3 minute read
Gaurav Bhalla: Coaching For Performance And Results
Gaurav isn’t comfortable with the label ‘coach’. He’s more comfortable with “coaching.”
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Here’s why:
‘Coach’ is a label; anyone can claim to be one. Coaching, on the other hand, is a competence that must be demonstrated. It’s a purposeful activity, not merely a label, that produces relevant and meaningful results for individuals, teams, and organizations by disrupting and transforming their world views, and by helping them think, talk, and act differently, so they can achieve desired results.
According to Gaurav one of the most effective ways of creating new value – unlocking new opportunities to grow – is by challenging the status quo. “Weltanschauung is one of my favorite words. Because if we want to win in tomorrow’s markets, we must be willing to disrupt and transform our existing world views.
Yesterday’s playbooks won’t help us overcome leadership challenges posed by tomorrow’s operating environments.”
Gaurav’s journey with coaching and mentoring has elements of both serendipity and design – “fortuitous accidents and conscious intentions,” he says.
“Investing in people, helping them grow, and developing them so they can maximize their potential has always been a top priority for me. So, when I launched my own company, G. Bhalla & Associates, in 1991, I found myself playing the role of internal coach and mentor, because of the large number of young professionals we were hiring.”
Simultaneously, he was also roped into helping executives in client companies raise their performance and contribution to their respective team and corporate goals. He was already in the room as a consultant and executive training specialist and was frequently asked to extend those offerings to coaching and mentoring, either solo, or in partnership with other coaches.
Today’s world is infinitely more complex and uncertain than 1991, when Gaurav first started coaching and mentoring. “New times require new narratives,” he says. Accordingly, he has invigorated and augmented his coaching skills and competencies through systematic and rigorous investments in learning, experimentation, and certification.
When asked how the substance of his coaching approach has evolved over the years, this is how Gaurav responded.
“My core focus is still performance and results – value creation and innovation. But as we do on a wintry day, I have added several layers over the years. A few examples are:
Actively embracing collaboration, cognitive diversity, and creative friction (there is no creativity without these elements).
Incorporating systems thinking principles and frameworks (often we are our own worst enemy).
Using wisdom and humancentric leadership approaches to resolve leadership challenges posed by a VUCA and WICKED world; a world where there are no right or wrong answers; where the most effective solutions don’t lie at either extreme, but in the murky middle (I call this Soulful Leadership; it’s the theme of my newest book, “Awakening A Leader’s Soul”).
Today, Gaurav focuses mainly on the following audiences:
1. Leaders and Leadership Teams – helping them frame, pursue, and place winning strategic bets
2. Domain Experts, such as IT professionals from India/Eastern Europe, who are brilliant at what they do, but need leadership development
3. Strategic and Cross-Cultural Teams who are working on mission critical assignments
His unique ability to intersect disparate disciplines, such as poetry and leadership, parenting and managing,” sets him apart as a big picture and systems thinker, and distinguishes him from other coaches and mentors. As does his passion for provocation and “Monday-Morning Action,” a phrase he coined and uses frequently. But perhaps what differentiates him and distinguishes him most is his diversity – “I have worked on 5 different continents, interacted with executives in over 30 different countries, which is why I can walk in and out of cultures as easily as the front door or my own house.”
When pressed for something to reflect on, this is what Gaurav said:
“Lead with your humanity, not just your executive brilliance.”
