Haven't You Had Your "Pooja" Moment?

It was one evening in March that Pooja (name changed) called me over the office phone and said she wants to talk with me. Once I agreed, within the next few minutes, she was there in my office and said she needs only ten minutes. I had a hunch this will be longer and that she wishes to talk about something important, maybe a career conversation.

The coach in me, kept the phone aside, chair turned towards Pooja and ready to listen; listen actively and to all that will not be said too.

Pooja dropped a bomb; and said something no manager would like to hear. She said she wanted to quit her job and pursue alternate career options. The selfish, self-centered, egoistic manager in me started thinking how I could retain her and how stupid she was to leave such a big, powerful, organization like ours.

Next moment, the coach in me, the trained coach took over, I settled in my chair, got into a coaching conversation and listened to Pooja- to all that she was saying, and more importantly, all that she was not saying.

And I discovered that this was one great learning experience for me as her manager and as a leader in the organization. Pooja had many stories and instances to share with me about how she felt about being treated by her colleagues, supervisors and seniors.

I am sure, as managers, we all have experienced our respective “Poojas” at some time. We all have heard this, “people join organizations and leave managers”. And that is the truth. The absolute truth!

As a practicing coach, the questions I ask managers are:

• Do your team members feel trusted?
• Do they feel listened to?
• Do they feel acknowledged?
• Do they feel understood?
• Do they feel you believe in them?
• Do they get enough opportunity to think and maximize their potential?

The answers usually are, “Sure, I do trust them; or listen to them.” And so on.

It’s not about what I do, it’s about how do they feel? And that is a very powerful paradigm shift.

Why is all this so important for managers, leaders and hence for organizations?

Given the VUCA environment we continue to operate in, we are in a situation where we will have to do more with lesser resources. The other reason is that we have to get the maximum out of our human resources and let (not “make”) them feel empowered and valued; to retain, develop and grow with the organization.

Organizations that adopt a culture of coaching and enable employees to max their potential are the organizations that will grow and will be able to adapt to the ever changing business scenario.

Stay tuned for my thoughts on how...

Happy Coaching.