Reflections: the stoic way!

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Thinking Beyond Judgment: From De Bono to Barbara Minto and Ancient wisdom of Marcus Aurelius and Yājñavalkya

Thinking Beyond Judgment: From De Bono to Barbara Minto What separates thinking from merely reacting? Edward de Bono challenges our instinct to judge, argue and prove others wrong, while Barbara Minto teaches us to structure complexity through logic and MECE thinking. Together, their approaches offer a practical discipline for seeing more clearly, generating alternatives and communicating ideas with precision. Interestingly, this modern discipline of thought echoes much older philosophical traditions—from the Stoic distinction between events and our judgments about them to Yājñavalkya's relentless inquiry into what lies beneath appearances. Good thinking may ultimately begin with a simple act: suspending judgment long enough to see what we have not yet seen. “Designing forward rather than judging at each stage.” That comes directly from your discussion of eclectics : extracting what is valuable regardless of which side it comes from and emphasizing forward design rather than contin...

Yājñavalkya Wisdom into Leadership Coaching

The psychological contract-Coach and Coachee relationship

In a strong coach–coachee relationship , the relationship itself is part of the intervention. Before GROW, OSKAR, questioning techniques or action plans work, both people need clarity about what this relationship is, what it is not, and what each person owes the other . I would organise the foundations around eight principles . Principle Coach commits to Coachee commits to Why it matters 1. Contracting & clarity Define purpose, process, frequency, confidentiality and boundaries Clarify expectations and desired outcomes Prevents ambiguity 2. Confidentiality Protect what is discussed; explain exceptions beforehand Speak candidly while respecting others' privacy Creates trust 3. Psychological safety Be non-judgmental; allow vulnerability and disagreement Be willing to discuss difficult realities Enables honest exploration 4. Autonomy Don't impose answers or create dependency Own choices and consequences Coaching develops agency 5. Challenge + support Empathise but also confro...

Stoic practices and modern-day corporate coaching---the ageless connection

In fact, much of what we now call executive coaching, resilience, self-regulation, cognitive reframing and values-based leadership has striking parallels with Stoic practice —although modern coaching should not simply be relabeled Stoicism. Stoicism → modern coaching The central Stoic question was not "How do I control what happens?" but rather: "Given what has happened, what remains within my agency—and how should I respond?" That is remarkably close to the heart of good coaching. Stoic principle Coaching equivalent Corporate application Dichotomy of control — distinguish what you control from what you don't Circle of influence; locus of control Restructuring, difficult bosses, market changes, missed promotions Examine your judgments Cognitive reframing / CBT-style questioning "My boss rejected my idea" ≠ "My boss doesn't value me" Virtue over external reward Values-based coaching Integrity and purpose rather than title, bonus or appl...

Leadership factories GE, Toyota, Unilever, P&G...

Yes. There is actually a fairly well-established idea behind the phrase “manager factory” or, more recently, “leadership factory.” It is not simply that these companies conduct more training. The distinguishing feature is that developing other managers becomes part of how management itself is practiced . McKinsey uses the term “leadership factory” for organizations where colleagues deliberately invest in developing one another through apprenticeship, feedback, coaching, role-modeling, and real work—not primarily through classroom programs. McKinsey traces the phrase within its own history to former managing partner Ron Daniel in the 1980s. For the kind of work you are contemplating with NPCI, this distinction is extremely important. Why GE became the archetype GE is probably the classic corporate example. Its Crotonville management development center was established in 1956, initially because GE was decentralizing and needed a much larger population of capable general managers. It ...

Coaching frameworks

In corporate leadership coaching, one distinction clears up a lot of confusion: ICF is primarily a professional competency and ethics framework for how coaching should be practised. GROW, CLEAR, OSKAR, solution-focused coaching, cognitive-behavioural coaching, systemic coaching, etc. are primarily models or schools for how change can be facilitated. So they are not really competitors. A strong executive coach can be ICF-aligned while using GROW in one session, CBT ideas in another, systemic thinking with a leadership team, and 360° feedback across the engagement. 1. What exactly does ICF propose? The does not prescribe one coaching methodology . Its current 2025 framework defines eight competencies within four domains. The update was based on a global job analysis involving nearly 3,000 coaches. ICF domain Competencies In simple language Foundation Ethical Practice; Coaching Mindset Be ethical, self-aware, reflective and genuinely coach-like Co-creating relationsh...