M Rajsekhar Reddy
India is waking up to the possibilities of coaching – now the profession needs to convince business of its benefits
Coaching is a new profession for most of us in India. During 2007 programmes were introduced into the country via Bangalore by training provider FranklinCovey. Since then, Dharanipragada Satya Murty, ACC, and myself have undergone training and achieved International Coach Federation (ICF) credentials.
Until last year, Indians could only become ICF credentialed at coaching schools outside of India. We faced a lot of constraints with such schools (time difference, accent, telephone disturbances and cost, for example). Satya Murty, the first ACC in India and considered the father of coaching in our country, reached out to Global ICF about the need for a separate programme in India to ensure ease and grace in the process of getting credentialed.
We believe that coaching is a way of life. Accordingly, we designed the programme: Coaching a Way of Life – Making a Difference.
The ICF has approved the 64 hours of the programme as ICF approved coach specific training hours.
So far, we have conducted two programmes with 35 participants. Out of these, five coaches were credentialed as ACC. Now we are getting enquiries about the profession and training. The corporate sector is also recognising the value of coaching and is beginning to introduce coaching cultures. Schools from other parts of the world are also coming here to conduct in-house fast-track coaching programmes.
I have observed two types of participants from these courses: those who take what they have learned and enter coaching as a profession, and those who use the coaching principles for their personal benefit alone.
Over the next two years, I fully expect coaching to spread across all the corporate as well as development sectors in India.
An important milestone occurred in spring last year when coaches in India were visited by 2009 ICF president Karen Tweedie, PCC, and Don Whittle, Global ICF director, Membership. Both came to witness the progress of coaching here and to attend a coaching conference hosted by ICF chapters throughout India and the Sun Executive Coaching Consultants.
This first coaching conference was held at Bangalore on 21 April. More than 150 participants attended the one-day event, representing government organisations, corporations, non-governmental organisations and coaching companies, as well as individual coaches from Australia, India and Sweden. Several HR professionals also attended.
The event was held to introduce the principles and skills of coaching and how it can improve the performance of individuals and organisations. The conference focused on the following four themes:
- How coaching can help you identify ‘Who you are’.
- How coaching can improve the executive performance.
- How you can work from inside to outside.
- How the Law of Attraction can be leveraged to lead a happy, joyful, purposeful and peaceful life.
My personal observation on the scope of coaching in India is that it is growing fast, but it needs more publicity regarding its return on investment and the four Ws – the where, when, who and what – of coaching. n
Dr M Rajsekhar Reddy is chief executive officer of Sun Executive Coaching Consultants.
email: rajar59@yahoo.com
Coaching at Work, Volume 5, Issue 5