Coaching & Mentoring
Coaching
Coaching is a useful way of developing people's skills and abilities, and of boosting performance. It can also help deal with issues and challenges before they become major problems. Coaching may be defined as “relating to other human beings in such ways that they are empowered to sustainably transform their perceptions, thoughts and behaviors so as to enable them to produce the results that they truly desire”.
Shankar is passionate about building leaders through coaching. During his tenure at the Aditya Birla Group, he formally completed an eight-month coaching program organized by the Group in collaboration with The Works Partnership (TWP), Singapore. He also attended an Outstanding Business Leadership Program organised in India by the McClelland Institute, HayGroup, USA.
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As a leader in the Corporate Audit function, he has made individuals realize their true potential and enabled them to take higher responsibilities. He not only provided coaching sessions to his direct reports but also had coaching assignments, each for about six months, with several middle management executives in other businesses, such as staple fiber, metals and telecom.
Mentoring
Mentoring is a reciprocal and collaborative relationship that often occurs between a senior and junior employee in an organisation for the purpose of the mentee’s growth, learning, and career development. It could be both formal and informal. There is an emphasis on organizational goals, culture, career goals, advice on professional development, and work-life balance. Mentors often act as role models and sounding boards for their mentee and provide guidance to help them reach their goals.
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Shankar recently provided formal mentoring sessions to a group function head who had moved from a line function to an internal audit role in a large business group. The sessions were spread over six months and the objective was for him to attain professional excellence and acquire relevant functional knowledge which is critical in the performance of his role.
