How Coaching Festival by Believe In Yourself transformed individuals and organisations alike

This one-of-a-kind festival celebrated not just the humble profession of coaching, but also the power of purpose and passion

Have you ever wondered what happens when a diverse group of people come together for one grand, but simple cause? Magic – that’s what happens.

And that’s what happened at the BIY Coaching Festival 2018, which took place on June 14, at the MCA Club in Bandra Kurla, Mumbai – a fitting venue, which stands testament to the impact of coaching for many a cricket team. BIY itself is a platform created by an experienced team of HR leaders and practitioners dedicated to helping more and more people appreciate the impact and importance of coaching.

This one-of-a-kind festival celebrated not just the humble profession of coaching, but also the power of purpose and passion. It was a place for learning as well as unlearning, and it was a day that celebrated authenticity. It was a call to action for all, to exercise self-belief and gratitude in all we do.

There was even more to celebrate – the launch of BIY brand new coaching product, Creating Coaching Culture (CCC) in succession to the launch of U&I, their gender diversity program in partnership with SHRM which was launched on March 7, at BIY Press for Progress event. CCC has a grand vision for a compelling intervention program, one of bringing a new culture to organisations by introducing conversations of authenticity.

We all need to understand our own purpose – as an individual or an organisation – before we can do anything that really makes a difference. CCC helps change perspectives related to leadership, success, growth and vulnerability – something that is much needed to adapt to our complex worlds today. What’s more, BIY has empanelled a team of coaches credentialed by the International Coach Federation (ICF) to deliver experiential programs which will make a positive difference for both executives and organisations.

At the festival, a number of individuals from diverse fields – ranging from leadership development and sports to culture and the non-profit sector – came together to share their perspectives.

The BIY Coaching Festival started by invocations, a classical Kathak Performance aptly called ‘Journey of a Soul’ to anchor everyone with Vivek Paranjpe’s voice reverberating across the hall – ‘It’s time to Believe In Yourself’.

Prabir Jha, President and global CHRO of Cipla, spoke about how we can prepare ourselves for the Future of Work, while Yash Mahadik, the ex-CHRO of Sun Pharma in candid conversation with Ganjendra Chandel, CHRO Tata Motors, discussed the role of the coach and coachee in coaching and challenged BIY to continue pushing the envelope. We had an interactive and engaging session on Lessons from Media and Medium by the reputed Bollywood actor and entrepreneur Ashish Vidyarthi and Rohit Bansal, the Head of Communications at RIL and Executive Member of FICCI.

Praveen Amre (cricketer and coach of the India under-19 cricket team), spoke about the power of the mind – how championships of any kind are a victory by the mind, in the mind. We received some lessons from a CEO perspective by author and ex-MD of the Bank of Baroda, Anil Khandelwal, who spoke about the importance of developing a great performance culture. For instance, a CEO could take on the role of a gardener – weeding, sowing and reaping to keep his garden healthy and in shape.

Rajesh Padmanabhan, the CHRO of Welspun Group, reminded us that the days of purely human collaboration were over, and that we should embrace technology and its tools to design the best possible futures for ourselves.

The event was curated by Harlina Sodhi and made possible by the support of some reputed companies as Workplace by Facebook, Kwench, Cornerstone OnDemand, Globoforce, Coursera for Business and HRKatha as media partner! And of course, such a day would have been incomplete without some music, dance and community – an art exhibition by NotJustArt an NGO that supports differently abled children, magnetic Kathak staging of how Arjuna was coached by Lord Krishna, and a foot-tapping musical performance by Dharavi Rocks, a young and inspired band from the slums of Dharavi-Mumbai.

For BIY, this is only the beginning – they hope to continue to engage with people and organisations from all walks of life, and tap into their own experience across sectors, geographies and industries to make this a reality. As momentous as the BIY Festival was, it was only a starting point. Their coaches and trainers walk the talk, and have transformed their own lives as well as those of countless others. BIY will continue following that passion to help others believe in themselves and achieve their dreams.

May this journey of coaching, leadership and authenticity continue for years to come!