Frequently Asked Questions

Coaching RoI is measured by the observable increase in leaders’ capacity to deal with the demands placed on them. When leaders are able to demonstrate reflection, mindful actions, start doing things that they did not do, demonstrate greater restrain in behaviours less helpful, we can say that coaching has paid off. It must be added that the sponsors and managers have a very clear line of sight to benefits and are able to easily observe such changes. HR leaders may need more access to data if they are not closely working with these leaders.

What the coach and coachee discuss in a session is confidential. The assessment data belongs to the coachee. However, coaching is not therapy. We need to apply the principles of confidentiality keeping in mind the context that this is leader development support paid for by the organisation. Therefore, the purpose of coaching, the coaching goals, the actions and assessment of progress are not confidential.

To that extent data privacy and respect is critical. AI should not be used if it compromises such privacy. It is also possible that the leader is pursuing life goals with the support of the coach. These should not be shared with the system.

The rule is simple: do not do anything that compromises the safety of the space. However, do not use confidentiality to dilute accountability.

Since coaching is a leader development support paid for by the organisation, governance and reporting is an important deliverable from CFI. Here are a list of critical touch points that enhance the impact of coaching:

From an administrative perspective, sponsors are sent regular trackers that keep them updated on the status of the engagement. Any deviations are highlighted and discussed.

From an impact perspective, sponsors are equipped in multiple ways to ensure the success of the engagement:
Sponsors are encouraged to share clear and compelling expectations from coaching.

Sponsors are encouraged to maintain transparency by sharing such a brief with the leader being coached.

Sponsors have the opportunity to set expectations with the coach and coachee and review the goals. They are also invited to add value and ascertain progress early enough to know how it can be enhanced.

If multiple coaches in coaching a cohort of leaders in a developmental coaching context and they observe certain common cultural and related patterns in the organisation or other challenges that are inhibiting progress, they are encouraged to share the same with the sponsors.

A closing development report at the end of the engagement will be shared with the organisation so that they know what was envisioned, what was achieved and what is the path ahead for each of their coachees.

Governance is aimed at ensuring that coaching and its outcomes are aligned to the internal talent management processes.

CFI has a very unique eleven step coaching process. This is a transparent framework which outlines how coaching will unfold. Powering this process framework are the CFI pathways to coaching success and the CFI skills. This process has been tested and improved across 3000 paid coaching assignments and is therefore evidence based.

CFI believes that a good coach must have professional credentials and coaching competence. Both are critical in order to add value. Therefore, CFI invites into its PGPEC and its community only business leaders with very significant executive leadership experience.

Of course, these are also leaders who are at a life stage where paying it forward is a primary goal. They are also at a stage where they can maintain professional selflessness and independence.

CFI’s Post Graduate Program is one of the most rigorous programs in the world and prepares our coaches to embark on their journey with confidence and competence. Through an intense year-long journey combining learning, supervised practice and periodic reviews, our coach interns are finally assessed by panels of senior coaches and industry leaders. Only those who meet our high standards of competence and ethical practice are certified as CFI Coaches — ensuring excellence and integrity across our coaching community. CFI’s community of coaches support each participant in their journey of development.

CFI’s Utsav, the continuing professional development program enriches the life-long learning journey for our coaches. CFI’s tools and practice leadership inputs further strengthen the ability of a coach to deliver great value.

This is what we call the CFI Way.

Yes, CFI has deep experience in designing and delivering scalable coaching solutions tailored to impact diverse leadership levels ranging from CXOs and senior leaders to emerging high-potential talent.

Our approach combines a strong coach pool, customized processes, and robust program design to ensure that coaching outcomes align with both individual growth and organizational goals.

Whether through one-on-one coaching, team coaching, or cohort-based leadership journeys, we bring consistency in quality while adapting the experience to each leadership tier’s unique context and needs.

We offer 1:1 executive coaching for transitions, succession and development. We also offer 1:1 coaching for entrepreneurs where it is a combination of mentoring and coaching. Our 1:1 coaching is preferably done in person. However we are now also doing a blended version with 50% online.

We do group coaching when a cohort has a single developmental need (eg: Leadership Presence or People Development). We offer team coaching for those groups who need to work better together. In all these programs, in-person is the preferred mode. However, we also do blended sessions.

CFI has partnered with a wide spectrum of organizations — from large conglomerates and global MNCs to Indian enterprises, fast-growing startups, and entrepreneurs — across sectors such as manufacturing, IT, GCCs, banking, consulting, FMCG, education, healthcare & pharmaceuticals, and infrastructure.

We have helped over 250 organizations and leaders build leadership pipelines, drive culture transformation, and enhance future readiness through coaching-led interventions. Our enduring partnerships and repeat engagements stand as a testament to the impact, trust, and value that CFI consistently delivers.

Business priorities, especially new and emerging ones, place new demands on leaders. Meeting these new demands calls for leaders to enhance their capacities across several dimensions.

That is how we define leader development. In every engagement, we spend significant time in deep conversations to unearth these business priorities and accompanying demands.

Once these are clear, we are able to spot the leadership capacity needs. Our coaches who have all run large businesses over decades are able to then work with their coachees to support them in developing these capacities.

India’s leading corporations rely on CFI.

With nearly two decades of experience, 250+ clients, and over 3,000 paid coaching engagements, CFI stands out for its unmatched depth, scale, and contextual understanding of leadership in the Indian and Global landscape. Our rigorously certified coach community—one of the largest in the region—delivers excellence through The CFI Way, a proven framework that integrates deep coaching expertise, research-based processes, and continual coach development.

Key pillars of The CFI Way include a holistic approach to leader development through our “Work Well, Live Well” model, a consulting mindset that ensures measurable business and people impact, and well-researched insights into lasting leadership change. Supported by regular supervision, continuous professional development, robust processes, and dedicated program management, CFI ensures every engagement is structured, seamless, and outcome-driven.

Together, these elements make CFI a trusted partner for organizations seeking meaningful, scalable, and sustainable leadership transformation.

Coaching is a personal, humanistic, result oriented and one-to-one formal developmental relationship, between a motivated executive willing to learn and a skilled, empathetic coach with formal coach education and organisational experience willing to support learning.

Coaching helps corporate leaders and entrepreneurs identify and change those leadership behaviours that are coming in the way of their success.

Coaching cost depends on the need that is being fulfilled. We have different programs for different levels in the organisation as well as for different durations based on the problem the organisation is trying to solve.

If significant business outcomes are at stake, it is sufficient to say that the investment in coaching is a very small fraction of the outcomes that one can expect.

Mentoring involves transfer of knowledge from a mentor who is a more experienced person to the mentee who is in a similar ecosystem or situation. Coaching does not involve transfer of knowledge or skills but it helps the individual understand themselves better and work towards the behavioural goals they set. Both mentoring and coaching happen in an organisational context. Therapy on the other hand deals with an individual’s past trauma or pain and helps the individual to heal. It is a completely personal process.

You may choose to have a coach who has hands-on experience in your industry or one from a completely different background. Both will bring depth and dimension to your coaching experience. Because coaching spotlights the individual and not the organisation, it does not matter what the coach’s background is.

What does matter is the coach’s expertise and ability to understand your needs and support the coaching process, right from reflection and challenge to concrete actions and change. Seek the guidance of your HR partners, as they are best suited to advise you on the kind of coach you need.

Your coaching engagement will formally come to an end when you have achieved your coaching goals with a certain number of sessions with your coach. By this time you would have developed heightened self-awareness and understood the implications of some of your typical behaviors. You will have discovered your blind spots and will have deeper insights into your strengths and developmental needs. You should have a clear vision of your goals and a clearly articulated action plan for achieving those goals. Your action plan could include learning new skills, building competencies, changing behaviors and achieving results.

For example, you may become more confident, assertive or learn to say no. Or you may learn to temper your aggression and have a more balanced leadership style. You may be able to delegate more effectively. Or you may build gravitas and executive presence. You may learn to think strategically. Or you may develop an international perspective. And the list goes on. Coaching can have myriad outcomes depending on what the agenda was.

By the end of the engagement your manager will be completely aligned to your development needs and your coach will hand over the reins to him so he can monitor and review your progress and help course correct as and when required. You may have enlisted other friends, colleagues or even family in your review process. It is a proven fact that when people hold themselves publicly accountable, the chances of successful change are greater.

You should look for coaches who have undergone a rigorous certification process and who also come with their own life experiences and leadership experiences of leading large organisations at an enterprise/organisation level.

Coaching at CFI runs anywhere from 4 months to 15 months depending on the need of the individual or cohort.

Truth be told, there is no substitute for coaches and coachees meeting in person. The next best thing is for coaches and coachees to engage at least 50% of the time in person. Most early interactions are best done in person. Once trust is established, we can rely on hybrid approaches. That is the CFI view.

One of the common and understandable concerns among leaders signing up for coaching is the ability to find time for coaching and whether it will add to their existing load of work responsibilities.

Since coaching and the larger subject of personal development fall under the bracket of “important but not urgent,” it often competes with other pressing demands.

The direct answer to the question is: No, coaching does not consume additional bandwidth. On the contrary, if coaching is embraced with commitment, it always frees up bandwidth, reduces stress, enhances competence and eases the manner in which one goes about one’s work.

However, coaching needs mind space. It needs deep attention, space for reflection, courage to confront oneself, commitment to try new ways of doing things and give up the old ways of doing things.

Leaders may be more reluctant to provide the necessary mind space for coaching rather than calendar space.

The actual time for coaching sessions is around 20 to 24 hours over a period of 8-9 months. But the time for reflection may need to be perpetual.

The application of learning will call for deliberate efforts but only in doing what one is already doing, albeit in new and different ways. Coaching certainly makes one a more productivity-oriented performer.

The goal of coaching is to reach a stage where the coachee is empowered, dependence on the coach is tapered off and the coachee is able to self-coach. This means that when future situations of a similar or related nature arise, the coachee should be able to draw on past learning and experiences to address emerging challenges.

What is also true is that the context of the leader can change significantly or a completely new situation can arise. Under such situations it is possible for the coach to be of help again. However, it is important to be clear about why help is being sought and to differentiate between support and co-dependency.

Individuals typically seek coaching when they are planning a career pivot, facing a career dilemma or preparing to transition from a corporate role to entrepreneurship. When a prospective coachee reaches out to CFI for coaching support in any of these or other agendas, CFI will arrange a 30-minute conversation with a CFI Coach/Consultant to understand the needs and context. Based on this conversation, CFI will select a suitable coach from its enviable pool of experienced coaches and design a customised program based entirely on the individual’s needs and expectations.

This is a complex and fast-evolving subject. The leader development needs of women are no different from men and therefore it is absolutely fine for men or women to coachwomen leaders.

Of course, if women are dealing with a work context where gender is playing a dys functional role in the leader’s ability to function effectively, a woman coach familiar with such a context might find greater acceptance.

On the other hand, women leaders may also benefit from a male perspective in certain situations.

We find it useful to have a clear conversation with the woman leader and understand her needs and preferences and on that basis, suggest the right coach.

We also find that with each passing generation, personal truths, belief systems and challenges are changing rapidly. Therefore, it is best to address this need with an open mind rather than with stereotypes about what we think women need. For example, it is believed that women need to network better or that they suffer from the imposter syndrome. We have seen many men having a similar need.

It is very common for coachees to seek the help of a coach to address some of their personal development needs and goals. Once they build trust, they are likely to seek the counsel of the coach in matters like health, parenting, other relationships, stress, and so on.

Coaches tend to be of assistance as long as it is within the boundaries of their competence. Of course, none of these are documented or reported to the sponsors.

Yes. As coaching gains great acceptance, it is emerging as a promising developmental experience for managers and leaders at all levels. Given its growing popularity, organisations see the merit of building an internal cadre of coaches from among their leaders to support the needs of managers and leaders up to a certain level.

It is also seen as a way of transforming a task-oriented culture into a more developmental culture.

The only caveat that we would offer is to ensure that there is no direct working relationship between the internal coach and coachee. This helps build trust and gives the coach the distance needed to be able to offer an open mind.

While a sponsor can shortlist coaches depending on the organisational and coachee context, we believe the final choice should be given to the coachee. This is because chemistry with the coach has been known to make or break the engagement.

Coaching relies on the coachee’s enhanced self-awareness to promote change.

Such self-awareness comes from several sources—the coachee’s own awareness, inputs from others through feedback, the coach’s observations and of course insights from psychometric assessments. The world of leader development is therefore flooded with hundreds of psychometric assessments, each backed by a certain theory.

While assessments do play a very useful role in promoting self-awareness, some cautionary efforts will ensure that they serve the real intended purpose.

If assessment is used for development, it is best to ensure that it is done as a part of the developmental efforts and not well in advance. Oftentimes, individuals are assessed and they then wait for several months before they receive any developmental support. That can be frustrating.

If an organisation has decided to use coaching as a developmental experience, it is best to initiate coaching before initiating assessment. It helps for the coachee to first tell his or her version of the story before the coach listens to what the assessment has to say.

In our experience, a simple interview-based 360 is often more than adequate to address most coaching needs.

Assessment data belongs to the coachee and should not be used to judge the coachee or take administrative decisions. Assessment used to “sort” employees as talent or not may not always be rich enough to support coaches. Care must be taken to ensure that assessment data is rich in developmental inputs.

We find that most coachees are at executive levels before they become “eligible” for coaching. Having said that, we also find that very seasoned leaders who have had a successful track record tend to find change difficult because of the weight of success. Also, at that stage, the share of problems may be more than the share of potential.

On the other hand, young leaders with a long runway may benefit immensely from coaching because they have more potential to realise.

Of course, if leaders are very young, they may benefit more from a mentoring style than a coaching style. So, age cannot be a rigid criterion, but starting younger has its immense benefits.

As for coaches, it is important for their coachees to feel that they will understand them and their context. The age of the coach would not matter.

It is important that we quickly get a meeting with the new manager, bring them up to speed with the engagement and also take in his or her inputs on the coachee. This is especially critical if the move has happened before goals have been set.

When a leader gets coached, it benefits not just the leader but also his or her team and the larger organisation. They all experience change in the leader’s behaviour, often resulting in the team being more empowered, feeling listened to or having a more focused approach to conflict and decision making.

Coaching a leader inevitably creates ripples of change down the ranks.