"I absolutely believe that people, unless coached, never meet their maximum potential."
- Bob Nardelli
By Rozina Aziz
Kuala Lumpur, 1 June 2019
The path to coaching has not been one that I had consciously taken. It was more of an evolution over a 30-year corporate career, ending with that moment of truth over a cup of coffee with a former business associate, now a close friend and business partner, Kudsia Kahar. More about that later.
The Power Within Us
I have always believed in the power of transformation within each person. It is when faced with what appears to be insurmountable hardship or monumental challenges that we discover things we didn’t even know about ourselves. With a purposeful mind, our inner strengths can help us through trying times – both in our personal and professional lives – and we come out at the end of the tunnel a better person.
We do not need hardship to grow as a person either. No matter how good we are today, we can all be far, far greater tomorrow. If we put our minds to it, we can set our personal mission and then work hard towards it.
Sometimes we need a little bit of help. When we do, we need a safe space where we can share our personal experiences and deepest thoughts without fear of judgement. We need someone to empower us to overcome our fears and be the best version of ourselves.
Everyone Has a Story to Share
I am naturally drawn to people and energised by their stories, ambitions, aspirations, hopes and fears. People I have just met would open up to me and often - by the next few interactions - start sharing their personal stories.
As I listened to their stories, I found myself asking a plethora of questions to help me understand their situations better. I would spend hours just exploring how they feel and what they could do to overcome hurdles, harness their inner strengths and grow as individuals.
The personal story differed from person to person. Yet, as a professional who have experienced the ups and downs of a career spanning 30 years and a single mother of two boys with a failed marriage to her name, I can relate to each one as a human struggle we all face at some point in our life.
Here are examples of some of the experiences often shared with me:
· A Chief Executive Officer is worried about a culture misfit and the silo mentality stopping him from delivering results expected of the Board
· A young, ambitious senior executive is stumbling in her efforts to deliver on a new client following the birth of her new born baby. She is overwhelmed and constantly fighting with her husband as they battle the effects of sleeplessness while trying to balance the demands of work with the changing dynamics of their family
· A high performing individual contributor is struggling to find his footing to lead a team following a well-earned promotion
· A newly hired Vice President is overwhelmed by the corporate culture of a company he just joined
· An expatriate is overwhelmed by the culture of a new country
· A senior manager is unhappy with his boss and wants to land a new job quickly
· A spouse is at the cross-roads over the state of his or her marriage
Each individual has a unique story made complex by his or her own circumstances, beliefs, values and goals in life. In spending time with each one, I find that the most satisfying outcomes stem from them first accepting their situation, then believing in their inner power to change, leaning in on others for support and empowerment, having the will to plan and take the necessary action and continuously learning from each curve ball that life sends in their direction.
The Building Blocks of Change
Individuals must be prepared to do most of the work to achieve the goals they set for themselves, but having the right support is key. Establishing a supportive environment is especially vital when they find themselves in murky waters, unable to think straight or outside-the-box.
In times of great stress, I always encourage them to reach out to their circle of trust for support. This circle forms a solid boulder that one can lean on when the days are rough and everything seems to be going in the opposite direction. It should be a source of positivity and optimism in order to help create the mental environment we need to believe in ourselves, take action and reach our goals.
It is just as important to remember that as masters of our own destiny, we will need to own our chosen paths. In so doing, we need to find our own voices and inner strengths. Often times, we need to enlist the help of someone with total objectivity – without any emotional attachment or conflict of interest – who helps us find the strength we need and not impose their will, solutions or biases onto our own unique circumstances, aspirations and needs.
The Power of Coffee
Back to last November, I had arranged to meet Kudsia who had generously agreed to spin a few favourite numbers at my birthday celebration later that month (Kudsia was a radio presenter and media personality in her early days). We were discussing the programme for the night and the kind of songs that would appeal to my guests.
Soon the conversation turned to my professional status and plans. I had been with the same company for 23 of the 30 years of my professional life. I was able to work on new projects and businesses, and the learning I got from that was immense and deeply satisfying. The personal and professional growth opportunities afforded to me are invaluable.
My pioneering days were exciting. I had gotten addicted to the highs afforded by being part of or creating something new. Becoming part of the pioneering team that promised to change the landscape of Malaysia’s broadcast industry seduced me to move away from investment analysis and institutional stockbroking (much to my father’s disapproval) to Astro back in 1995.
We had all worked around the clock and beamed with pride when we witnessed the launch of MEASAT-1 (the country’s first communication satellite) by sister company Binariang. That launch paved the way for the launch of Astro’s satellite subscription TV. (Kudsia was then heading top radio stations ERA and HITZ FM under the Astro Radio umbrella).
I enjoyed gaining my early branding and marketing experience for Astro’s Malay and Tamil language brands as well as the General Entertainment, Movie, Factual and News genres. My personal obsession of the mobile phone (I suffer from the Fear of Missing Out or "FOMO") led me to conceptualise and introduce the Anugerah ERA TV-SMS chat channel and social community, something considered as a bit of a game changer in those early days.
Next, I found myself working with a dream team to first launch Akademi Fantasia (which went on to become the country’s top reality TV show lasting 10 seasons), then spearheading it into a 360 degree content property. Next, I was asked to launch and run the nation’s first 24-hour TV news channel, Astro Awani, and later worked to establish its digital and social media arm.
My latest corporate adventure was to launch Go Shop– a home shopping and e-commerce venture – as its Chief Marketing Officer responsible for brand and marketing, communication, customer experience and management as well as warehousing and courier operations. Astro Awani and Go Shop remain key growth stories for Astro today.
The Era of Change
As the company prepares to steer itself in the direction of change, I contemplated my role there. I was humbled and grateful for the opportunities given to me. I certainly never stopped learning but I felt that it was time for me to move on.
Kudsia sat across from me at one of our favourite haunts, each of us enjoying multiple cups of aromatic long black coffee, while she takes delight in probing me on my career situation. She suggested that I consider venturing out on my own, just as she had. “It was the best decision I had ever taken and I wish I had done it sooner,” she shared.
She posed the questions why people gravitated to me to share their stories and why I, in turn, immersed myself in trying to understand their unique situations, helping them (often at unearthly hours) and encouraging them to take action to achieve their desired end goals.
That moment brought me back to my stint at the Harvard Business School’s Cambridge campus in the spring of 2011. I joined top executives from around the world to attend the Advanced Management Programme (AMP) for nine intensive weeks. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience - from the inspiring Professors and lectures to team learning through case studies and networking with fellow AMPiers.
Over coffee with Kudsia, what came back to my mind was my first ever experience with a career coach at HBS. Over just two sessions, she was able to ask powerful questions that forced me to confront my own demons, understand myself better and hold myself accountable for my own life. The sessions left a profound impression on me.
Over the next month, as I reflect back on my life and career and finally made the decision to leave the company, I felt certain of one thing. I wanted to work alongside individuals to help them be the best version of themselves and reach their goals. Whatever else I decided to venture into, coaching and mentoring was something I wanted to do going forward.
And I the last push to to the power of coffee and the difficult - but much-needed - questions from someone who could look at my situation more objectively than I could at that stage of my life.
Powering Up
Over the span of my professional career, I have coached and mentored on performance, career development, personal growth, results-orientation, effective goal-setting, innovative problem solving as well as behavioural, mindset and culture change. In the beginning, it was about command and control, with a clear end game of delivering deadlines and results and striving for excellence. The method and process I employed often generated the desired goals, but the process was not always smooth.
As I developed as a leader and gained more experience over time, I started to adapt to the person sitting on the other sideof the table. While getting desired results remained my clear objective, I recognised and embraced the uniqueness of each individual.
Coaching is no different when it comes to guiding someone on an area of life that has not gone as planned. We all go through milestones – some joyful, some exhilarating, some painful and others devastating. The highs and lows I have personally experienced has humbled and prepared me to empathise with and help individuals who have reached out to me from time to time.
As a “tough love” coach, I still expected the “coachee” to do the hard work before, during and in between sessions, but I made sure to listen more closely to their concerns, challenges, insecurities and perceived road blocks. I helped them to obtain clarity and pushed them to take action and strive for the “unknown” because the obvious is often not transformative enough. I empathised and gave each one a “safe space” and room to come into their own and go on to achieve exciting results. Also important is to ensure that they can do so in a way that is and feels authentic to the individual in question.
Learning for Life
Coaching is not a one-off occurrence. As with other forms of personal growth, coaching is a long-term commitment. The learning never stops at both ends. Change is a dynamic process. As we reach one goal, we set the next one, and the next, and the next.
That commitment is no different for coaches. 30 years of experience does not mean I have become a full-fledge expert in this field. As a coach, I too am always a work-in-progress.
In order to hone my coaching (and also mentoring) skills, I seek to devour any resource I could find on iconic leaders and coaches. I have also sought formal certification to provide me with a methodical approach towards coaching. And this is only the beginning.
The Power of Coaching
There were many points in my life when I wished I had sought a powerful executive and life coach to guide me. Finding solutions on my own got me to where I am today.
I am confident in the belief that I could have accelerated my growth and achieved so much more if I had the objective ear and voice of a coach to push me forward.
Here are 5 reasons why I believe in the power of coaching:
1 Gaining Clarity
A professional coach asks powerful questions to help us gain clarity of our situation. Often, we are too close to the subject at hand, and a trained and experienced coach takes us to depths we are unable or unwilling to explore on our own. The coach helps us assess our situation, define our mission, think of solutions outside the realms of our own comfort zone and plan our action. Going forward, the coach holds us to account and guides us through the work we need to do towards achieving the set goals.
2 Commitment to Mission
A professional coach pushes for our commitment to achieve our set mission. Without commitment, a goal remains just a dream. With commitment, we are inspired and driven to work towards a mission. Through a coaching relationship, our efforts are continuously evaluated and our commitment is constantly renewed, paving a sustainable path towards success.
3 Ownership and Accountability
Committing to a mission is only the start of the path to success. During the coaching process, the “coachee” not only commits to a clear mission but also a plan of action. Through such commitment, there is a conscious ownership to work through the plan and the “coachee” is held accountable by the coach until the mission is accomplished.
4 Bite-Sized Goals
The success of a major mission lies in the achievement of various milestones or “bite-sized” goals along the way. A professional coach helps us to define these milestones. Through a coaching relationship, they guide us to seize opportunities as well as overcome inertia and challenges along the way to achieve and celebrate each milestone. By helping to clarify what we can do today, in a week, a month and so forth, a coach keeps us energised and on track to achieve our final mission.
5 Accelerate Growth and Transformation
Powerful questions encourage out-of-the box thinking while real-time feedback accelerates the change or growth process – from clarity of thought and mission to identifying opportunities and challenges and forming effective new strategies to achieve the mission. Once the strategies are established, work starts on a plan of action as well as resources and help that can be enlisted to execute the plan. The coaching framework cuts through the “business as usual,” “group think” and status quo. It drives the “coachee” to challenge and change the norms, creating an ideal environment to change behaviours, mindsets and actions in a speedy manner.
While executive and life coaching has become a necessary tool among top level executives and believers around the world, there is plenty of room for growth here in this region. My personal mission is to touch people’s lives by offering results-oriented coaching and mentoring services to help them grow in business, career and life.
Rozina Aziz is a certified coach and trainer. A former C-level executive, she has 30 years of corporate experience coaching, mentoring and training executives as well as individuals in search of business, career and personal growth. Rozina is Co-Founder, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Chief Transformation Officer of Metamorfosa, a boutique consultancy that provides transformative enrichment and consultancy services tailored to the needs of the client. She is an economic graduate from Cambridge University, United Kingdom and an alumnus of the Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Programme.
Rozina can be contacted at rozina@metamorfosa.biz.
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