Transforming Cultures through Trust - No matter who the people are, no matter what kind of organization they work in, communication and productivity break down for one reason: Lack of trust.

That's how Vikram Bhatt sees it, and he would know. An organizational development coach at Resonant Consulting, Vikram partners with us in India to bring coaching to vastly diverse groups. Most recently we collaborated to design and deliver a nonviolent communication workshop for the transgender community in Mumbai. At the same time, he was coaching three department heads at a financial services firm whose revenues weren't meeting expectations. The work he did with both groups was in essence the same. "It was about helping them see who they are as people, to see their own blind spots in terms of relating to others," says Vikram. "When they can form better relationships, they can build trust."

Leading from the Heart - Increasingly, Vikram finds that training managers to be better leaders means shifting their thinking process from one that's transactional in nature to one that's transformative.

One of his clients—"very brilliant at his own function, but intimidating and arrogant to others"—became, through coaching, much more emotionally attuned to the needs and concerns of his subordinates. He took them out for coffee. He invited questions and criticism. He stopped calling the shots at meetings to allow them to speak up. The shift in tactics ultimately paid off: Productivity went up, along with morale. But more importantly, says Vikram, his client has a vision that inspires him. "He's seeing something larger that he can grow into," Vikram observes. "He's got a level of awareness, and a role he can play, that goes beyond the purely operational."

Vikram has seen his own tactics evolve, from training leaders to visioning with them. He applies integral theory, spiral dynamics, and chaos theory to his practice, putting him in high demand as a coach. Yet he credits CTW for modeling for him the conflict resolution skills he most relies on.

"I had the basic skills in terms of listening," he says, "but having my coach demonstrate the kind of relational conflict I'd be working on was tremendously helpful. It gave me the confidence to work with any client."