“A coaching culture is visible in
the behavior of people. It’s a way
of looking at people and treating
each other. When we describe
a coaching culture, we’re
describing a learning culture
that is respectful and that values
people’s potential and promotes
innovation,” Meyne explains.
interested in becoming internal
coach practitioners.
Prior to the start of Executive
Coaching, clients participate in
a 360-degree feedback process.
Based on the final report, they are
asked to identify two to three goals
for the coaching engagement.
Coaching engagements span eight
“When we describe a coaching culture, we’re describing a
learning culture that is respectful and that values people’s
potential and promotes innovation.”
Although awareness of
professional coaching in India
is increasing, there’s still a great
deal of confusion about what
coaching is—and what it isn’t.
The perception of coaching as a
remedial intervention persists
throughout the country, largely
due to the word’s academic
connotations. (India is home to
numerous “coaching” institutes
and programs that prepare
individuals for school, university
and professional exams.)
The program’s developers
knew that they’d need leaders
to model the experience and
impacts of coaching for lowerlevel employees. This strategy
worked: What began as Executive
Coaching for a handful of top
senior leaders rapidly expanded
to include high-potential leaders
at the VP level and below. Today,
124 senior and high-potential
executives have completed
coaching engagements, while
43 new leaders are currently
participating in Executive
Coaching relationships.
In 2013, J.K. took the next step,
engaging ICF Professional
Certified Coaches from Coaching
Lighthouse to provide a course of
coach-specific training to leaders
to 12 months, and include midterm and end-of-engagement
meetings with the coach, client
and human resources team.
The coach also checks in with
key stakeholders throughout
the process to monitor the
effectiveness of coaching.
The organizational and
individual impacts of coaching
at J.K. are appreciable. Within
the four J.K. companies using
coaching most frequently,
leaders have reported improved
performance, profitability and
employee retention. Since 2008,
revenues have grown by 105
percent, employee satisfaction
has increased by 16 percent
and attrition of high-potential
employees has decreased by two
percent (from an all-time high of
7.1 percent).
Leaders receiving Executive
Coaching have reported a
high return on expectations,
particularly in the areas of stress
management (one client reported
a 60 to 65 percent decrease in
stress during and after coaching),
management skills, role
transitions, self-confidence, and
enhanced teamwork. The positive
impacts go beyond the office
walls: Coaching clients also report
enhanced communication and
relationships with their spouses,
children and extended families.
Perhaps the most significant
change wrought by coaching
within the J.K. Organisation
has been the shift from a topdown management style to a
system of collegial, collaborative
relationships between senior- and
middle-level leaders and their
peers and direct reports. Thanks
to this change, team members
are taking greater initiative for
projects and activities, even
proposing innovative ideas that
they believe would improve a
product or process. No longer is
an employee’s value based solely
on his or her age and tenure with
the organization: Now, creative
ideas, diverse solutions and the
ability to play an active role in
the decision-making process
are among the factors used to
evaluate employees’ effectiveness.
As J.K.’s i