Sreeja V
@Wordsmith · 1:18
Neelima Chakara on helping professionals become effective and transformational leaders
Hello, swell. I'm delighted to welcome Neelima Chakara, an ICF certified coach, to the Thought Leadership series. Podcast. Neelima is listed among the top hundred most influential Coaching Leaders in India 2023 by the World HRG Congress. She works with executives globally to increase their impact and fast track their careers, helping them enhance their capacity and effectiveness by managing themselves and others better
Sreeja V
@Wordsmith · 0:08
My first question is what is your leadership philosophy and how has it impacted your coaching approach?
Curiosity keeps me open minded, confidence makes the way for growth mindset. Transparency helps me build trust and compassion and humility help me connect with people at a human level. As a coach, I believe that leadership is a skill and it can be learned. And also everybody defines for themselves the kind of leader they want to be and works towards that and it is my job to facilitate that journey. And this philosophy opens me up to help my clients in the way that they want to be helped
Sreeja V
@Wordsmith · 0:08
What methodologies or frameworks do you use to assess a leaders strengths and areas for development?
You. I use inquiry and reflection as tools to build the awareness of my clients about themselves as they gain insights into their needs that they are striving to meet. They also connect with their existing strengths and the ones that they are trying to develop or they want to develop it. In addition, I use 360 degree feedback where stakeholders across levels, that is, the peers, subordinates, seniors, customers, provide feedback to the leaders
Sreeja V
@Wordsmith · 0:07
How do you assist leaders in managing and leading through change and uncertainty?
I would help them accept that the change and the associated uncertainty are normal, as is their human response to it. I would help them reconnect with what anchors them during turbulent times so for example, their purpose, their values and use them as North Stars to navigate through the change. I would help them bring to surface their agency and their resources to deal with whatever changes in front of them. I would help them figure out how they want to deploy their resources as they manage and lead through the change
Sreeja V
@Wordsmith · 0:10
How do you handle resistance or skepticism from leaders who may be hesitant about engaging with a coach or taking up coaching?
You see, if a leader is hesitant, it usually means that either the leader did not have a say in the decision to be coached or the leader and the organization are not aligned on the areas to be addressed with coaching. A third scenario is where the leader feels that coaching is being offered just to manage the optics and the outcome does not matter. This is the unfortunate scenario where either there are performance issues or relationship issues. Some bridges have been burned in the past
Swell Team
@Swell · 0:15
Smita Ruth S
@SmitaRuth-24 · 1:11
You resistance or a leader being skeptical to take up a coaching or to learn something from a coach, I think it shows a very egoistic mindset. Cause the great leaders, they they know they are not the smart people in the room. A great leader will always be very much happy and excited if they are giving this opportunity to spare some time and get into some time of coaching. Because I strongly believe that learning never stops at any age or hierarchy
