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“  Management is about persuading people to do things they do not want to do; leadership is about inspiring people to do things they never thought they could. – Steve Jobs, American entrepreneur & Co-founder, Apple ” For a long time now, there is one question that has been the centre of attention across managerial writings, from opinion blogs to HBRs, from brash articles to prescribed textbooks; literally, everywhere: What is the difference between leadership and management? Colloquial parlance has always considered these two words to be synonymous with each other and often used them interchangeably. This limitation has nonchalantly spilled onto numerous trails of peer-reviewed literature, right until researchers and practitioners began to appreciate the need to define leadership and delineate the difference between leadership and management. This article puts forth a comprehensive, well-researched viewpoint of the difference between Leadership & Management, the meanings they denote and their diverse affiliations. Understanding the Difference Between Leadership and Management: Position vs. Person Over 200 years ago, a civilian in plain man’s clothes rode past a group of workers digging up some place that seemed of vantage position. However, what seemed disturbing was that the leader of the group didn’t join hands to help with the work but constantly yelled at the group and threatened dire consequences if they didn’t complete the work on time. Pausing from his ride, the stranger politely enquired the person as to why he wasn’t helping the men. “I’m in charge! The men do as I tell them,” came an apathetic reply, “Help them yourself if you feel so strongly about it.” After finishing up, the stranger came up to the leader and gently remarked, “You should notify the top command next time your rank prevents you from supporting your men – and I will provide a more permanent solution.” The man was George Washington. (Source: ‘A great leader by example- Powerful Leadership story by Michael Rogers) The first difference between a leader and a manager, or any position of authority, is that leaders see their followers as beyond organizational resources and seek to influence and inspire them while managers exert power and control over organizational titles by supervision and retribution. Leaders develop a vision of value creation and craft strategies to support this vision. Managers control value via inflexible adherence to administrative policies and procedures. It can be said that if leaders are focussed on the process and  results, and more, managers pursue only results. __________________________________________________  Difference Between Leadership and Management: Control vs Empowerment A true leader empowers his team with honesty and transparency. They appeal to the heart of the followers with their charismatic style of leadership and thus, generate enthusiasm and commitment to work. Managers on the other hand are highly pretentious and parcel out information in quantised sets like it costs them personally. They evoke fear in their followers: fear of failure, punishment and reprimand. Leaders invest in their followers with a transformative stance, seeking to empower them in the long run. “Managers light a fire under people; leaders light a fire in people.”  – Kathy Austin, VP & Chief Experience Officer, Limelight Networks The early sixties witnessed a prominent roadblock to the civil rights movement in the USA. Robert Kennedy, infamous for his insouciance to the movement, had just been appointed the attorney general and this seemed catastrophic to Martin Luther King’s men. At a meeting, King’s crestfallen team voiced their despair at the turn of events. There was nothing good about Kennedy. Nothing at all! Martin Luther King then went on to demonstrate why he became one of history’s most charismatic leaders and most deservedly so! He wouldn’t listen to any more negativity about Kennedy but insisted that his team find redeeming qualities of Kennedy that could turn around what seemed like a lost situation. As it turned out, Robert Kennedy was very close to his bishop and King’s supporters decided to use this acquaintance to their advantage. They befriended the bishop and explained to him the satiation; possibly the only person who could get through to the attorney general. Well, the bishop did speak to Kennedy for a long time and Kennedy’s change of heart was momentous! Everyone was surprised at the zeal he harnessed towards fore-running the civil rights movement. American singer and activist, Harry Belafonte famously said, “When Bobby Kennedy lay dead on a Los Angeles pavement, there was no greater friend to the civil rights movement. There was no one we owed more of our progress to than that man.” (Sourced from an answer given by U2 singer Bono, a radical rock star renowned for humanitarian activism ) “The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one who gets people to do the greatest things” –  President Ronald Reagan, 40th POTUS, 1981- 1989 __________________________________________________ Difference Between Leadership and Management: Build vs Blame When leaders face a challenge; when they encounter a breakdown, they strive to sustainably fix the situation as a team whereas managers lament the breakdown, blame the team and seek band-aid solutions to their issues owing to their low tolerance to discomfort. Leaders build accountability and responsibility in the team even as they go through the crisis hand-in-hand. Everyone in their crew knows what they do, and why they do it and have the support and information to build the skills necessary for that assignment. If leaders do not have the answer or do not know how to navigate the issue, they are not afraid to share it with their team. When leaders express themselves authentically, empower their followers and be there for them, a deep connection is built. One cold morning in Bangalore, Archana Patchirajan, founder of Hubbl- a digital, design and brand marketing startup, called her team for a meeting. Everyone knew that these were testing times and meetings such as these were common. When everyone settled in, she solemnly broke the news that they might have to leave since they had run out of funds. She admitted that she could no longer pay them and it was best that they found work that suited their competence elsewhere in the city. There was pin-drop silence in the room. What followed the silence was shocking! The group of high-calibre engineers, who had their pick of jobs in the booming Silicon Valley of India, refused to go. Counterintuitive as it may seem, they agreed to rather work for 50% of their pay than leave her. A strange strong commitment soon swept over the team and they worked through the tough times. A few years later, Hubbl sold for $14 million. When asked as to why they took such a drastic decision to stick with Hubbl, the engineers said that “We all work as a family because she treats us as such. She knows everyone in the office and has a personal relationship with each one of us. She does not get upset when we make mistakes but gives us the time to analyze and fix the situation.” (Source: HBR, What Bosses Gain by Being Vulnerable by Emma Seppälä, December 11, 2014) “A boss has the title; a leader has the people.”  – Simon Senek, British-American author and inspirational speaker Difference Between Leaders and Managers in the Current World: Manage vs Coach (Leader As Coach) Managers today maintain a ‘professional distance and cool’ in a bid to project a certain image – one of confidence, competence and authority. Though such behaviours may achieve results in the short run, it isn’t a permanent solution simply because such a leader-follower bond is founded on fear and not true connection. True leaders are grounded, open-minded and embrace a coaching mindset. They are thrilled when their teams outperform themselves and showcase their achievements. Managers are anxious and threatened when their team members beat expectations towards organizational and personal goals and rightly, get noticed for work. Leaders live the axiom: collaborate and contribute, not compete and counteract. The underlying difference between leadership and management lies in the mindset of the person in power. A leader doesn’t mouth instructions but coaches followers to reach a more resourceful state. They do not give or have all the answers. They tap into the true potential of the follower, support them to recognize their strengths and most importantly, ask the right questions so that they can seek the answers themselves.  There is a strange thrill in seeking answers by oneself rather than someone thrusting them down on us. If we figure the way out by ourselves, we begin to own the solutions, consequently building accountability and responsibility in the followers.  Thus, developing a coaching mindset is one of the key skills leaders cherish. Managers who wish to transform into leaders must pursue this valued skill as the first step toward becoming a leader. “Management is efficiency in climbing the ladder of success;leadership determines whether the ladder is leaning against the right wall” – Stephen Covey, American educator, author, businessman, and keynote speaker Conclusion: Becoming a Leader Ally MacDonald, in his editorial piece titled, “Six Ways Leaders Can Adapt to the Workplace of 2022”, published in the MIT Sloan Management Review (December 28, 2021), outlines ‘Peer Coaching and Leadership on Teams’ as one of the six skills that leaders in 2022 must possess. Toeing these lines, you could sign up to the exciting ‘ Leader as Coach’ programme rolled out by Regal Unlimited  that grooms practising leaders and executives eager to step into leadership roles. The uniqueness of this programme lies not only in its curated compendium and certified coach trainers but in assisting aspiring leaders to ask the right questions and seek the answers themselves. Leader as Coach program is curated to pivot yourself to  become a successful and impactful leader  with a Coaching Mindset. Sign up and see the difference yours elf!

Having noticed an increase in the number of Agile Coaches coming to our ICF Accredited Coach Training Programmes , we are curious to explore how these two professional paths make an interesting & complementary synergy. Agile coaches and Leaders are often in two minds about ICF Coaching, hence this expert blog aims to satiate that query. Read on… Agile is a project management framework, based on using small, efficient, self-managed teams to deliver project results in a flexible & efficient manner. With the focus primarily on getting things done fast & getting things right, it may overlook the human element of the process. Over time, this approach risks becoming prescriptive & solution-oriented with the leader holding “Control” resulting in the team feeling less autonomous. ICF Coaching framework complements agile coaching framework by taking care of the human element beyond the process. It helps the leader to embody a coaching mindset. With new awareness, the leaders feel safe to let go of the control & drive autonomous self-organizing behavior among team members. With a high level of trust, empathy & a sense of belonging, enabled by a Leader as coach approach, productivity is at an all-time high. Now let’s hear it straight from the horse’s mouth – where 8 agile experts speak about the value they experienced adding ICF Coaching Credential to their kitty. We asked them the following question. How can Agile/Scrum professionals benefit from ICF Certification? What shifts when an Agile/Scrum/Tech professional pursues ICF Coaching certification and training? Here is what the eight Agile Coaches feel about ICF-Coach training for Agile Leaders. Self-awareness & Self transformation Anand Pandey Until I underwent ICF-ACC, coaching and consulting were interchangeable terms for me. But the mentor coaches from Regal Unlimited helped me unlock my true potential through the ICF journey, where I experienced the power of coaching, myself. And now even my family notices how empathetic and active listener I have become. The program has truly transformed me professionally and personally – now I am more successful and more happy. Building Organizational Capacity beyond just getting things done fast By Praveen Nelanti It taught me that coaching enables teams to achieve desired growth & extraordinary results, learn from experiences, and maximize individual and team potential. In addition, it helped in practicing the GROW model and other coaching tools. It facilitated my journey of self-discovery and exploration to the fullest. Through coaching, the learning growth and self-transformation have started within me naturally. Impact: Planning & Goal setting for individuals and teams Designing growth/improvement/action items and get the commitment from the teams. Helped individuals and teams to create accountabilities Establishing the agreement, trust, and intimacy with the clients Through coaching, creating sustainable and resilient teams, organizations, and families Started Journaling which helped me to self-reflect, the opportunity for positive self-talk The mentors from Regal Unlimited stretched us from ‘doing coaching’ to ‘being coach.’ Their feedback about my coaching was constructive and insightful on where I need to improve as a coach in my practice sessions. I started using coaching skills in my daily life and started seeing results. Leader as a Partner & Enabler By Tram N Venkatraman 2019 was a major point of inflection for me after 38 years of corporate life of which more than 25 were in leadership roles. After choosing to be a coach post corporate stint I trained with Regal Unlimited – have never looked back. Changed me as a person – moving me towards more empathy, less judgmental, taking my purpose of supporting leaders & businesses as a coach to an altogether new level. The power of partnering with a client just by being there, gently asking questions that enabled them to go deep within themselves and arrive at what is the best they can do to transform and realize & unleash potential. This extends very well into the discipline of Agile & Scrum leaders & professionals – learn how to be a coaching leader so that you lead your team in an inspiring way. Meaningful & Sustainable Change by adopting a Coaching mindset By Venkatesswara Rao E I believe we need to lead by example as an agile coach and ICF Journey laid a transformation with in me . This is one positive on the personal side. Next, it helps with having a coaching mindset (listening, curiosity, powerful questioning) while having a conversation. It helps managers to have meaningful conversations for their team member growth. A prerequisite to lead with Emotional Intelligence By Mohamed Arafath Ibrahim I personally feel that this ICF Coaching Certification is a prerequisite for Agile/Scrum/Tech leaders. As leaders it is quite important for us to ask right questions at the right time, connect with our team members, empathize with them, listen to them (not just through ears but sense deep within), show unconditional positive regard and most importantly have a growth mindset. I understood the meaning of all these attributes practically when I went through ICF Coaching program with Regal Unlimited. Practice sessions with cohorts is so beneficial that it is difficult to put a price tag on it. There is a lot to learn from Regal mentors and this program gives a great opportunity to learn from them. This is not just a training program but a journey and I personally felt this journey to be exiting, exhilarating, inspiring and life-changing. Shifting from providing solutions to building self-managed high performing teams Govinda Kuruba ICF Journey helped me to know what real coaching is. ICF – ACC journey helped me to build coaching competencies which helped me to do agile coaching over Agile consulting which I was struck with for a long time. Most of the time I was providing solutions to the team and was becoming a bottleneck without my knowledge, now I do more coaching and less consulting which results in building high performing and self managed teams. team members gained more confidence in themselves accomplishing the team’s goal. ICF Coaching journey helped me to be more aware of myself, my actions, behaviors and impacts of it. It’s greatly helping my personal and professional decisions too. ICF Journey boosted my confidence as I learnt more about myself, being coached with my peers and my coaches on my blind spots and I acted on it, it’s greatly helping me to have meaningful conversations with leaders. Listening to Influence & Enable people By V.M.Vasudevan Truly I feel that almost all Agile coaches or Agile practitioners need to at least attend the Coach training from the ICF. The GROW model does help them throw a different angle of thinking for problem solving. The Coach training also lays a lot of importance into the listening angle which I feel that the Agile training does not implement. Although people say that Agile coaches are prescriptive, it does not harm them if they could also act like a coach – I mean at times they can also be like a Saki and also as a Sakshi for their own teams. ICF Competencies – A way of living & leading Professional Coaching program trains core competencies that are critical for any coach to succeed – be it Agile or otherwise. Honing core competencies skills such as creating a coaching agreement, active listening, powerful questioning, and using presence make you a master coach. And this is only possible when you go through rigorous practices under the guidance and supervision of master coaches who have had similar experiences. ICF Coaching is a must add skill for Agile Leaders & Scrum Masters Agile coach training ensures that you deliver projects in a flexible, efficient and timely manner. The focus is primarily on the deliverables. This can lead to burnout, stress and a breakdown in mental health of teams. All of these factors directly have an adverse impact on the productivity and overall well-being of the teams.  ICF Coaching supplements the Agile Coaching process by making the entire system human. The Leader Coach embeds coaching culture in the team with a high level of trust, empathy and a sense of belonging by integrating the ICF Coaching Competencies leading to an all-time high productivity. As social beings, we seek trust, empathy and a sense of belonging as they make us feel valued and respected. This is no different for Agile Coaches and Teams. The future workplace will have coaches and not bosses! The Leader Coach has faith in the system in place with the ICF Coaching Competencies forming the bedrock of the entire team and its engagement.  The ICF Professional Coaching Program trains you in core competencies that are critical for any coach to succeed. This is an immense value addition for Agile professionals. Honing core competencies such as creating a coaching agreement, active listening, powerful questioning, and using coaching presence make you a master coach. This is only possible when you go through rigorous practises under the guidance and supervision of master coaches who have had similar experiences. So, are you ready to integrate Agile Coaching and ICF Coaching to emerge as a powerful, impactful, and inspirational leader. Visit this page to learn more about our ICF Coach Training Programs.

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! This was a blog from Shekar Rangarajan. A pivotal coach, Author of the book – GLOW – Play for Greatness. This is what he had to say about Career resilience: “I started my career in Nov 1972.  Every April for the last 49 years, I asked myself this question and changed. I am thinking about what I would do differently this November to celebrate the 50th year of active service! Rest as they say is history. It has worked for me. Happy to pass it along.” Follow his page – Lead with Gravitas for more valuable content on Leadership & Coaching

“VUCA” – Vulnerability Uncertainty Complexity Ambiguity – a concept that 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, and 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, and Learning mindset. These are all interconnected.  Adaptability Let’s take the example of the pandemic. A completely unforeseen scenario, with a majority of the global population, moving to work from home and learning from the home situations with no pre-warning or preparedness. Yet, we saw some organizations thrive and exceed their profit goals. Companies that thrived were largely those that we’re further into the adoption curve on their digital transformation initiatives. Some others who 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 was a key enabler in this period (and continues 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, look ahead, build networks and support systems that nurture growth, and unlock new possibilities. Learning mindset The world is ever-changing. The methods, and procedures we had yesterday may not work well in the future. Think about the invention of the light bulb. This was a prolonged process with several trials and errors, incremental success, and failures. But, a will to persist despite failures, have us all enjoying this technology even today. Prior to this, it was candlelight for everyone. Using the same mindset with marginal improvements would have merely given us a fancier candle rather than a light bulb. The takeaway 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 about what can change, and 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 adopt new systems, technologies, and 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 new ones, creating those moments where the 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 make critical business decisions.

“Why become an ICF Certified Coach?” Why become an ICF coach is a question that every aspiring coach asks himself/ herself at the outset of the training journey. In a world of self-acclaimed coaches, why pay for training and accreditation, one may wonder. This question, I have asked myself at different juntures 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, it is ‘freedom’. I got to this in parts and I am still on the journey. What is an ICF credential?  The ICF credential stands for knowledge, accountability and a strong ethical code when it comes to professional coaching. ICF sets the Gold Standard of Professional Coaching. As ICF states- “Anyone can call themselves a coach. But ICF-credentialed coaches are professionals who have met stringent education and experience requirements, and have demonstrated a thorough understanding of the coaching competencies that set the standard in the profession. Additionally, they adhere to strict ethical guidelines as part of ICF’s mission to protect and serve coaching consumers. An ICF Credential is a professional certification indicating that you have met specific standards and requirements designed to develop and refine your coaching skills. It is an indication that you are dedicated to upholding strong principles of ethical behavior in coaching. An ICF credential shows your clients and peers that you are committed to the coaching industry and to developing yourself as a coaching professional.ICF offers three credentials, corresponding with the quantity of education and experience required to earn it- Associate Certified Coach (ICF – ACC)- Completed 60 hours of coach specific education and 100 hours of client coaching experience Professional Certified Coach (ICF – PCC)- Completed 125 hours of coach education and 500 hours of client coaching experience Master Certified Coach (ICF – MCC)- Hold or have help a PCC credential, completed 200 hours of coach specific education and 2,500 hours of client coaching experience Now that we know what ICF credentials are. Let us further understand why do we need to be an ICF certified coach. Why become an ICF certified coach? Holding a credential- especially an ICF credential- is extremely important for today’s coaching clients. The 2022 Global Awareness Study found that 85% of coaching clients say it’s important or very important that their coach holds a certification or credential. Earning an ICF Credential provides you with instant credibility and increased visibility to prospective clients.Further, you will find the following reasons compelling too- Transforms you as an individual. The course not only provides you with an ICF Credential but also instills in you a proactive and optimistic outlook which helps you make the best of every situation! Enables you to develop the right attitude and skills that would help you place yourself in the market Enhances your credibility factor which in turn ensures customer satisfaction Places you in an ever-expanding network of coaching professionals wherein you learn from your experience and that of others Translates into enhanced productivity as the client feels psychologically secure around you Ensures increased Return of Investment with researches showing that globally people prefer an ICF credentialed coach over a non-certified coach Now that I have answered that question, let us get on with my story. 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 the 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 for 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 – just flow. 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. Having decided that you are going to become an ICF certified coach, come learn with us! All roads lead to Regal Unlimited . We will see you soon! You can go through our website for further details on the ICF approved coach training programs . Best wishes for a transformational journey…within yourselves, and the certification, of course.  I found value by doing ICF-ACC (and now ICF-PCC) with Regal Unlimited – trust me, you will find it too!

Agile Coaching Institute has carefully crafted the four critical roles that Agile Coaches/Leaders must exhibit in order to deliver excellence. But the questions loom large Are the Agile Coaches rightfully bearing those four roles? Are they adequately equipped to execute these four roles? Is there a missing piece? The answer is NO! The answer is NO, because, of the nature of these four roles. Facilitating Mentoring Teaching Coaching On the face of it, these four roles look very similar, require similar skill sets, expertise, and domain knowledge, and seemingly all the four roles have the same objective; to inspire the teams, employees, and peers to deliver high-performance values. Is it? On the contrary, on a deeper dive, we find that these four roles ascribed to Agile professionals are very different and operate on different levels of individual and organizational structure. BLINDSPOTS THAT AGILE PROFESSIONALS FAIL TO RECOGNIZE Following are some of the mistakes that Agile Coaches/Leaders and Scrum professionals often make: The default play is that Coaching and consulting are interchangeable. Most of the time when they are coaching – they are assisting in solving complex thinking problems. They become prescriptive, fix the problem, and tell the solutions. Invariably it may have short-lived benefits. Consulting is not PROFESSIONAL COACHING! It dwells on different sets of competencies, often referred to as the GOLD standard of ICF competencies. Often Agile coaches in organizations are equipped to train – tell – instruct – lead – cultivate cognitive abilities/frameworks: in essence, they are nurturing empirical thinkers (which no doubt, is necessary and raises the question – is it sufficient for the organization to bring an orbit-shift?) They are hooked onto the Good and Best Practices that create a rigidity of the PREDICT & PLAN model as coaches. Coaches with good & best practices as explained in the Cynefin model go to the session with pre-determined ‘best’ questions to ask, a checklist to run through, hearing to react, etc are some telltales (indicators) to prove that Agile Coaches are not delivering professional Coaching. Source: Cynefin model image: wikipedia ICF COACHING FOR AGILE PROFESSIONALS CAN BRIDGE THIS GAP The missing piece in Agile Coaching is to work in the complexities that are the domain of agility.  The ICF Coaching Credential equips the coaches to develop emergent practices that evolve moment to moment, a real indicator of Agility! Yes, the nuances of professional Coaching are missing – As an Agile Coach when do you think the teams become truly self-organized & truly contribute? It happens when they are COACHED PROFESSIONALLY!!! It happens when they are made AWARE… An ICF Coach with Agile will be able to go beyond and incorporate professional coaching in their workplace to high performing zone: We have experienced that Agile Coaching concludes with cognitive thinking while ICF Coaching competencies bring forth the behavioral aspects and demonstrate a clear shift from cognitive to emotive stance i.e, it evokes awareness of the individual members as mentioned in the image above/below. Professional Coaching shifts the orbit by providing a safe space through trust & safety. This is a big shift, that is because mentoring and consulting are more externally focused, and Professional Coaching by ICF focuses on the “I” – the individual, something that gets ignored in consulting, facilitating, and teaching. Through the ICF’s eight Coaching competencies – An agile coach takes their team members from being an empirical thinker to a self-aware team member who becomes action-oriented. They shift from best and good practices to emergent practices. Their mindset shifts from PLAN & PREDICT APPROACH to a SENSE & RESPOND approach. Instead of rolling out solutions, frameworks, and tools, ICF Coaching enables the Agile leaders to be collaborative and soliciting, holding the space for the team to explore answers, and bring out a deeper level of insights to the table. Here is a detailed webinar, in which Expert Agile and ICF coaches have delved deeper into how can Agile professionals benefit from ICF Coaching and Certification. Why Agile coaches should pursue ICF Coaching Credential? – Webinar ICF Coach Training has become a necessity – it is no more a COMPLEMENTARY SKILL to have. We hosted a panel of Agile Coaches and Experts to enumerate how ICF coaching can benefit Agile/Scrum professionals. Read the blog here. JOIN THE UPCOMING BATCH TO BECOME A COACH We have trained and coached over 360 leaders to date and 30% of whom are from the Agile fraternity. Most of this 30% of ICF Coaches are either Agile Trainers, Leaders, Scrum Masters who transitioned to master ICF Professional Coach Training with Regal Unlimited. Agile professionals are reskilling themselves for professional growth and benefiting from ICF Coaching. Schedule a call with an Agile Coach Mentor to know how can ICF Coaching fit into your Agile career path. To know more about our programs write to info@regalunlimited.com

Coaching was always part of our culture, across the geographies. Just as storytelling was always part of our culture, spoken or otherwise. Thanks to pioneering efforts by professional and not-for-profit entities like International Coaching Federation (ICF), professional coaching has got a new thrust in the practice. ICF is engaged in promoting the art, science, and process of coaching, backed by solid research and focus on the code of ethics. The organization is run professionally, by a group of employees and also volunteers all over the globe through their chapters. ‘Ask not what ICF can do for you…’ is a slide in all our ICF-approved coach training programs. “Giver > Taker”, as Adam Grant would put it? As part of our efforts to re-discover and play a catalytic role in the development of professional coaching in India, we organized a qualitative research by a professional agency to look into it. As part of ICF’s annual event, International Coaching Week (ICW) 2022, we invite all aspiring coaches for a webinar where we share some key findings. Pls register using this link and join on May 17th, 8:00 PM India Time/GMT+530: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_9mVT51tnQ_OXz11M-yg8KQ?mc_cid=96fb637c56&mc_eid=012aea53f3

Introductory Case study: A middle-level executive working with a global brand, had a difficult boss, and a difficult relationship. At some stage, he decided to find best executive coaching programs for himself. In their first meeting, he shared with his executive coach, that he had a fight with his boss and had just quit. He did not want the coach to take him beyond his career, a burning issue then. His coach partnered with him to set long-term goals, work backwards, and take action. Over the next few months and years, he managed a truce with his boss, went on promotion abroad, changed two jobs there, and has ticked all his long-term goals for himself, both on professional and personal fronts. Considering this opening case of a high performing Executive, the following questions emerge for every executive –  When is a good time to hire an executive coach? Would executive coaching work in all situations? How can Executive Coaching benefit me? What should I look for in an executive coach? How will I know if I have set ambitious goals?   Introduction – Executive Coaching: Coaching was always part of our culture. Great leaders always had mentors and coaches who helped them navigate their life journey, at all levels of existence. International Coaching Federation (ICF) has brought together the various elements of coaching in a holistic way and is backed by solid research for the benefit of all stakeholders. Philosophy, spirituality, sports, psychology, therapy, healing, and all other areas have been tapped into to make modern coaching as we see it. And it is still evolving. Professional coaching these days are further understood through its prefixes such as leadership coaching, executive coaching, life coaching , wellness coaching, spiritual coaching, relationship coaching… At the core, it is just pure & classical Coaching. These prefixes help a client connect with a professional coach who has experience and expertise in dealing with such clients. An executive coach typically handles all the problems and opportunities an executive faces at work, and in life. It is about maximizing the potential of the executive, both personal and professional. An executive coach empathises with the An Executive Coach works with the aspiring or practising executives to let them shine and be the best executive they can be! What is Executive Coaching? All coaching is about maximizing the potential of the client, both personal and professional. It is different from short-term, myopic, transactional goals. Coaching was always transformational. When an executive coach partners with the client on a transformational path, the coach has got to be trained, certified and experienced to handle the subtleties. All leadership was always meant to be transformational. Transactional leadership is no leadership, just as there is nothing like transactional coaching. All coaching, like leadership, is transformational. Executives have a responsibility to go beyond the month-end, quarter/annual closing to look at the next 10, 20, and 50, years. Best Executive Coaching Programs helps the executive to look into the future, with a long-term perspective. Executive Coaching helps aspiring executives build their executive persona and presence. The best executive coaches enable the clients to balance their work-life, iron out any wrinkles, unclutter the mind, evoke awareness and most importantly be a sounding board to the executives. Best Executive Coaching Programs enable the executives to envision & empower their goals and elevate the executive presence to achieve them. How Does Executive Coaching Work? The executive coach partners with the client to set goals, explore deeply, and come up with actions, on strong foundations of ethics and trust. Step 1: Set Goals for the Executive Coaching Engagement: A critical aspect of an executive coaching engagement is to establish goals, but these goals are different! With a certified Coach – executives set goals which are; SMART: Specific, Measurable, Audacious, Relevant, Time-bound, PURE: Positively stated, Understood, Relevant, Ethical, CLEAR: Challenging, Legal, Environment-friendly, Appropriated, Recorded. “If you do not know where you want to go, it doesn’t matter which path you take.” My coach reminded me recently of this line from Alice in Wonderland. How simple, but profound. Executive Leadership coaches spend a considerable amount of time setting and polishing the right goals Case Study: A scientist for 20 years wanted to spend the next 20 years overseas, as a CEO, in just three years. In 11 months, he moved abroad with a CXO slot and is very happy and successful, and on course to achieve his dream, and also maximize his potential. Step 2: Deep Exploration with the Certified Executive Coach: The best executive coaching programs process assumes the solutions to all problems and opportunities for the executive lie within the executive. The executives usually see and blame a lot of external factors for all their struggles. An executive coach enables the client to focus on what is within the control of the client, not even his circle of influence or beyond that. That acceptance enables the client to look within themselves. Also, take responsibility for all the external constraints. When the client then chooses to respond, rather than react, he would be able to come up with steps that could have a transformational impact on himself. During my executive coach training, I asked my mentor, “so, in executive coaching, are we working with the assumption that most of the solutions lie within the executive?” My mentor said, “all of it, 100%”. That acceptance can be magical for the executive. It need not come up in the early stages of the engagement. But the orbit-shifting possibility emerges for the executive when he is open to that state of consciousness. And this consciousness can lead to an effective executive-leadership coaching conversation! Case Study: A middle-level executive was facing a toxic relationship with his boss at work. She had come out of a bitter marriage, with all the baggage thereof. She came out of the organization and moved from the frying pan to the deep sea. The new boss was as difficult, though in a global organization. Over a period of time, she moved a lot achieving multiple goals along the way. But these core issues kept cropping up, as though in a perpetual loop. Her coach then held the proverbial mirror to her asking, ‘what is it that she is doing and being to attract similar people in authority?’ She discovered how she was expecting her supporting father in all her superiors, and how they were not living up to it. Also, how her mind was focussed on these issues in life, at the expense of awareness regarding a lot of other beautiful things happening around. Step 3: Determine Action Plan: This bias for action is what makes the best executive coaching programs very powerful for the executive. An executive is ( & always will be) judged by the results. No escape from it. The results come from only action. Any amount of intellectual discussion on strategy and plan of action will not give the benefit of execution. Waiting too long for strategizing is a mistake a lot of good leaders make, and prevents them to move from good2great. Setting goals, with all the elements thereof, can be a very powerful experience. Deep exploration will enable the client to see part of his personality that he was not aware of before. Holding the mirror, and peeling the onion are popular metaphors in the realm of executive-leadership coaching. But the transformation happens when the client converts the awareness to action. Else, he would remain in the ‘intellectual high’ of the new awareness, without any potential benefits of coaching. A Certified Executive Coach can nudge the client from awareness to action easily & smoothly. A client hires an executive coach for the action to be identified, and then the support to stay on course. Case Study: An executive was overlooked for a promotion, and he was devastated. The company felt he was not ready, he felt he was more than ready. The company hired a certified executive coach as a last-ditch effort to help the leader to come out of his shell, and do well for himself. He was sceptical about how an external coach can help. Over the first three sessions, they got connected, developed trust, and became open to the possibility of executive coaching. Over the 12 months, he developed new habits which he felt were necessary for his success. Late-night to early morning, focus on fitness, started reading again, dog-walks daily, family time/dinners, reflective journaling, and blogging. He was an alcoholic. It was a pleasant surprise even to his coach when he unilaterally decided to quit drinking totally and successfully implemented it without any external support.’ Success is where you started, and where you are now. He chose to take action to move toward his full potential. What Can an Executive Coach Do for You? An executive coach is your friend, philosopher, guide, mirror, cheerleader, and challenger. An executive coach thus wears multiple hats, all in the realm of pure coaching, not any other role as a mentor/boss/any other position of authority. All for the service of the client. The executive-leadership coach is trained to listen deeply, be fully present for the client, be non-judgemental, and give a safe space for sharing. The executive coach operates within the code of ethics, in letter and spirit. An executive coach is a professional partner, a friend for life, whom you can trust. The coach has only the client’s interests at the core, beyond the buzzword, ‘client centric’. Executive Coaching and its benefits An executive coach starts with the stated goals of the client. It is very important that the client and the coach, and the stakeholders are clear about what the objective of the engagement is & what benefits can executive coaching accrue. That is a part of measuring the ROI of the coaching engagement. The real outcome has to be more than the stated goals, at Regal Unlimited, we call it #ManifestMagic, and it is beyond what the client would have anticipated, closer to full potential, and truly transformational. For example, if a professional trainer has been overweight for nearly 15 years. Tried multiple things. Reached out to an executive coach, a friend from college days. A quick exploration showed to him it was much more than losing weight, but gaining wellness, sleeping better, singing better, having energy for day-long training sessions, et al. While he walked away with deeper self-awareness and an action plan for 3 months, what he realized was about his limiting beliefs, habits and other areas that needed focus and attention. Needless to say, he achieved his weight goals, with a little delay and more benefits thereafter. An Executive Coach can be a thinking partner, an accountability partner for the clients. Clients can benefit from the executive coach because he partners with them to show them the ‘mirror’ and give perspective and feedback on the intended outcome. And the most crucial benefit of the executive-leadership coach is – a certified executive coach will HOLD THE SPACE for the CLIENTS – a rare occurrence for executives to express him/herself completely! And that is the power of the journey to ‘become a coach’ . Only part of it is certification. A certified Executive Coach is equipped to handle the subtleties of Coaching, is trained to deliver consistently, and is absorbed by a set process! A certified executive coach can add immense benefits to the Executive (on the personal & professional front) delivering outcomes that are organization-centric. These direct benefits of the best executive coaching programs can not only shift the performance of the executive but also improve the results of the organization! What Is a Certified Executive Coach? A professional coach is one who is trained, certified, credentialed, and experienced. The training will include elements of executive coaching, apart from ICF coaching competencies. Additionally, the business side of coaching is also covered. It helps the coach to build the practice along with the training and certification. It helps the coach to identify the niche and chalk out a marketing strategy to attract the right clients. Irrespective of your background, experience, and accomplishments, a coach serves the client best when trained and certified. What Is the Best Executive Coaching Certification? ICF is the gold standard in executive coaching certification. ICF-approved entities like Regal Unlimited are leaders in coach training and certification . We all are naturally gifted. If we back that with professional coach training and certification, we will be in a better position to serve our clients. Training to become a COACH is an important part. Just because a leader is superb – high-performing executive doesn’t mean s/he can be a high-quality EXECUTIVE COACH as well. Coaching is a different art and therefore executive coach certification is a must to become one such executive Coach. At Regal Unlimited, we provide Coach Training to become ICF-Approved Coaches . Executive Leadership Coach Certification is one such niche we offer! Pandemic has ensured that Executive Coaching happens online (equally effective) but we are open for F2F executive coaching in Bangalore, Mumbai, Chennai & Hyderabad. So if you are an executive looking for coaching in India , then we have a cadre of successful executive coaches to select for the engagement! You are on your own Hero’s Journey. An executive coach can be your friend for life. It is better to choose a trained, certified, experienced executive coach, who continues to work on themselves. Schedule a Chemistry session with a Certified Executive Leadership Coach to explore how can an Executive Coach partner with you toward achieving your goals. We at Regal, offers the best executive coaching programs. Please visit our website here .

Introduction When the struggling professional golfer Rannulph Junnuh meets Bagger Vance, the mysterious caddie, magic happens. In the movie, The Legend of Bagger Vance, Vance helps Junnuh find and perfect his goal swing, and in the process, also shows him how to excel in life. Timothy Gallwey, a Harvard educationalist and tennis expert, authored the bestselling book The Inner Game of Tennis. He used the word ‘inner’ to indicate the player’s internal state as Gallway says “the opponent within one’s own head is more formidable than the one on the other side of the net.” There is an inner Junnuh, a tennis player, in all of us and all we need is a friendly nudge from a professional coach every once in a while. The value and the relevance of coaching is going beyond the ‘club’. A leader who has settled does not need a coach. A leader who is comfortable does not need a coach.  A leader who has the hunger for success deserves a coach. A leader who aches to go beyond the comfort zone deserves a coach. A leader who wants to leave behind a legacy deserves a coach. Leadership coaching is for you.  Why Do We Need a Leadership Coach? Being complacent can be extremely dangerous. All corporate leaders need leadership coaching at some point in their career as they can ‘lose their swing’ with time. Corporate leaders need to manage business and people. This multitasking increases the probability of missing the mark from time to time.  ‘Losing the swing’ can be on a personal front and not just professional level, and both at times. What  happens when you lose your swing? You feel like you have hit a brick wall or like you have lost the drive that fuelled your growth so far. The Story of Vinayak Solanki As a high-flying Sales Head at a leading MNC, Vinayak had a career trajectory that most would envy, until he was passed over for promotion. Soon enough, Vinayak’s performance began to take a hit and he ‘lost his swing’. His company tried to support him through his lean period but to no avail. There seemed to be no way to resuscitate the Vinayak who was a happy, confident go-getter until they found a way- Leadership Coaching. The new Vinayak was happier and more confident. Leadership Coaching Works and It Is Necessary Mentoring is often misconstrued as coaching. Mentoring is not coaching. Leadership coaching is about partnering with the leader to help them tap into their potential so that they can go beyond their wildest dreams- personally and professionally! Today’s leaders are faced with unprecedented trials. The Quit Quitting, Moonlighting, looming recession, the Russia-Ukraine war are some of the challenges. Coaching is unlocking people’s potential to maximize their own performance. A coaching mindset helps create a space where change is embraced effortlessly and an unprecedented level of performance and productivity is achieved. What are the benefits of leadership coaching? Many leaders believe that they do not need coaching. They feel that they have everything figured out. We have a few questions for you? ● Was Bill Gates a successful leader? ● Was Eric Schmidt a successful leader? ● Was Steve Jobs a successful leader? Yes. Right? Then what made them get a coach?  “Everyone needs a coach.”- Bill Gates They were undisputed leaders yet they signed up Bill Campbell as their coach and went on to recommend coaching to everyone. If they could do it, you can do it too! 5 Reasons Why Every Corporate Leader Needs a Leadership Coach 1. Alignment with purpose, goal-setting, accountability partner The best leadership coaches enable you to discover and align yourselves with the true purpose of your life and set goals accordingly. Furthermore, they walk your journey as your accountability. In Vinayak’s case, his life’s purpose revealed itself after a couple of sessions of soul-searching triggered by the probing questions of the coach. With this clarity and some self-guided analysis, Vinayak was soon able to formulate a SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time-bound) goal to tackle his professional setback. The corporate goal was to help Vinayak become a senior-level executive in his current company within the next 5 years. With this mandate, Vinayak and his coach co-created a plan of action that exercised and highlighted his strengths and core competencies. As Vinayak’s accountability partner, his coach ensured that Vinayak stayed on track and ticked off the boxes one by one. 2. Acts as a mirror A leader can grow professionally only if the loop of decision-making is completed with honest, impartial feedback. Leaders find it difficult to get such feedback from colleagues and subordinates. A leadership coach’s objective is client wellness and success. The leadership coach is, therefore, the best at being the much-needed mirror that calls a spade a spade. 3. Find root causes of issues through self-awareness and improve EQ Leadership coaches focus on the causes of issues rather than the symptoms, allowing for a problem to be solved holistically. They do this by empowering clients to identify strengths,  weaknesses and blind spots and work on them.  Vinayak’s anger issues had damaged his relationships at home and office. Working with his leadership coach, Vinayak delved deeper into the issue and discovered that the real culprit was not anger, as he naturally assumed, but his habit of drinking excessively, which made him display anger destructively. This awareness prompted Vinayak to voluntarily give up the bottle, a tough feat that he eventually accomplished, with his coach by his side. Vinayak’s self-confidence got a boost with this achievement. 4. Achieve work-life integration A leadership coach propels clients to excel on the professional and personal front in a perfectly balanced manner. Vinayak’s long hours at the office left him very little time to spend with his family. He and his coach brainstormed and came up with ways to streamline his work such that he could do justice to both office and home. No more missed family time, birthdays or anniversaries! Safe space Vinayak Solanki’s company had partnered with Regal Unlimited. He benefited immensely from our Leadership Coaching program. Over 6 months, Vinayak quit drinking, his relationship with his family improved and he was able to take the lost promotion opportunity in his stride. The coaching engagement widened his perspectives and broadened his horizons, opening him to new possibilities and opportunities for personal and professional growth. It helped him unlock his full potential. He put in his best at work and this was reflected in his performance.  We asked Vinayak what was the greatest benefit of having a leadership coach. He said, “A leadership coach is your cheerleader, sounding board, friend, guide, and philosopher, all rolled in one. They can play any support role that would help you achieve your potential.” Having found his ‘lost swing’, Vinayak Solanki is now happy and content. He cannot thank his leadership coach enough for the turnaround in his life. Regal Unlimited’s Leadership Coaches Are the Best. Here Is Why. At Regal Unlimited, we understand the changing dynamics of modern-day corporate lives, and our  leadership coaching sessions are tailored to suit your exact requirements. Here is a quick overview of why and how leadership coaches from Regal Unlimited are the best bet. Apart from being ICF approved (the gold standard in coaching), our leadership coaches are- ● Relatable– Our leadership coaching team has the best leadership coaches whose experience as corporate leaders makes it easier for them to step into your shoes and understand your issues. ● Execution– Through our leadership programme, their corporate stint gives them a unique perspective on execution that would help them hone their strategic decision-making skills. ● Focus on common good– Our leadership coaching program nurtures altruism and empowers clients to work in harmony with the greater common good. ● All-round development– Our leadership coaching program focuses on your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual wellness to help unlock your full potential. ● Curated delivery– Our leadership coaches have a customized approach to achieving success. The benefits of leadership coaching by Regal Unlimited are immeasurable as we can see from the experience of Vinayak Solanki. “Inside each and every one of us is one true authentic swing. Over time the world can rob us of that swing. It gets buried inside us under all our wouldas and couldas and shouldas. Some folk even forget what their swing was. The trick is to find your swing.”- Bagger Vance, Find Your Swing You deserve the best. You deserve Regal unlimited. Come, find, and perfect your swing with us. Book a call with us!

Leadership today is evolving. Once defined by speed, authority, and execution, it is now being reshaped by empathy, awareness, and clarity. In a world that constantly demands more, more results, more innovation, more resilience, the true differentiator is no longer how fast you move, but how deeply you connect. My own journey into coaching, and now into ICF Coaching , began after experiencing it first-hand. It was not just a conversation. It felt like a mirror, one that reflected my patterns, perspectives, and blind spots with compassion. That experience created a deeper self-awareness that no leadership program had ever sparked for me. It was transformative, and that transformation nudged me to learn the craft more deeply so that I could hold the same space for others. Having spent more than 15 years leading teams across industries and continents, I have seen both sides of leadership, the kind that uplifts and the kind that unintentionally shrinks people. What often separates the two is not intent, but awareness, the ability to pause, listen, and see the human being behind the deliverable. Why Empathy and Clarity Matter More Than Ever Modern leadership is a paradox. We are surrounded by information but starved for understanding. We communicate more than ever, yet we often struggle to truly connect. Empathy bridges that gap. It is the invisible thread that binds people, purpose, and performance together. When leaders listen with empathy, they do not just hear words; they sense the unsaid. They notice the energy, the pauses, and the small cues that reveal what someone is really carrying. Clarity, on the other hand, turns empathy into direction. It is the ability to stay grounded in your values while navigating complexity with calm. When empathy helps you see others, clarity helps you see yourself. Together, they create a more sustainable form of leadership that is human, self-aware, and growth-oriented. How Coaching Deepens Empathy One of the biggest shifts for me through my coach training was learning how to truly listen. Not to respond. Not to solve. Not to jump in with experience. But to listen fully and without judgment. But coaching is more than deep listening. It is also deep partnering You do not sit above someone. You sit with them. You co-create their path. You stay curious and present so they can step into their fullest potential. In my coaching practice, as I worked towards completing the 100-plus hours of real coaching conversations required for my ICF coaching certification, I saw how this combination of listening and partnering impacts people. When a person feels genuinely heard and genuinely supported, something shifts. Their tone softens, their thoughts become clearer, and insights emerge that even they did not know they were holding. Most people listen to respond. Coaching teaches you to listen to understand, and then partner with the person to explore what is possible. This single shift changes how you lead, how you parent, and how you show up for others. How Coaching Creates Clarity Coaching is a dialogue of discovery. It helps leaders move from reaction to reflection. During my training, I realized that clarity rarely appears in noise; it emerges in stillness. Through reflective questions, metaphor work, and visualization, coaching creates a safe space for awareness to surface. Sometimes a single question, such as “How does that make you feel?” can shift a person from logic to truth. This approach has made me a calmer and more intentional leader. In corporate life, it is easy to overthink or personalize challenges. Coaching taught me to pause, notice what is mine to hold and what is not, and make decisions based on clarity instead of impulse. Balancing Empathy with Accountability A common misconception is that empathy makes leaders lenient. In reality, empathy strengthens accountability. You can be compassionate without being indulgent, and firm without being harsh. I often think of it like parenting. You may not hand over the car keys to a child, no matter how much they plead, because you know it is not the right time. Boundaries do not dilute care. They demonstrate responsibility. Leadership works the same way. When you create psychological safety together with structure, teams thrive. You hold space for others to explore, but you also hold them to their potential. That balance is the heart of modern leadership. The Inner Work Behind It All Many people assume inner work begins during coach training, but mine started long before that. I experienced coaching earlier in my career, and that experience held up a mirror for me. It helped me see my beliefs, patterns, and values with a level of clarity I had never accessed before. That journey into my own awareness was the reason I eventually chose to pursue ICF Coach Training. I wanted to enable the same depth of growth for others. So when I stepped into the formal training, the 60-plus hours of classroom work, the assignments, the mentor coaching, and the 100-plus hours of actual coaching conversations, it did not start my inner work; it deepened it. I have always been a reflective person who journals, pauses, and questions my own patterns. But coaching, both experiencing it and learning to offer it through my ICF ACC certification  journey, brought precision to that reflection. It helped me separate empathy from over-identification, intuition from assumptions, and my responsibilities from others’ expectations. Leadership did not become easier. It became clearer. And that clarity changed how I show up, not just for teams, but for myself. Why Leaders Should Experience Coaching I often tell people that whether or not they want to become a coach, experiencing coaching is invaluable. Leadership is often lonely, full of expectations, silent pressures, and unspoken concerns. Coaching offers a space that is free of judgment and full of curiosity, a space where you can think out loud and hear yourself more clearly. Many of our blockers are not external. They are stories we have carried for years. Coaching helps you see them, understand them, and gently release them. Because clarity is not about having all the answers. It is about learning to ask better questions. Closing Reflection: The River Within If I had to describe what this journey has taught me, I would say this. Leadership is like a river. It does not rush to prove its power, yet it shapes everything in its path. It flows with awareness, with empathy that nourishes and clarity that guides. True leadership, like a river, does not force direction. It creates it quietly and consistently. And perhaps that is the most powerful thing this journey has given me, the ability to lead not from noise, but from presence, not with control, but with flow. FAQ’s 1. What is coaching? Coaching is a reflective and structured conversation that helps individuals deepen awareness, shift perspective, and take meaningful action. It is not advice-giving. It helps people access their own wisdom and clarity. 2. What is ICF coaching? It refers to coaching that follows the core competencies and ethical standards created by the International Coaching Federation, often pursued through an ICF Certification pathway. 3. What makes the ICF framework globally respected? The ICF is the only internationally recognized body that certifies coaches worldwide. As of 2023, there are over 50,000 ICF credential holders in more than 140 countries. Its standards ensure that coaching is practiced with structure, ethics and depth. 4. How rigorous is the ICF certification journey? The journey is extensive. It includes more than 60 hours of formal training, supervised practice, numerous assignments, 100-plus hours of real coaching conversations, mentor coaching, and performance evaluation. This ensures that coaches are trained with depth, consistency, and professional integrity. About author Ishneet Kaur is a global marketing and transformation leader with 15+ years of experience across Flipkart (Walmart), Johnson & Johnson and Lenovo, leading teams and scaling digital businesses across India, the Middle East, Europe and North America. With a deep interest in sustainability and human-centred leadership, she has been at the forefront of driving meaningful change inside organisations. A global keynote speaker who has delivered talks across Japan, the US, the Middle East and India, including TEDx and Josh Talks, Ishneet is also the co-author of the women leadership book "She’s Remarkable". She now blends her corporate leadership expertise with her ongoing ICF coach training to support individuals and leaders in growing with empathy, clarity and purpose.

“If your actions create a legacy that inspires others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, then, you are an excellent leader.”   – Dolly Parton Drafting a Definition of Leadership Following the industrial revolution, there were 200+ definitions of leadership drafted, with most of them being positioned in accordance with a particular context, nature of the study, location, and cultural aspects of the study. Following the industrial revolution, there were 200+ definitions of leadership drafted, with most of them being positioned in accordance with a particular context, nature of the study, location, and cultural aspects of the study. Prof. Richard Daft, an eminent researcher in this field, described leadership to be “”. Peter Drucker, an Austrian-American management consultant and educator, sought the true meaning of leadershipwhen he said, “.” Regal Unlimited, after avid discussion and deliberation with a robust cohort of leaders, arrived at SIX key skills for managers & professionals in a bid to define leadership. It can be viewed as an ‘unwrapping’ of the acronym: LEADER. Regal Unlimited, after avid discussion and deliberation with a robust cohort of leaders, arrived at SIX key skills for managers & professionals in a bid to define leadership. It can be viewed as an ‘unwrapping’ of the acronym: LEADER. The qualities specified here, REGAL UNLIMITED assure, help identify the true meaning of a leader and be relevant in everyday life. Reiterating the fact that these characteristics can be developed by regular practice, it takes time and effort to achieve this state of being. For more information and a detailed explanation of the LEADER acronym defined by Regal Unlimited, please read here. The qualities specified here, REGAL UNLIMITED assure, help identify the true meaning of a leader and be relevant in everyday life. Reiterating the fact that these characteristics can be developed by regular practice, it takes time and effort to achieve this state of being. For more information and a detailed explanation of the LEADER acronym defined by Regal Unlimited, please read here. Leadership Skills for Managers While everyone prattles on about the need to be an effective leader, there are two poignant questions that need answers:a) What are leadership skills?b) Why are leadership skills important? While everyone prattles on about the need to be an effective leader, there are two poignant questions that need answers:a) What are leadership skills?b) Why are leadership skills important? Ally MacDonald, in his editorial piece titled, “Six Ways Leaders Can Adapt to the Workplace of 2022”, published in the MIT Sloan Management Review, outlines the following list of leadership skills for managers: Ally MacDonald, in his editorial piece titled, “Six Ways Leaders Can Adapt to the Workplace of 2022”, published in the MIT Sloan Management Review, outlines the following list of leadership skills for managers: 1. Embrace Inclusive Leadership Inclusive leadership refers to a commitment to ensure that all the team members are treated equitably and provided with the same opportunities to grow. It is making sure that people comfortably bring out their real self to the workplace, solely equipped with skills and sans fear of judgement. During these times, when members of a team are located across the world, virtually or otherwise, leaders ought to be aware of their own biases and actively seek different perspectives. Inclusive leadership refers to a commitment to ensure that all the team members are treated equitably and provided with the same opportunities to grow. It is making sure that people comfortably bring out their real self to the workplace, solely equipped with skills and sans fear of judgement. During these times, when members of a team are located across the world, virtually or otherwise, leaders ought to be aware of their own biases and actively seek different perspectives. 2. Cultivate Better Collaboration for Teams The corporate arena is moving towards a hyper-connected and hybrid space demanding leaders to intentionally craft teams and networks to drive effective performance, innovation, and engagement. To avoid collaborative failure, leaders must focus on harnessing the synergies delivered through networks, with explicit attention to the pattern of collaboration, the quality of the interactions, and the effectiveness of the ties linking their teams to the ecosystems in which they work. – Michele Jennae, Author, The COnNeCtworker 3. Be Curious About What You Don’t Know – and Create Space for Dialogue Organizations expect leaders to be problem solvers, coming up with answers and directing followers to do or not to do something. It is not possible for a leader to have all the answers. This calls for tapping the curiosity of the leader. In addition, crafting dialogue within the team requires humility and an insatiable curiosity about what we don’t see and know. Curiosity, coupled with a space for dialogue, leads to greater innovation & collaboration.  – Chip Conley, Founder of Joie de Vivre Hospitality 4. Prevent Bias from Hindering Employee Growth Everyone exercises some form of unconscious bias that causes them to categorize, compare, and make assumptions that reinforce their own notions and common stereotypes. Leaders commonly fall prey to proximity, gender, evaluation and associated biases. It is imperative for leaders to be aware of these biases (easier said than done) – Bertrand Russell, Nobel Laureate and social critic 5. Foster Respect by Building Connections Respect is at the core of every human endeavour. It arises from an inherent worth, knowledge and skills. People expect that they receive the recognition their skills are worth. Leaders must recognize this inherent worth and honour it with suitable words, actions and behaviours that empower them as human beings. Only then, will followers reciprocate respect with the same enthusiasm and willingness that the leader commands? – Kelly Hannum, co-author of Leading Across Differences: Casebook 6. Empower Peer Coaching and Leadership on Teams Leadership coaching has seen a drastic rise in the last two decades, primarily because of the colossal benefit that it entails. Coaching helps leaders accurately examine their weak points and gain a better perspective of their strengths and motivations. It is characterized by constant collaboration, support, and guidance. When the leaders approach a coach or become a coach themselves , they do not give away all the answers. They ask the right questions and embolden followers to seek the answers with their own efforts . When followers figure the way by themselves, they own the solutions, consequently building accountability and responsibility in the work they do.  – Bill McCartney, American football player, coach and Founder. Regal Unlimited, the one-stop-shop for all managers and professionals seeking to become effective leaders works on two special fronts to help aspiring leaders move to a more resourceful state. One, it offers a curated compendium of practices that provide a direction for aspiring leaders and two, certified leadership coaches who assist aspiring leaders to ask the right questions and seek the answers themselves. Being in the business for more than a decade, they have aided several individuals to harness their innate potential and develop leadership skills important for life to become better versions of themselves. Regal Unlimited, the one-stop-shop for all managers and professionals seeking to become effective leaders works on two special fronts to help aspiring leaders move to a more resourceful state. One, it offers a curated compendium of practices that provide a direction for aspiring leaders and two, certified leadership coaches who assist aspiring leaders to ask the right questions and seek the answers themselves. Being in the business for more than a decade, they have aided several individuals to harness their innate potential and develop leadership skills important for life to become better versions of themselves. Sign up for the extraordinary, personalized and powerful leadership coaching programme offered by Regal Unlimited and become the leader you always wanted to be!  Schedule a 1:1 call with a Leadership Coach Subash CV Difference Between Leadership and Management Colloquial parlance has always considered leadership and management to be synonymous with each other. However, there is a significant difference between leadership & management, not only in their conjectural imports but also in the nature of the practice. Colloquial parlance has always considered leadership and management to be synonymous with each other. However, there is a significant difference between leadership & management, not only in their conjectural imports but also in the nature of the practice. The first difference between a leader and a manager, or any position of authority, is that leaders see their followers as organizational resources and seek to inspire them while managers exert power and control over organizational titles by supervision. The first difference between a leader and a manager, or any position of authority, is that leaders see their followers as organizational resources and seek to inspire them while managers exert power and control over organizational titles by supervision. A true leader empowers his team with honesty and transparency, appeals to the heart of the followers with their coaching style of leadership and thus, generates enthusiasm and commitment to work. Managers, in their predominantly authoritarian style, evoke fear in their followers: fear of failure, punishment and reprimand. When leaders face a challenge, they strive to sustainably fix the situation as a team whereas managers lament the breakdown, blame the team and seek instant solutions. Leaders build accountability and responsibility in the team while empowering them with knowledge, skills and information necessary for that assignment. When leaders face a challenge, they strive to sustainably fix the situation as a team whereas managers lament the breakdown, blame the team and seek instant solutions. Leaders build accountability and responsibility in the team while empowering them with knowledge, skills and information necessary for that assignment. The fundamental difference between leadership and management lies in the mindset of the person in power. A leader coaches followers to reach a more resourceful state. They tap into the true potential of the follower, support them to recognize their strengths and ask the right questions to support them to seek the answers themselves. The fundamental difference between leadership and management lies in the mindset of the person in power. A leader coaches followers to reach a more resourceful state. They tap into the true potential of the follower, support them to recognize their strengths and ask the right questions to support them to seek the answers themselves. Working on a coaching mindset to beget extraordinary executive proficiency is an imperative skill for aspiring leaders in the world today. To comprehend the difference between leadership and management at a deeper level, in a more comprehensive way, check out the article on the same here .  Why Is Leadership Necessary? Imagine a ship without its captain; a captain without the compass- One word: Disaster!  Imagine a ship without its captain; a captain without the compass- One word: Disaster!  At the outset, like a compass that aids every sailor in finding the right direction. Leaders aim to scale the organization, to contribute and influence stakeholders acting as a liaison between the employees, customers and the society at large.   At the outset, like a compass that aids every sailor in finding the right direction. Leaders aim to scale the organization, to contribute and influence stakeholders acting as a liaison between the employees, customers and the society at large.   Second, a leader sows the seeds of purpose in the followers. A famed parable best explains this statement. A curious gentleman saw three stonecutters working on something. He approached the first person and asked him what he was doing. The first cutter brushed him off saying that he was cutting stone. The second cutter was considerably polite, saying that he was seeking a livelihood to support his family. The third cutter, however, had the most surprising of answers. ‘Sire, I am building a cathedral!’ His response reveals the mindset of one who believes in the unfolding of a greater purpose, more significant than individual motives. Second, a leader sows the seeds of purpose in the followers. A famed parable best explains this statement. A curious gentleman saw three stonecutters working on something. He approached the first person and asked him what he was doing. The first cutter brushed him off saying that he was cutting stone. The second cutter was considerably polite, saying that he was seeking a livelihood to support his family. The third cutter, however, had the most surprising of answers. ‘Sire, I am building a cathedral!’ His response reveals the mindset of one who believes in the unfolding of a greater purpose, more significant than individual motives. Driving a larger purpose leads to leaving a legacy. Bill Gates, at the turn of the computing wave,  remarked, “every desk must have a computer”. This ideal has, without doubt, revolutionized the way the world works now!  Driving a larger purpose leads to leaving a legacy. Bill Gates, at the turn of the computing wave,  remarked, “every desk must have a computer”. This ideal has, without doubt, revolutionized the way the world works now!

Introduction: The agony and ecstasy of a coaching culture “I used to believe that culture was ‘soft,’ and had little bearing on our bottom line. What I believe today is that our culture has everything to do with our bottom line, now and into the future.” – Vern Dosch, author, Wired Differently Coaching culture has been considered a defining component in the success of the progressive organizations of the 21st century. From Google’s Project OXYGEN to the cultural turnaround of Microsoft after Satya Nadella took reins signal the importance of Coaching culture in an organization. In this blog by   Shekar Rangarajan , he explores the nuances of coaching culture at the workplace. A Performance – Pivotal coach & former consultant himself, he shares his personal journey of experiencing different cultures at the workplace and how Coaching Culture benefitted him, the teams he led, and the organizational outcomes. Read on to know more about his F2F with Coaching Culture! What is Coaching Culture?  The glue and the grease that bonds people and institutions together in times of war and peace! Uneasiness and Unverbalized Fear It is easy to appreciate the  value of a coaching culture  when it is absent. Until I stepped out of my home, I did not know how inhospitable the World could be! Stepping into my career, feeling awkward, alienated, and out of place, I understood what it meant to be homesick. I felt unsure, no matter how sociable people tried to be. Nursing an unverbalized fear, I learned to negotiate the white spaces. Fell in line with unwritten rules, implicit power lines, and shifting loyalties. Hoping to be wanted and accepted, I negotiated the organizational undercurrents. Subscribing to holy cows, dogmas, and group norms, I ceased to be true to myself. In stark contrast, organizations that prided themselves on the ‘HP way’, ‘Toyota way’ or ‘Cannon way’ encouraged everyone to be true to themselves.  I understood  coaching culture to  be the way the organization expected its people to be! Something Amiss Working alongside several experts from across the World, I noted a distinctive difference. Supremely confident of themselves, they were decisive and conclusive at work. They left no loose ends and demonstrated absolute mastery in their chosen vocation. By contrast, I was unsure about what was right and wrong. Organizational life appeared to be a bundle of contradictions. There were pros and cons, implicit do’s and don’ts. Invariably, there were two sides to every story, and the jury had been always out. Unable to deal with duality, dilemma, dichotomy, and duplicity, I sidestepped them. I wondered if ever there was a method behind the madness and suspected something amiss. Me vs. Them The team of experts left an indelible impression on me. I wanted to cultivate their styles to feel formidable and be infallible. Can I be incontestable, impregnable, indomitable, and invincible, I wondered. I figured these out to be core values or character traits much later on when I studied organizational psychology. Encouraged by their employers, these experts had internalized these values to feel comfortable acting the way they did. By contrast, I suffered the ‘Me Vs the World’ divide in my mind. Habituated to a culture of buck-passing and social loafing, one had to be on guard or become a scapegoat. That left me wondering if I belonged here and was in safe company. You ask me what are the benefits of a Coaching culture, let me spell out what happens when a Coaching culture is absent in an organization? How do employees feel in a culture where Coaching is not an integral part? Poverty Amidst Plenty Having all the time, power, knowledge, and resources at their command, the experts made things happen. By contrast, I waited for things to happen and often wondered how and why they happened. I perceived a distinct lack of autonomy, authority, audacity, and authenticity. Feeling tired, anxious, blocked, choked, and bored, I found it difficult to breathe and longed to get away. Out of Nowhere My peers at work looked surprised when I aired my discomfort. They felt that employers could not offer anything beyond pay and perks, money, work, and training. I could not spell it out then. I know it to be the absence of a coaching culture today. No Rhyme or Reason People acted out for no rhyme or reason. Living with unresolved internal contradictions, they justified their illegitimate acts by being capricious. No matter how inscrutable they professed to be, I felt a gradual erosion of trust and empathy towards them. Overcome by serious self-doubt, I dithered: Am I slow-minded, or is it a tricky world out there? Power of Acculturation: Coaching Culture in Japan My ordeal ended after eighteen years of prayers when I went to Fuji Xerox, Japan. To my utter surprise, men and women drawn from diverse Nationalities upheld their uniqueness. The company respected people, valued diversity, and functioned as one seamless integral unit. I understood the coaching culture to be the glue and the grease that held everyone and everything together. Surprisingly, I witnessed a self-managed work ethic that had no bosses! I understood the  benefits of Coaching culture  transcends beyond pay, package & perks. Benefits of Coaching Culture: A Code of Conduct I took to the self-managed work ethic like the duck takes to water. Despite living on a daily stipend, not being fluent in Japanese, and being a vegetarian, I felt at home (in Japan). Feeling welcome and wholesome, I suffered no deficit of trust or empathy. I enjoyed being myself. Cornerstones of Coaching Culture Believe it or not, the coaching culture is inherently simple but incredibly hard to practice. There is a lot more to it than what meets the eye. They are founded on a timeless ideology and honed into a virtuous work ethic. Through a process of slow and deliberate acculturation, people acquire the proficiency for effortless self-expression. Exemplify the ideology by living up to a brand promise. Convery their courage of conviction and declare their iconic presence. Invoke trust and inspire the confidence of the stakeholders, radiating goodness all around. Why Coaching Culture Is Important for Organisation I never knew the coaching culture could be a source of competitive advantage too. Companies without a coaching culture fell by the wayside! Companies with a coaching culture went on to be  industry leaders  and torchbearers. They were solvent and self-reliant as a company. Value-driven and self-made, their employees erected a springboard to greatness! It made so much sense to celebrate the coaching culture when it offered so much in exchange for so little. Coaching cultures are prevalent in India too. Watch out for a follow-on blog post on this topic where we will discuss at length how coaching culture is turbocharging Indian companies towards sustainable competitive advantage. Let Us Help in Creating a Coaching Culture in Your Organization! Regal unlimited  –  a boutique firm in  Leadership Coaching and Coach Training in India   has been instrumental in creating and nurturing a coaching culture in 50+ organizations (India and overseas) Want your senior leaders to take up Coaching and create a safe space for the employees, reach out to us for our  coaching culture programs : info@regalunlimited.com