How does coaching contribute to cultural shifts in corporate spaces? What are the dynamics of group coaching and how does it give way to co-development?
For the Future of Coaching webinar this week, the conversation between Coacharya Founder and MCC Coach Ram S. Ramanathan and Sumanth Nayak, the CHRO for Societe Generale in India, revolved around the value of coaching interventions and how they can bring simple but meaningful changes. Sumanth started with an operations-based role, but later a career conversation created a shift for him and he moved to Human Resources.
The Power of Coaching Initiatives
Offer a space to listen, reflect and share openly. As Sumanth added, “When you speak to an individual about your own developmental needs and that person is unfamiliar, it breeds that openness more than w hen talking to somebody you have already worked with.”
For Sumanth, leadership development goes hand in hand with coaching. When Ram asked about the coaching initiatives he has seen creating an impact, Sumanth said there are three levels to it. He explained the first level as engaging with an external coach expert to coach the leaders. The next is leveraging the internal ecosystem of a coaching practice based in their headquarters in Paris, or what they refer to as co-development.
At the third level, Sumanth talked about the significance of encouraging managers to be coaches for their immediate team members.
Co-development: A Multitude of Possibilities
Group coaching brings new perspectives and members benefit from the group dynamic, where there is a space for everyone to be heard. Talking about how co-development has evolved and what he gained from it, Sumanth shared how powerful a coaching circle-like exercise has been for him.
With no more than 8 people, who do not have a direct working relationship, the ‘meta coach’ lays down the ground rules and how the co-development exercise will proceed. Each member gets an opportunity every week to share what they are feeling, their needs, and their goals while the remaining members become coaches.
“During the exercise, we were able to sometimes touch upon topics on the personal side too. I have seen people become more than colleagues and they have built a bond for the rest of their tenure. They get familiarity and empathy. Networking and connection are the USP of this approach.”
Recent Shifts: The Great Resignation, Quiet Quitting
Some buzzwords have become part of the public discourse and have been studied widely since after the pandemic. Ram touched upon how terms like Work-From-Home, Quiet Quitting, and Great Resignation have been discussed and asked Sumanth what he thought about it.
“My take is overall, as an industry, everybody is learning. Everybody is trying to adjust in a new way. Every organization needs to find that balance in terms of coming back to work.”
So, when Ram asked what Sumanth thinks about a potential resolution to this dynamic situation, Sumanth said that some way halfway would be his take. “It gives a good balance between personal needs and how we have gotten used to working in the last two years.”
My Takeaway
The greatest learning for me was listening to the shifts created by co-development and how group settings can offer spaces to share professional goals and challenges and personal strengths and vulnerabilities. When people really listen to each other, it fosters trust and builds confidence within teams. I would encourage you to watch this webinar to know more about the shifts coaching interventions bring in corporate spaces and how co-development exercises bring teams and people together.
Webinar: Being a Coach Series – Culture Shift In Corporates & Coaching
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