Stithaprajña is that anchoring, and Coachness is that anchoring in action. Without imbibing Stithaprajña Lakshana, Coachness becomes all about performance; with it, Coachness becomes the embodiment of presence.

Coachness is the capacity to remain centred while engaging complexity—to influence without imposing, listen without agenda, and integrate wisdom without performance.

The journey is not about becoming a perfect self, but ultimately it is about refining the instrument. Indic Wisdom invites a deeper inquiry.

The coaching competencies are powerful, but competencies alone do not create great coaches. One creates transformation, and the other merely conducts conversations.

At the ICF India Conclave, I was invited to speak on “Cultivating Presence: An Indic View.” The Bengaluru Charter Chapter of ICF ie my home chapter had organised this event. The conference logo featured a banyan tree.

I disagreed. Coaching works but not with everyone, as it’s not for everyone. The real issue is this - not every person is ready for inquiry.

Ramana Maharshi quietly thundered, “there are no others.” What made him say this? Our mind is conditioned to see in splits, and that’s why he said the profound Advaitic truth in a sentence.

Both, he and Rama lived a full life, surrounded with people of various temperaments. Their life is an inspiration to understanding Krishna’s master archetype - Sthitaprajña. Bhagawan, in reality, is an epitome of emotional resilience.

Jatayu reminds us that leadership is not always about victory the way we understand ‘what and how’ victory looks like.

But leaders, in reality, knowingly or unknowingly, are shaping a legend. Not the kind written in books but the one that lives silently in the minds of their team.

Most leadership journeys tend to shape the leader. But let us pause for a moment… - Who prepares the coachee? - Who teaches a colleague, or even a senior leader how to enter a crucial conversation?

The Indic Insight ✨- awareness interrupts Karma! In the Yoga-Vedantic traditions, the mind is considered as both the instrument of bondage as well as liberation.

Dedicating this post to 56 past participants of our program Why your reactions in crucial conversations are older than the conversation itself.