Being a Seed Coach

Stanford Graduate School of Business2024-01-12

Coach#coaching#executive coach#business coach#executive business coach#business coaching#gsb#business school#stanford gsb#stanford business school#stanford#stanford business#volunteer#volunteer mentor#mentorship#entrepreneurship#business#business mentor#stanford seed#volunteer coach#coach testimonial

2K views|6 months ago

💫 Short Summary

Former executives and entrepreneurs share their positive experiences as seed coaches, aiding emerging economies in growing their companies. Coaches provide expertise, serve as sounding boards, and work closely with CEOs to scale companies. The role requires flexibility, adaptability, and strong soft skills. Coaches receive housing, airfare, and medical insurance, engaging with various industries to highlight universal business principles. The program at Stanford focuses on transforming businesses and is fulfilling for participants, with many describing it as the best job or a job of a lifetime. The importance of not committing upfront to something too big or scary is emphasized.

✨ Highlights

📊 Transcript

✦

Former executives and entrepreneurs share their positive experiences as seed coaches, helping emerging economies grow their companies.

00:20

The program matches their backgrounds and allows them to share their expertise.

Coaches serve as sounding boards, consultants, and friends, looking at both the business and the individual.

Ideal coaches have senior leadership experience in for-profit firms and work directly with CEOs to scale companies.

Experience in various types of firms and strong soft skills are also essential.

✦

Highlights of the Seed Coach Role at Stanford Program:

04:11

Seed coaches must be flexible and adaptable to work with multiple companies in various industries.

The role includes benefits such as housing, airfare, living stipend, and medical insurance.

Working with companies across sectors showcases universal business principles.

Coaches witness the impact of their work as they see companies implement changes over the course of a year.

✦

Importance of avoiding overwhelming commitments.

04:55

Sometimes committing to something too big or intimidating can lead to failure.

It is better to start small and gradually increase the level of commitment.

Breaking down goals into smaller, manageable tasks can lead to greater success.

Taking small steps towards a larger goal can build confidence and momentum.

00:00I was absolutely in complete joy

00:03and excitement and

00:05looking forward to this adventure.

00:08[MUSIC]

00:16>> Being a scene coach is

00:18an opportunity to go and

00:20work with these amazing executives

00:23in emerging economies that are just

00:26poised to grow their companies.

00:29>> I had recently retired and was

00:32unclear as to what I was going to

00:35do next in life.

00:36And I came across the seed program.

00:40The criteria for a seed coach kind

00:42of matched what my background was

00:44and what I had hoped to do I was

00:46still young enough that I felt I

00:48had a lot of experience to share in

00:51being a previous entrepreneur, and

00:53I wanted to give back.

00:55>> I think the seed coach is

00:56a pretty special opportunity.

00:58It allows people to use the skills

01:00they've developed over decades of

01:02experience, but use them in a new

01:04context and a new environment.

01:05I worked for companies and consumer

01:08goods like Coca-Cola and others I

01:11was also in retail and I managed,

01:14a large company in the Middle East.

01:17>> I was working as a CFO at

01:19the time in a startup tech company,

01:21and had been there for a while.

01:24And it was an interesting role but

01:26it was kind of time for

01:27something new.

01:28>> It was a little unnerving in

01:29the initial phase because looking

01:31at the coaches that were in place,

01:33there are men and women that were

01:35kind of from big corporations and

01:37I kind of saw myself as a little

01:39different of building

01:40a company from scratch.

01:42>> The way I would

01:43describe the coaching program is

01:46the coach is a sounding board.

01:48If the coach can be a consultant

01:50the coach is a friend the coach

01:52looks at the business in its

01:54entirety but

01:54also looks at the person.

01:56>> The ideal coach I think is

01:58someone who has first and

02:00foremost had senior leadership

02:02experience at for profit firms.

02:05>> So our coaches are working

02:06directly with CEOs and

02:07leaders who are responsible for

02:09growing and scaling companies.

02:11And we want individuals who have

02:12had that experience firsthand

02:14themselves.

02:15Something else I think that is

02:16helpful is to have experience

02:18in a variety of types of firms.

02:20So perhaps, experiencing very large

02:21established firms and also more

02:23entrepreneurial environment.

02:25But really good soft

02:26skills are also really essential.

02:27Coaches are working with

02:29entrepreneurs who are going through

02:30a lot of challenges.

02:31And so being able to relate to

02:33them, have empathy and connect with

02:35them and their leadership teams is

02:37really important as well and

02:38I think just being curious and

02:40adventuresome, no day is the same

02:41in the role of a seed coach, so we

02:43need people who can be flexible and

02:45adaptable to the role.

02:46>> But when I first

02:47arrived in West Africa,

02:49the whole seat team on the ground

02:51made me feel at home immediately.

02:53>> I felt like a VIP,

02:54I mean, they received me very well,

02:57every detail was taken care of I

02:59didn't worry about anything.

03:01>> We provide coaches with housing

03:03in the regions where they live

03:05and work.

03:06>> Will also provide them with

03:08round trip airfare to and from

03:10the region of where they're placed.

03:12We provide coaches with a modest

03:14living stipend to cover day to day

03:16expenses and also include travel

03:17medical insurance in case anything

03:19comes up >> The assignment

03:21was that I was given five companies

03:23to work with when I was in Ghana,

03:25one was in Ghana,

03:26two in Nigeria and two in Senegal.

03:29>> I worked with each of them in in

03:31drastically different ways so

03:33one company I went one solid day

03:34every week and went and

03:36spend the entire day

03:37with their entire management staff.

03:40Whereas another one we had lunch

03:42once a week with just me and

03:44the executive one of the others I

03:46actually traveled across

03:48Kenya with.

03:49So it was very different in

03:50the ways that the different

03:51companies wanted to engage.

03:53>> Coaches have the opportunity to

03:55work with anywhere from 8 to

03:5610 firms at a time so regardless of

03:58their background, they're going to

04:00get to work with firms across

04:02a wide range of industries.

04:03An event to locations and markets

04:05so I think that's something that's

04:07really exciting about the role.

04:08>> But working with companies in

04:10different industries

04:11made me realize to what extent

04:13the principles of business

04:15are applicable to so

04:16many different sectors.

04:19>> This was very different because

04:21being able to work with

04:23a company over an entire year and

04:26see them implement things.

04:28It's just so much more impactful,

04:30I think.

04:30>> What attracted me most to

04:32Stanford was that men and

04:33women are learning how to

04:35transform their business.

04:36This is a great way to pay

04:38it forward.

04:40It's so fulfilling.

04:41I have difficulty finding the worst

04:43describe how

04:44fulfilling this experience.

04:46>> A lot of our coaches will always

04:48say that this is like the best job

04:49that they've ever had or that it's

04:51a job of a lifetime and so

04:52we hope people will consider being

04:54a part of it even if it seems.

04:55>> Like perhaps too big or

05:01too scary commitment up front..

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