Packet of GEMS

Ever opened a packet of Cadbury GEMS or M&Ms to find button like shapes in different colors? Did you want to grab and devour each one of them even when you knew that its core is all chocolate and that’s how it is within every button? Looking back at the time when I last had a packet of GEMS (which was a few minutes ago); my relationship of joy with that packet was in exploring different colors like Blue; Orange; Green and Yellow and knowing that they will all lead up to a delightful shot of chocolate at its core.

My GEMS moment happened yesterday at Believe in Yourself Coaching Festival where a different packet of GEMS was opened up for the participants to devour. It was all up for grabs…take how much you can, consume all that you can and we even got to take some of those packets home.  Celebrating Coaching; Authenticity, Purpose and Passion amongst various other things; the festival was all about getting people from different walks of lives to share their life journeys and experiences of what shaped them; how did they get in touch with their selves; their mission and purpose in life; their experiences from being coached and coaching others and above all; celebrating a movement that has an immense potential to raise human awareness.

With an array of distinguished speakers like Dr. Anil Khandelwal (Ex-MD of Bank of Baroda), Praveen Amre (Coach of under 19 cricket team)  to Ashish Vidyarthi (Bollywood Actor) and an elite line up of speakers from the HR, business and consulting fraternity; each GEM could lend an interesting color and while we consumed each button; the realization dawned that they are all leading us to a delightful shot of their life journeys and how as individuals they Believe in Themselves.  These GEMS were so beautifully supported by a Kathak performance from Navras Art Academy that artistically displayed how Lord Krishna coached Arjuna and by these awesome kids from Dharavi Slums  (aptly named Dharavi Rocks) who mesmerized the audience with their dance and music.

So while I gobbled many packets of GEMS yesterday, going all awww over the beautifully manicured Mumbai Cricket Association Lawns; I did take some packets back home too. Happy to share some of those buttons in this blog:

• This one did a better job than a cup of tea to wake me up as I settled in my chair at 8:30 am: No one buys your product or service; they buy your purpose.  Make sure its inspiring and compelling.
• When Believing in Yourself; have incredible self confidence and trust in yourself.  Harness the power of belief and combine it with action. Attitude to perform compliments the Believe in Yourself!
• Breaking free of your self-limiting beliefs can be an awesome source of freedom – A beautiful depiction of this message through the power of dance!
• Industry 4.0 and the capability it brings in is so beyond how we have perceived our roles and functions.  Survival of the fittest is in embracing (and doing it really fast) the 3Cs of internet – Connectivity, Computing and Collaboration. My jaw dropped when Mr. Rajesh Padmanabhan – CHRO of Welspun Group mentioned that the days of just human collaboration are a passé. The age is of collaborating with Machines and being inclusive of them should be the organization’s new Diversity & Inclusion agenda.
• Research says that we are going to live longer than the earlier generation.  Would you live your life differently now that you know this?
• Coaching is one of the many golf clubs that leaders should have.  Do you have one or is your organization sponsoring one for you to carry it to the play field.  If not; do evaluate the Creating Coaching Culture (CCC) program offered by BIY.
• When the student is ready; the masters appear.  One of my coaches did mention something like: When you, my coachee; will feel ready, I, your coach, will disappear.  It all boiled down to the trust he had on his coaching capabilities and my ability to find my way in life.
• In a coaching relationship; the client owns the problems; outcomes; possibilities; roadmaps; solutions etc.  Coach only holds a mirror and a safe space.
• It is not about powerful questioning during the conversation; but about playing yourself in the client’s reference.  It is about how you; as a coach; feel and act in a coachee’s presence.
• Development doesn’t take time; what takes time is arriving at the notion that we need to develop.
• Role Taking v/s Role Making – Do you wait for roles to be made and presented to you or do you take a lead to identify and create roles for yourself in life.
• You are tested on your leadership moments in life every day and almost in every moment.
• Leadership is all about changing perspectives; keeping all the judgments and biases aside.
• Weeding out is the first step in gardening.  Don’t be afraid to weed out what that is not serving well in order to nurture something great.
• Knowing Why is as important as How. A great coach goes all out to understand how the behaviors were developed and corrects them at its core.  Beautiful correlation brought out by a sports coach!
• You may have 500 friends liking your posts on social media. Think about how many friends you have in real life who really Believe in You.
• What role would you like to take in life: Guide by the side or a Sage on the stage!!! Honestly, it took me sometime to absorb this message and realize the immense power these few words had.
• Essence of heroism – the Medieval age propagated the ‘Readiness to die so others live’; the modern age propagates the similar ‘Readiness to develop so others grow’.
• Nurture what is available – I am a die-hard fan of this one GEM and can consume it all through my life.
• We all have a story – we need to go out and tell that story to the world.  How is your story looking like today? How will you feel sharing it with the world?
• Vulnerability can be your biggest freedom. Explore it. Be vulnerable with people who Believe in You.
• There is a powerful set of words woven together and placed on your visiting card – called your Designation/ Title. Believe and know that you are much more than those words.
• Only an innovative mindset is enough.  To be an entrepreneur, you don’t always need an innovative idea.
• When you become a manager; you become a coach.  Your personal success becomes irrelevant at that stage.  What stays relevant; is the success of your team.