Learings from #APAC2019

APAC2019 Notes

Disclaimer :These notes are solely my interpretation and doesn’t mean to de-value any of the sessions/speaker not mentioned here

With the demand,understanding and need for coaching as a service is trending in ASIA, the APAC coaching conference was just the right decision i took to attend. My curiosity was to understanding the larger purpose and bigger vision of the industry in supporting profit and non-profit sectors through coaching. Since i have been involved in Leadership coaching for almost a decade, i wanted to know “What’s more and how deep?” can we contribute to others development through coaching.

There were several perspectives presented at the conference including ICF and EMCC (the two prominent bodies working in the area to develop expertise and manage quality of coaches in the world).

Some of the very insightful sessions for me were by @David Peterson @DavidGoldsmith @Peter.j.Reding @DamianGoldvarg @Vikram Bhatt @Ben croft @Raghu Anantanarayan @Dr. Siraya Kongsompong @Elena Espinal @Shiri Ben Arzi @Leon Venderpol @Magdalena Nowicka Mook @Srinivas Venkatram @Ram Ramnathan @Ashok Malhotra

Key Learnings:

Industry perspective :

• In age of disruption coaching needs to be more agile and cater to the need of the systemic and cultural challenges along with individuals, 
•  Coaches eventually need to learn to be comfortable with robots and find ways to work with them versus looking at them as threat.       
• Disruption has no rule book to keep innovating,experimenting,failing and learning to be ahead of complex human and business multi dimensional challenges  is the only success mantra.
• Coaches are required to be investing in their own learning consistently to stay ahead of complex human,lifestyle and leadership challenges.
• As a community coaches are required to find ways to make coaching more reachable, affordable and sustainable for mid and bottom levels of hierarchy, social sectors and non corporate sectors to create impact at global or country level.
• Since coaching is an approach of unleashing potential, coaches are faced with bigger challenge of staying ahead of the curve in terms of unleashing their own potential and be agile in their own practices.

Coaching Process perspective:

• Establishing human connection is an essential part of coaching relationships and hence cognitive transformation is more of a ‘must do’ versus ‘good to do’ for coaches
• Taking more risk in conversations, approaches and practices is an essential way to create shifts in changing times
• Emotional intelligence is becoming more and more relevant along with rational and logical thinking for leaders and coaches 
• In VUCA world coaches are responsible to focus on DNA of VUCA and work with that understanding where DNA =Diversity,Novelty and Adversity
• Key skills for coaches to keep developing in self and others : Reflection, Deep Thinking, Human Connection, Empathy and Mindfulness
• Coaches have the responsibility to role model agility, character, humility and connection in their interventions to create larger impact on their clients
• With fast and disruptive environment coaches,leaders and organisations need to become more resilient at the same time take more risk in their interventions.

Dynamic & Experimentation is new reality, embracing fast change and risk taking are the "must" attitudes to thrive in the VUCA world.