Coaching Chronicles with Tapas Acharya

About the Interviewee: Tapas Acharya

Tapas Acharya has 29 years of multifaceted experience from varied industries including Manufacturing, Telecom, Retail, BPO, IT Technologies and Energy. He is at present the Founder of ’The Acharya’. Before that, till December 2020, he was the Senior VP HR- Renew Power. He has worked closely with Promoters, Business Heads and CXOs across various roles in Human Resources. He has joined organizations in the start-up & initial year of operations and worked to establish them.

His expertise has been around organization change management, setting up human resource practices for new businesses/ start-ups including working on culture, value and performance. He has administered initiatives around building employer brand and national presence.

Mr. Acharya has also graced as guest lecturer at prestigious management colleges and HR forums to talk about his work and on subjects of change management and people development. He enjoys writing blogs on building effective people relationships through deep listening, conversations and authenticity.

Tell us about your journey, Tapas.

I have been in the human resource profession for nearly 29 years and have worked across industries and geographies. I have been in a leadership role for almost 16 years. I have worked in organizations where I have been responsible for setting up the organization. The last three responsibilities have been very critical as they required creating a national presence. In my previous work assignment, I was with an Organisation in Renewable Energy. I managed the HR operations for the Indian operations. Setting up a business to launch the best HR policies that people feel connected with the broader organization. I have worked very closely with the MDs, CEOs, and Business Heads of the companies.

When did you realise you were ready to be a coach?

My upbringing has been in a defence family. That has helped me connect with different sets of people, different cultures, and different traditions. Subsequently, I took over jobs where traveling was an essential element. So the attribute of working closely with the different types of people has always helped me reach out and connect with people better. The same has been very helpful for me in coaching as well.

Being in the leadership role, by default, I had frequent interactions with the leadership team. We worked closely in setting up the business and building up teams, finding critical talent.

So formally and informally, I have had many discussions with leaders where I have spent time helping them sort out questions that they struggled. To be part of that question and responses, finding a solution to those problems. So, I do believe that I have been into coaching for a long while. And that skill has always helped me have one-on-one discussions in the most fruitful way with leaders.

How important is it to get an ICF Certification for being a coach?

There are two-three areas where I can visualize the difference. Earlier, the structure of discussions used to be pretty open. But after certification, it gives me more polish and finishes. ICF certification helps you know how to bring in the flow in your coaching conversation.

I remember coaching before my certification was constantly juggling between things to be kept in mind and things that need not be kept in mind. I will look at all discussion points that can come and will prepare my responses. One thing that is a realization is that now I let the conversation flow with complete openness. Coaching is being present at that moment rather than going with thoughts that drive the conversation. So I go in the session with complete fairness and with absolute transparency.

Please tell us about our breakthrough in the coaching journey?

While I was getting myself certified,  we had sessions where we had our fellow coaches conducting coaching interactions. It came as a kind of find for me during one such free flow of the questioning session. I could see the wow effect in that sessions when he or she was talking to me. That opened me up. Also, my realization of not having a structure in my mind while doing a coaching session? Let it be a free-flowing discussion.

One thing that was also a realization is that my questions have to be sharp. My questions should have some purpose. It should make the coachee think and come out with reflections that are stopping him or her. How do you make the person realize what is right and find the solution within them?

One more thing which I have done for myself is I have slowed down in my conversations. I spend more time at the moment.