Presiding over the confluence of strategic and operational workflow, a leader plays a critical role in the overall development of the business and employees alike. But, in order to continue driving efficiency, it becomes equally imperative for high-end or aspiring leaders to be constantly agile, resilient, and adaptable to the ever-changing ecosystem.
The same quest has necessitated corporates to engage in Executive coaching, which has moved beyond just an HR-sponsored activity to a business-must development tool. Along with preparing individuals to effectively navigate the VUCA world, an ideal coach helps them cultivate self-awareness and harness inner potential in a safe and one-on-one atmosphere, thereby ushering them one step closer to becoming global leaders.
Among the rising numbers of executive coaches in India, Ananthanarayanan T. (aka Ananth) - an industry pioneer and a visionary leader - stands as a perfect example of blending his practitioner experience with a structured coaching framework from the International Coaching Federation (ICF) to become a highly successful Executive coach. As a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) by ICF, Ananth is distinguished by his commitment to transforming leadership coaching through his proven development programs and his venture, Agrata Consulting - a Bangalore-based management and leadership development company.
Ananth post his Engineering degree, joined the corporate bandwagon more than three decades back, where he rose to serve in different roles at global corporates like Microsoft and Wipro, which, in turn, helped him build his talent management forte. He grew as a leader from the impetus provided by one of his work managers and has steered multiple behavioral assessments, executive sponsorships, and business transitions in his overall professional journey. However, the additional responsibility of overseeing an NGO event and spearheading a humanitarian mission set him on the path of coaching students for a successful outcome.
Upon the request of a social worker at an NGO, he started mentoring aspiring female engineers who hailed from distressed families and sought role models. He realized his ability to leverage his strengths and contribute to society when one of the girls he mentored and coached completed her MS in the USA and got employed by a leading IT company there.
She continued to consistently deliver, even after migrating to India leading to his taking a call to become a coach in the future. Furthermore, while working for Microsoft, he mentored four potential leaders to scale up the corporate ladder in Microsoft. “Although that was a key inflection point, I was still not ready to cut the umbilical cord, until a dream pushed me to wake up and quit my corporate job to pursue coaching. I blended my practitioner skills with a structured framework as defined by the ICF and built the practice from the ground up without veering away,” remembers Ananth.
He further incorporated Agrata Consulting in 2012 and has never looked back since. “The biggest milestone was achieved five years ago, when my coachee, who was a General Manager, transitioned to become the Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of the organization,” claims Ananth.
Today, Ananth has more than 2500 hours of successful executive coaching experience and has emerged to be one of the preferred coaches
for diverse and global C-suite executives as well as individuals from both prominent brands and startups, all through word-of-mouth influence. “My passion for coaching gives me the fulfillment that we all yearn for and innate happiness when I co-create success with the leader,” claims Ananth. The most notable part of all is that he is considered to be one of the very few executive coaches in India who uses interpreters successfully. He has set a benchmark by successfully coaching global leaders across different nationalities, including Latin America and Europe, through interpreters, which further equipped him with the ICF competency of virtual coaching while being present at the moment.
The Building Blocks of Excellence
Amidst various stress factors, on-the-job demands, and distractions, it is challenging for executives to remain focused on the responsibilities at hand. As a certified coach who keeps the Gallup Strengths philosophy at the core, the foremost task of Ananth includes assisting the executives in commanding their attention to the current reality. By creating trust and safety, he strives to establish an inclusive environment that upholds open and transparent communication between the coach and the leader.
Using psychometric tools like Hogan Assessments he is able to help the leader build self-awareness and internalize, how his behavior is perceived by his peers, subordinates, and stakeholders. Driven by “SMART” goals and “GROW” models, he endeavors to establish positive connections with the learners and engage with them by assessing their needs at a deeper level through various open-ended questions, 360-degree feedback, and manager and customer feedback. This helps him understand leaders and empowers them to evaluate their mechanisms to be responsible for their actions.
As a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) by ICF, Ananthanarayanan is distinguished by his commitment to transforming leaders by building their self-awareness and operationalizing their actions through coaching for a successful outcome through his venture, Agrata Consulting
“Having mastered the art of going with the flow over the years, I coach the ‘being’ of the leader. Today, I am no longer afraid of silence, and I patiently wait for the coachee to use the time for reflection, which has helped a lot of my executives create and implement the most optimal solution,” shares Ananth. His methodologies prompt healthy discussions to make the leaders set the right goals and be accountable. “I also encourage a tripartite meeting midway through the journey to capture the needle change and look at any new goals the organization wants the leader to take on,” he adds. Reflecting consistent productivity improvement, his approach has pushed leaders to stretch goals beyond their present capabilities. His coaching framework is aimed not only at enhancing leadership skills but also at restoring work-life balance to drive higher productivity.
The Keys to Successful Leadership
Jumping on the new trend bandwagon, more enterprises are increasingly investing in digital coaching, thereby upping the ante for the coaches to keep up-to-date and deliver quality knowledge in online and offline modes alike. Ananth perceives it as well and is qualified with well-known psychometric certifications, including Hogan, Gallup Strength Performance, DiSC, CB5 (Big 5), and, most importantly, digital coaching, post-COVID. Firmly valuing continuous learning, he considers the coaching sessions as a learning platform to better understand the industry and prepare for future sessions. Apart from his value-added coaching, he is also acknowledged for his pro-bono coaching sessions, which have enabled many aspiring entry-level learners to start climbing the corporate ladder faster.
According to Ananth, a leader needs to have a clear and futuristic vision. A Leader needs to be passionate about continuous learning and keep enhancing their skills. They need to constantly innovate whilst taking risks, be emotionally stable, and be perseverant in the achievement of their goals to be an effective leader. “Do not shy away from celebrating your achievements. This helps you to propel your way forward. I also want to emphasize – success is what you define and do not let the world define it. In the current evolving world, great leaders are those who can motivate and inspire their people to greater heights while remaining in the background. But they also should believe in the learning journey which will help them achieve the outcomes. They need to make these learnings into sustaining habits that become their brand as they move along,” concludes Ananth.
Ananthanarayanan T., Executive Coach
After completing his Engineering in Electronics and a Master’s in Management, Ananth started his career as a support engineer. Over his career span of more than three decades, he has led multiple key positions at global companies, including Microsoft. As an Engineering Leader, he has played an instrumental role in creating a successful division within the Microsoft India Global Technical Support Center (IGTSC). He has also developed internal coaches by implementing Clifton Strength Finder and workplace coaching, partnering with his HR and L&D directors.
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