STORY OF MY JOURNEY TO BE A MASTER COACH
The Certified Master Coach (CMC) graduate speech was delivered by Coach Low Chooi Hoon at CCA 17th Convocation on 23 November 2024.
A very good morning to Tan Sri Datuk Dr Jegathesan, from whom I have received my CPC scroll, 14 years ago in 2010. To Michael, whose article in NST back in 2008, started me on this coaching life journey. To Angeline and Josephine, please share with me your secret of youthfulness. To Susan Ong, my mentor coach then and today, through my CMC Journey, my course mate and my peer coach and coachee.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I am not ICF Certified but today, the pro bono hours that I had pay forward and more importantly, utilising the skills of a performance coach in my career has far superseded what ICF needs and my own expectation. At the age of 37 I hit the first cross road in my career. I have always wondered if people leadership is an art of science and I thought doing MBA would lead me to the answer. One fine Sunday morning, that article from Michael gave me a different perspective, so unconventional that hit the sweet spot for me. The rest, needless to say was history and I found the answer.
People leadership is the amalgamation of powerful listening and questioning which is the Art, and the being and doing, which is the science. And in between, there is Michael Heah. So sharp, so tough that I delivered my first child prematurely after my final oral examinations. And Michael personally called me to attend the convocation on 30th Oct 2010, while I was 12th day into my confinement. Yes, I had to bring my own confinement food for my own convocation.
In the last decade or so, coaching has become a living skill that help me shaped who I am personally, my career as a people manager and a leader in my chosen fields. The first thing that Michael hammered into my head is the definition of coaching. A deep learning partnership with systematic steps that are focused to empower a person to gain passion, commitment and capabilities to achieve their goals in the most fulfilling ways. With this, between the angel and the devil advocate in me, I become the middle person. Self-awareness, self-management and finding my Ikigai would not have been possible without these elements of coaching in my life journey.
Agenda setting, clarity in ambiguity and changes which are the only currency of constant, focus in game plan, commitment, check and balance, self-audit and to the point of walking away or letting go when my values are no longer aligned. Sounds familiar? So, who says one cannot be your own mental well-being doctor?
No pain no gain. But I did not know it was that mentally painful for CMC. Instead of a 6-month program it became 2.5 months marathon.
On our first day of class, we put up a challenge to Michael to complete CMC2024 in record time and pass in order to be here today. Looking back, it was intense and many of the times, I felt more stupid after each module because I had to unlearn to learn. And we have the Guru and Father of Coaching who is now laser sharp, you would only feel the cuts after each class. Can you imagine doing this face to face physically? But the Guru is the Guru, as we survived the 1000 cuts because he `sayang’ us back the very next day.
With the pain of intensity and as a result, fever and flu, what did I gain? The right to be here, the fortune to have both my children to see their mother in graduation robe, the deeper sense of awareness of myself, a conviction of my Ikigai, the affirmation of self-empowerment and simply being of the present moment.
How did I apply what I have gained? I was recently invited to speak on the board journey challenges with C-Suite aspirants and one of the questions was about the EQ in leadership. I felt so intelligent that moment. Because I told them it is not about EQ, it is about AI. Not Artificial Intelligence but Appreciative Intelligence from CMC. Appreciative Intelligence is a branch of Positive Psychology that focus on strength and glass half full, and not half empty.
All 7 of us are here today, made possible by Michael’s passion and words of motivation every baby step we have taken. Thank you, thank you and thank you.
Written by: Low Chooi Hoon
Chooi Hoon is a Retainer Consultant with Listed Co, a director member of Leadwoman, a fellow member of Institute of Corporate Directors Malaysia,
a HRDF Accredited Trainer, serves on the Public Listed Board as Independent Non- Executive Director. This day, she is proud to be a Certified Master Coach.
Corporate Coach Academy (CCA) has groomed thousands of global coaches since 2003. It offers four coaching programs accredited by International Coaching Federation (ICF); Certified Associate Coach, Certified Professional Coach, Certified Master Coach and Group & Team Coaching.