05 Nov Coaching the Future of Leadership: A Visionary Interview with M Hariharan.
In a forward-thinking interview, leadership coach M Hariharan shares insights with Hastha Krishnan on the evolving coaching landscape. He highlights the importance of understanding critical players in the engagement, from sponsors to the coached, and the need for coach-client solid chemistry. Hariharan also touches on the nuances between coaching MNCs, Indian enterprises, and family-led businesses, emphasising the thin line between mentoring and coaching in India. As coaching evolves, he sees the future shaped by agility, innovation and the next generation of bold leaders.
Crafting Transformative Engagements: Evaluating the Full Spectrum of Influence
Hastha Krishnan: What critical factors do you assess before embarking on a coaching engagement?
M Hariharan: At the core of any coaching engagement lies a strategic evaluation of influence— understanding the diverse stakeholders involved, from sponsors to HR leaders to the coachee. Each stakeholder brings a unique perspective that shapes the broader vision for the engagement, ensuring alignment with both organisational and individual objectives.
Beyond individual roles, I assess the coachee’s readiness to engage in deep self-reflection and adopt changes with lasting impact. Actual leadership coaching demands introspection, resilience, and adaptability that go beyond traditional approaches. Effective engagements are built within environments that prioritise and support sustainable transformation. It is essential to assess organisational dynamics to determine whether the system is prepared for a shift in leadership mindsets and behaviours.
A crucial, often overlooked element is the interpersonal chemistry between coach and coachee. At this level, coaching is predicated on trust, which allows for openness and growth. I consider this alignment essential—it creates a foundation for deeper engagement and impact.
Long-Term Success: Rethinking Coaching Timelines and Metrics
Hastha Krishnan: What’s your perspective on the ideal timeframe for a coaching engagement?
M Hariharan: I advocate a long-term approach, generally over a year, where immediate metrics are secondary to broader, transformative goals. Leadership isn’t reshaped through quick fixes or checklist outcomes. Instead, a sustained engagement enables coachees to internalise behavioural shifts, empowering them to navigate complex challenges with resilience and foresight.
Success in this context is not about counting sessions or hours but cultivating leaders who can adapt, innovate, and lead dynamically, even in unpredictable environments. Actual behavioural coaching involves an arc of learning, practice, and evolution that aligns with the future’s demands rather than immediate, superficial changes.
Navigating Cultural Nuances: Tailoring Approaches Across Organisational Landscapes
Hastha Krishnan: How does your approach vary between coaching engagements with MNCs, Indian enterprises, and family-led businesses?
M Hariharan: Coaching dynamics inevitably reflect the cultural fabric of each organisation. With their established frameworks, MNCs typically embrace well-defined boundaries and confidentiality, offering a level of structure compatible with a classic coaching model. In Indian enterprises and family-led businesses, however, the lines can blur, allowing for fluidity in interactions and a different level of trust. This dual-edged advantage can foster openness yet demands sensitivity to confidentiality.
Owner-led businesses, in particular, often value direct advice due to close-knit management structures. I see coaching as an opportunity to help leaders evolve from instinctive decision-making to a more strategic, future-oriented mindset. While often blurred, the distinction between coaching and mentoring allows for a unique coaching approach that honours tradition while embracing modernity. This process is less about imposing structure and more about balancing unique expectations with global coaching standards.
Addressing Industry-Specific Challenges: Flexibility Meets Rigour
Hastha Krishnan: What distinct challenges arise when coaching across industries and markets?
M Hariharan: Across sectors, a defining challenge is navigating the formalities of the engagement. In highly regulated environments like MNCs, rigorous confidentiality agreements and compliance measures underscore accountability and trust. This structured approach provides clear expectations and accountability.
In Indian enterprises and family-led organisations, the handshake agreement sometimes remains the norm—a reflection of trust-based relationships. While this informality can foster genuine connections, I always emphasise the importance of setting clear boundaries for coaching to be effective and maintain professional integrity. A coach in these environments must blend adaptability with professional discretion, balancing personal connection and structural clarity.
Choosing Not to Engage: Setting Standards for Impactful Coaching
Hastha Krishnan: Have you ever declined a coaching engagement after assessing the prerequisites?
M Hariharan: Absolutely. High-level coaching is about ensuring that each engagement is meaningful, mutually beneficial, and likely to yield transformative results. If I detect low motivation, a politically charged environment, or if the context indicates a better fit with mentoring or training, I recommend alternatives. The decision to decline, while rare, speaks to a standard of integrity. Clients who appreciate this clarity often return with renewed confidence in the value I bring—understanding that I prioritise impact over economics.
Coaching vs. Mentoring: Redefining Boundaries for Lasting Change
Hastha Krishnan: Do you find yourself balancing coaching with mentoring expectations?
M Hariharan: Certainly, particularly in environments where mentorship and coaching naturally intertwine. The urge to “advise” can be vital when quick results are expected, but effective coaching fosters sustainable change, surpassing short-term solutions’ efficiency. By equipping leaders with robust frameworks for decision-making, coaching builds resilience. The goal is to create leaders capable of tackling challenges independently, not reliant on external solutions. This future-oriented approach makes coaching profoundly transformative, as it embeds the skills and frameworks necessary for self-sustained growth.
Technology in Coaching: A Complementary, Not Competitive Role
Hastha Krishnan: How do you envision technology shaping the future of coaching?
M Hariharan: Technology plays an invaluable, complementary role in coaching, enhancing access to data, insights, and habit tracking while optimising efficiency. Yet, at its core, coaching is a profoundly human process—rooted in empathy, understanding, and personalised guidance. While AI offers powerful analytical tools, its role is confined to support rather than replacement.
Coaching’s distinct advantage is in its human element: empathy, intuition, and the finely tuned art of understanding each leader’s unique context. Technology is an accelerant, but it will never replicate the dynamic, nuanced understanding that defines impactful coaching. Future-ready coaches will leverage technology thoughtfully, augmenting their practice while preserving the relational essence of the coaching process.
Preparing for Tomorrow: Coaching the Next Generation of Leaders
Hastha Krishnan: What do you foresee as the most significant trends shaping coaching over the next five years?
M Hariharan: We’re on the brink of a profound evolution in coaching, driven by three transformative forces. First, new business models are emerging to meet diverse organisational needs with tailored, agile solutions. This is reshaping coaching’s accessibility, broadening its reach beyond traditional models.
Second, a wave of bold, ambitious leaders in their 30s—often globally educated and technologically adept—is entering senior roles. These leaders bring a fresh, assertive outlook, valuing strategic insight and rapid, adaptive coaching approaches. The future of coaching lies in resonating with their pace and perspective, creating a synergy between traditional coaching wisdom and their dynamic worldview.
Lastly, the next decade will demand that coaches remain agile, aligning traditional methodologies with modern, globally-minded aspirations. Coaching will continue to hold value by evolving with the leaders it serves, maintaining relevance while guiding a generation driven by bold thinking and decisive action.
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