MY BIGGEST TAKE-AWAY IN MY COACHING JOURNEY
The Certified Associate Coach (CAC) graduate speech was delivered by Coach Mohd Nizam Bin Ahamad from PETRONAS Leadership Centre (PLC) at CCA 17th Convocation on 23 November 2024.
Assalamualaikum, and good morning. Distinguished guests, esteemed leaders and trainers, fellow graduates, family, and friends. Today is a momentous occasion for all of us as we gather to celebrate not just the end of our Coaching Certification journey, but the beginning of a new chapter – where we step into the world as certified coaches, ready to make an impact, empower others, and inspire transformation.
What is My Biggest Take-Away in My Coaching Journey? I will answer using a few coaching questions. Of course, it’s going to be all of our Master Coach’s favourite questions.
Question 1: How has learning to coach helped me grow as a person or leader?
When I first enrolled in this program early this year, I expected to leave with many answers. Surprisingly, my class notes ended up being filled with more questions than answers. I still remember writing down every single question from Dr Mike to ensure we remembered each one exactly as it was. “That was the moment I discovered that effective coaching is not about having all the answers in the world, but about asking powerful questions.”. Each question we pose to our clients becomes a mirror for our own growth. I learned that through listening and reflecting, I can bring out the best in others and also discover new strengths in myself. This journey has made me a more self-aware leader, showing me that coaching is just as much about personal growth as it is about helping others.
Question 2: What is one step that I can take today to start making a difference in the lives of others?
I will add my name to the Coach Directory for our program at PLC. I would like to be an effective leader in my organization who can help change people’s behaviour to achieve career success. Graduating as a Certified Coach gives me more confidence as I take on the responsibility of fostering change. So, what will stop you from doing this? Nothing will stop me from doing what I am passionate about. This program has instilled in me the value of staying curious, continuously improving, and using questions as a superpower to build trust and inspire action.
Question 3: Who has played a significant role in guiding and shaping my coaching journey?
We couldn’t have reached this milestone alone. I want to express heartfelt gratitude to our Father of Coaching, Dr Michael Heah. Thank you, Dr Mike, for your wisdom, guidance, and patience, especially as we kept asking the wrong questions in class. You didn’t just teach us the tools of coaching – you model the essence of what it means to be a coach. When people asked me “Nizam, who inspires you to be a Coach?” It would be wrong to say anything other than our Coaching Academy team at PETRONAS Leadership Centre. Our PLC team has done a marvellous job in promoting coaching as part of our working culture. In fact, if you haven’t learned coaching in your job, you are actually not doing justice to your own career.
To PLC Cohort 4, you made those long hours of practice even with all the pushy questions coming from Dr Mike – it makes challenges feel a bit lighter and the learning more fun. I couldn’t have asked for a better group to walk this journey with.
So, What’s next? What else? How will you move forward from here?
Let’s together complete the 100 coaching hours, we pursue accreditation as ICF certified coach, and come back to this hall for another graduation ceremony. Thank you everyone, and congratulations to the class of 2024. Let’s make a difference.
Written by: Mohd Nizam Bin Ahamad
Nizam is the Talent Development Manager at the PETRONAS Leadership Centre. He brings over 15 years of experience in PETRONAS, focusing on human resources, with expertise in talent development, graduate programs, and people management.
Corporate Coach Academy (CCA) has groomed thousands of top executive coaches in Malaysia since 2003. It offers the best leadership coaching programs accredited by ICF and corporate coaching services.