Coaching at MIT: Conversation that discovers a whole new side of myself

Have you ever had a conversation that showed you a whole new side of yourself? Last week, I completed another enlightening coaching engagement with six MIT Sloan Fellows program students and eleven MIT Sloan MBA ID-Lab class students. Here are my insights.

• We can uncover unknown parts of ourselves through curiosity and empathy. “I didn’t imagine I would be able to be open about myself at this level and discover new things about myself,” one of my students shared. In our sessions, I felt the same way my students did. It feels magical to uncover insights about myself when someone is curious about me in a non-judgmental way.

• In 2023-2024 school year, I tried to give simple but relevant behavioral homework in each session to each student. “Find a tense moment and log how you feel.” “Share your opinion more in the 1st half of each meeting.” “Be a bystander - listen & provide different perspectives consciously in your next 5 meetings.” The results were fantastic! My students surprised me with their enthusiasm for trying these exercises and the valuable insights they gained from reflection. Seeing their excitement for growth was truly inspiring.

I felt so much joy witnessing their willingness to experiment and learn from their reflections. I'm incredibly grateful to be part of the MIT Sloan School of Management and MIT Leadership Center community that fosters such deep self-exploration. Their dedication to providing opportunities for future leaders to delve deeply into understanding themselves and others is truly impactful. Good luck to all of my coaching students in their leadership journey.