"...there was certain comfort in walking across to your boss and talking to him - that always helps in making decisions. As a CEO, I can reach out to my colleagues, but otherwise I am pretty much on my own." That was Kalpana Morparia, the top gun at the Indian arm of JP Morgan, talking to the Economic Times about the change she experienced when she moved up from her earlier position as the Joint MD at ICICI bank.
Most leaders experience a range of emotions on any given day - anxiety loneliness, frustration, grandiosity and for dealing with it, as Ms Morparia describes, they are pretty much on their own. At such times, what senior executives need is a sounding board, a conversation partner a 'truth speaker' - and they cannot find any of these within their organizations.
And that is where a coach comes in.
The coach isn't tied to the organization or anyone else, they are tied only to the coachees, so they support them in these times. Even more importantly, the coach also supports them in what they want and where they want to go. As Washington, D.C.-based executive coach Linda Finkle put it, "Even our families, who want the best for us, can't be unbiased or totally objective. What you do or do not do impacts them, whether it's positive or negative. A coach is not impacted by your decisions, your wins or losses, or anything else."
This doesn't mean that company goals aren't supported by coaching—indeed, the coach was most likely hired by the company to support the executive's efforts to achieve those goals. Even so, the role of the coach is not to represent specific company needs or interests. "The perspectives they provide, the alternatives discussed, and everything else has no agenda except to support the coachee," says Finkle.
Ms Morparia, are you listening? Now that you do not have the comfort of walking over to Mr Kamath's cabin and talking to him to unburden yourself, would you care to have a coach?
You know whom to contact!
Most leaders experience a range of emotions on any given day - anxiety loneliness, frustration, grandiosity and for dealing with it, as Ms Morparia describes, they are pretty much on their own. At such times, what senior executives need is a sounding board, a conversation partner a 'truth speaker' - and they cannot find any of these within their organizations.
And that is where a coach comes in.
The coach isn't tied to the organization or anyone else, they are tied only to the coachees, so they support them in these times. Even more importantly, the coach also supports them in what they want and where they want to go. As Washington, D.C.-based executive coach Linda Finkle put it, "Even our families, who want the best for us, can't be unbiased or totally objective. What you do or do not do impacts them, whether it's positive or negative. A coach is not impacted by your decisions, your wins or losses, or anything else."
This doesn't mean that company goals aren't supported by coaching—indeed, the coach was most likely hired by the company to support the executive's efforts to achieve those goals. Even so, the role of the coach is not to represent specific company needs or interests. "The perspectives they provide, the alternatives discussed, and everything else has no agenda except to support the coachee," says Finkle.
Ms Morparia, are you listening? Now that you do not have the comfort of walking over to Mr Kamath's cabin and talking to him to unburden yourself, would you care to have a coach?
You know whom to contact!
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