeRegal? At one point this thought fascinated me and have discussed as part of my coaching and mentoring, even promoted the concept. It fascinated me to write my own eulogy… Not anymore. For as part of the coaching journey, I discovered a more fascinating model! A variant of Wheel of Life or Circle of Life. We have incorporated other elements and made it Regal@60 .  The coaching tool is aligned with other approaches such as healing, mentoring, counseling, et al. and that makes it unique. ‘Age is just a number’ We specifically choose 60 yrs as a milestone, as the beginning of the Vanaprastha stage. It can be at the peak of one’s life, on all parameters, including career, relationship, health, wealth, and other areas those are relevant to the individual. While 60th birthday is just another number, it is celebrated as a milestone in India (shashtipoorthi) An  Ashrama  in Hinduism is one of four age-based life stages discussed in Indian texts of the ancient and medieval eras. The four ashramas are:  Brahmacharya, Grihastha, Vanaprastha & Sanyasa. It is still not a bad idea to write our own eulogies, but an alternative is to make a detailed Regal@60. The end of life can be after that, or before too 🙂 At 60, we would be more in a position to move from I/me/mine to We/ours, and still better to the larger society (#I2We2He). In the true spirit of the ‘World is a Family’ (vasudevom kutumbakom) or ‘All are Brahman’ (Sage Vasishta to Sri Rama). Would you prefer to write your eulogy or prepare your Regal@60?  If you choose to live “regal” at 60 & beyond, check out the tool and schedule a couple of coaching conversations around it. The results have been nothing less than magic for our clients. Check out more at  http://circle-of-life.gr8.com Whatever, Choose Bliss. Happy Living…

Had recently listened to a wonderful podcast on  2018 Best Countries  on  @WhartonBizRadio podcast by  @Danloney21 . There were a few surprises. Listened to another brilliant podcast on # Happiness,  with the author  ‘Blue Zones of Happiness’ . (Bullet points are my random thoughts, rest of it is from the podcast) After Blue Ocean Strategy & it’s updated version recently, it is good we have something on ‘Blue’ zones of happiness. It is still sad we have a few zones of happiness across the globe! The entire planet is not a blue zone. The sky is blue, the ocean is blue, Hindu God Vishnu, who sustains the creation, is blue. But sapiens have made great effort to make most of the Earth red. I sometimes think that God in creating man somewhat overestimated his ability — Oscar Wilde Any economic development is not worth it if people are not  happy . We have a good example in our neighborhood — Bhutan. To visit Bhutan is on my bucket list! What Can We Learn from the World’s Happiest People? In the happiest countries, enlightened leaders took the focus away from economic development alone. That created an upward spiral in well-being. What we need is enlightened leaders, in all areas, at all levels. Are we really creating and nurturing such leaders, who will take the myopic, transactional economic parameters as measures of success or transformational, visionary leaders who will take a long term view of real development, beyond GDP, to happiness? Is it not time for us to demand for such leaders at corporate and not-for-profit entities, and not just in the government. For that to happen we have to ensure health and education of the child and the mother. Yes, the mother, for the seeds of values & ethics are sown at a tender age. The learning that happens on a mother can not be received anywhere else. Also, our education system, which has not kept pace with changing times. As part of the happiness project, they set out to check out on ‘the world’s happiest places’… Can we really measure happiness? Looks like it is easy to measure  life – satisfaction , daily  emotions , and  purpose,  scientifically. 151 countries (95% human population) were covered under the study. “Happiness does not happen on its own. A clear genesis to it ”1. Visionary leaders — leadership  is at the core .2. Focus on not mere economic development, which is relevant to poor countries, and not developed countries. Kids’ education, mothers’ education, healthcare ( not  the American model of caring for the sick) focusing on great public health that ‘catches diseases’ before it becomes big, a sense of equality (through policies, taxation, what people honour) Happiness @ workplace — set up the environment to be more happy. Gallop’s survey covering 2 million workers in America: what matters to the workers is not the pay, not the boss… but, do you have a best friend at work? On a bad day at work have someone to have a meaningful conversation. A good friend can surely help. It would still be better if the colleague-friend is trained as a coach, to provide a coaching conversation, which is often most meaningful. Internal coach Vs external coach is also a relevant topic to consider (Disclosure: my thought on an internal-coach is an oxymoron!) Power 9  seems to be an interesting summary of the book ( I am yet to read the book).If we were to change a behavior, we may fail. For example, our efforts to lose weight, exercise… one of the most common example we quote in coaching and coach-training. A coach can help overcome the mental constraints to achieve the identified goal, in an empowering way, co-creating with the client.‘Our minds are indeed hardwired for novelty. We get bored quickly, and we lose discipline’: Can’t agree more. Did not know that it was a universal problem. ? It is easier to lose discipline,  and  practice positivity : I agree with the author. It is about remembering to do, day after day, till the goal is achieved. The Coaching process and ICF coaching competencies, 9, 10, 11 on the  action , take care of it. I love these competencies, next only to coaching presence. 6 domains you can influence to be more likely to be happy — a blueprint, the ecosystem What makes us happy? Statistically speaking…Food, healthcare, meaningful work, married to the right person are the foundation. What is more important is where we live!  And author reminds us, ‘if you are not happy, just shift to another place’! Wow!!An average American adult moves over 9 timesCanada is a happy place, one of the top 7 happy places, where many people are moving to today to find happiness.Geography is the key… Top 3 happiest places are: Denmark, Costa Rica, and Singapore For more on the podcast, check out https:// itunes.apple.com/in/podcast/kn owledge-wharton/id120724941?mt=2&i=1000404607318

‘The rapid growth of the coaching and consulting industry is staggering. According to a research study by  IBISWorld , at the end of 2014, it was said that coaching is a  $1 billion  industry that the ICF  expects  to grow by 20% in 2017′. (Pls note it is coaching, consulting and all that broadly fits into two diverse areas – for coaching and consulting are totally different, like two parallel lines. In between lies, training, guiding, mentor by subject matter expert, therapy, counseling, healing, life-‘coaching’, et al.). Everyone and their dog is flocking to the cash-pumping industry to take their stake in today’s gold rush – My coach-trainee (a doctor) was saying, ‘your dog also will become a good coach‘! My dog is with me, when I am home. My dog is a huge inspiration for me in my this innings… Patient, unconditional loving being a few competencies she exhibits… We have been working with leaders & coaches, including uncredentialed/aspiring too. To co-create (not ‘help’) a future based on their life-purpose. You can unshackle, without helping – that is coaching If money is the #1 motivator to become a coach, you are better off staying elsewhere. In the long run, profit motive can not drive coaching. That can not be a #LifePurpose, at a holistic level. Money is important, but not everything, for a real coach. Women seemingly make better coaches. Maybe it is their emotional intelligence? A coach, male or female, got to tap into both the Yin & Yang, IQ & EQ to create a transformational experience for the client. In the same way, age is a mere number. You can be a millennial at heart too. #IQ2EQ2SQ Believe it or not, it takes some time to create a successful business, which is sustainable. #Legacy Writing down your goals definitely helps A full-time coach may be better of if trained certified ICF credentialed, ACC, if not PCC experienced working continuously to learn, mentored, supervised committed, full-time to coaching? Coaching is about facilitating the client/coachee to live life goal, even a short-term, a transactional goal should be in some way aligned with the larger purpose. Else the coachee needs a trainer, an expert, a boss, or a consultant. Being a coach is a full-time job (more than a job!) – not in coach roles or costumes, or at times! We train, facilitate, mentor aspiring coaches to their ACC & PCC. PCC- leg training at Chennai on 14th October, 2017. PS: Forbes article:  10 Beliefs Holding Successful Female Coaches Back (And Being Surpassed By Millennials)

Inviting all ACC (ICF) coaches to join us for your PCC journey… thru Coacharya Advanced Program, an ICF accredited ACTP Program  to PCC. The current batch at Chennai completed first two months (six modules) in Nov & Dec, 2016. Sessions in Jan & Feb will be relevant to those who aspire to move from ACC to PCC, both in terms of content & depth. Classroom  sessions at Crowne Plaza, TTK Road, Alwarpet, Chennai – two days a month, over weekend January 2017 – 7th, 8th (Saturday & Sunday) February 2017 – 11th, 12th (Saturday & Sunday) Virtual Sessions are held on other Saturdays (8 sessions) Even if you have gone through your ACC-related journey with any other ICF-approved program, you are welcome to join us for your PCC-related sessions. (Conditions apply) Facilitated and mentored by two PCCs, Subash CV and Priya Ramesh. Subsequently mentored by Cindy, MCC. For more details, pls write to either facilitators, subash@regalunlimited.com  or  priyaramesh89@gmail.com While the destination of this journey may be Coach certification and ICF Credentials, our focus is as much on the  journey . This journey has been transformational for most of us. Registrations are open. Limited seats available. Details: www.regalunlimited.com/icf-approved-coach-training-certification-chennai/ Brochure: https://regalunlimited.com/wp-content/doc/ICFBrochure.pdf Corporate Film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxUIHZHUimQ — Regal Unlimited – ROI of Enchantment

Back from a very refreshing trip to Dubai. Was a delegate at #ICFME2014, Dubai. Met up with my mentor-coach, Janet Harvey. Got to re-connect with Coach-Guru, Dr. Marshall Goldsmith. Caught up with many old friends, made a few new friends. The trip was totally hassle-free. Travel, stay, conference, et al. Feeling grateful! Walked around Jabel Ali resort, with peacocks! Went around the city, with friends’ Lexus, Audi, Volvo, etc. (love those machines, on Dubai roads!) More importantly, got some time to reflect! Janet asked the delegates at #icfme2014, how many of us were into anything that would help us develop #mindfulness. Pico Iyer: The art of stillness. ‘The place that travel writer Pico Iyer would most like to go? Nowhere. In a counterintuitive and lyrical meditation, Iyer takes a look at the incredible insight that comes with taking time for stillness.‘   It is about to shift from Human Doing to Human #Being!

Yesterday’s leadership skills will not work in today’s fast moving and evolving world. Only creative leaders who are visionary and empathetic will succeed. Here are five things you can do to succeed as a creative leader. Instead of commanding , coach your team and organization toward success. Don’t manage people: facilitate them. Often, the know-how, experience and solutions are there, help people to discover them Cultivate respect by giving it, instead of demanding it Know how to manage both success and failure, not just success (it is ok to be vulnerable) Be gracious. Be humble about your successes, and whenever possible give someone else the opportunity to shine.  (Courtesy ET 22 Aug 14) Managers – manage, delegate, command, instruct, mentor, consultancy…  Leaders – just Coach! Managing/parenting millennial – coaching is the only way! Pls don’t try old-fashioned techniques ! Most important… it is a beautiful experience, to coach!

I have observed (even before reading this article) how the entrepreneur is able to deliver customer service, compared to an organization-man! Whether it is property-search to banking to investments to videography, across the board, the SEP (self-employed professional) or an entrepreneur is far more customer-oriented, efficient, less bureaucratic and definitely empathetic. Orgn-man perhaps suffers the maximum in comparison, on the last element, #empathy.  An organization is an  entity , such as an  institution  or an  association , that has a collective goal and is linked to an external environment. The word is derived from the Greek word  organon , itself derived from the better-known word  ergon  which means “organ“. (Wiki) In this article, the author almost writes the obituary of an organization-man! Is it the classic collective irresponsibility or degradation of basic values (esp., when we ‘organize ourselves), not sure?No wonder, ‘we like start-ups, disrupters and rebels. Creativity is honored more than the administrative execution. ‘  Can we afford to embrace this trend? We desperately need the good, old Orgn-man. Else, as David Brooks rightly points out, ‘When the boring tasks of governance are not performed, infrastructures don’t get built. Then, when epidemics strike, people die.’ The choice is ours! Of course, once we understand/accept the problem/opportunity, we can think of multiple solutions, which are readily available to us… We need entrepreneurs/SEP, surely. We need orgn-man too! The choice is ours! Of course, once we understand/accept the problem/opportunity, we can think of multiple solutions, which are readily available to us… One of them, encourage orgn-man to be #intrapreneur.  Must read for all of us, who are/were/will be part of an organization.