“Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.” – Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
In this month’s Masters in Coaching webinar, we experienced a wholesome and awe-inspiring conversation on “Simplifying Mastery in Coaching.” We had the joy of learning from world-renowned and experienced master practitioners, Cindy Muthukarapan, John Serrao, Rachel Dungan, Allison Task, and Vijayalakshmi S.
As the webinar began, the energy felt like the kind one experiences at a stadium full of people, cheering and excited to see what was to come their way. Only 4% of the coaches in the world hold an MCC credential and we had the pleasure of learning from 5 of them in this webinar. With lots of questions on everyone’s mind, excitement in the air, and eagerness to learn, we began the session. Viji, the host of the webinar asked the master coaches to share what the starting point of their mastery journey looked like.
It was a walk down memory lane. From finding inspiration in one another to taking the step forward to prioritize client safety, client comfort, and client confidence, the panelists shared how curiosity and a deep urge to learn and grow led them to unravel this journey of unending learning. Rachel summed it up as “a voyage of discovery.”
As I experienced this session, I was moved by the humility that each of them displayed. At every step, I witnessed them as curious learners emphasizing the need to intentionally work on themselves, joyfully and gently unfolding the path to mastery for our understanding. In true mastery spirit, they were living the hallmark definition of coaching mastery as Viji mentioned at the start of the session, “complete evidence of the coach’s role as a learner.”
So, what does “simplifying” mastery in coaching really mean? In no way does it mean that mastery is simple but Viji explained it beautifully by saying that mastery can be simplified by breaking it down into smaller parts. So, here are four of those parts that I am taking away from this session. I hope this helps you as you demystify mastery for yourself.
In-depth way of looking at the totality of your client
Mastery is about the “whole person.” Cindy spoke about “being curious about everything around your client, within the context of the session.” She spoke about the power of keeping the heart open and keeping the mind empty and experiencing the gentle movement of transformation.
Authentically Partnering with the client
Allison shared her thoughts about the power of “being” and how being present invites clients to “be” which leads to building deep authentic relationships. This creates space for an true partnership to exist.
Keeping the client at the center of everything
I learned that there can be no intention deeper than keeping your client and their development at the center of the conversation. As Rachel described it in one word, “integrity.” John connected simplicity to going deep and embodying that depth. He shared his reflection on being present, deep listening, and being non-judgmental and how these exist in all of us innately.
Power of Minimalism
Viji shared her understanding of simplifying mastery as being a minimalist with what we bring to the coaching space – “as less input as possible and coming out with as much output as possible.” Cindy added that “MCC is not loaded. It is about doing a lot of emptying.” We had the Coacharya Co-founder, Ram S. Ramanathan join the panelists. He shared the importance of coaches being able to “be aware of the clutter within” in order to support their clients in the best way possible.
The master coaches also spoke about perceptible changes they have seen in the way they coach today from how they were at the start, ground realities around credentialing, what makes MCC a high bar to achieve, what stands out in a masterful coaching conversation, and looking back, if the master coaches would do anything differently.
I encourage you to watch this webinar or listen to the podcast and discover the hidden gems that await you. I promise you that you will experience several moments of pure joy, absolute wonder, and boundless learning.
If you are a PCC coach who wants to begin your journey to Mastery, then you can consider joining the Coacharya Mastery Program with Cindy Muthukarapan, MCC. Reach out to us at contact@coacharya.com to know more.
Webinar: Simplifying Mastery In Coaching
Like to listen instead? We have a podcast!
This session is also available as audio-only on our podcast. Listen below or find Coach to Lead wherever you listen to podcasts
