Jyoti Gulati has more than 22 years of professional experience in business. She was a vice-president at Citigroup, a director at American Express and a vice-president at Polaris Software Labs before she decided to exit corporate life in search of her true purpose.
She found her calling in coaching “Business Owners, CEOs, Heads of States, Masters of their Craft and High Performers to increase their impact in the world by realizing their greatest dreams in deepest communion with their highest self, leading their organizations from good to great and being at the source of transformation for humanity; through an inner journey of personal transformation and evolution to greater Leadership Depth.”
Our CEO Bob Chapman recently participated in a mentoring conversation with members of some of the organizations Jyoti has founded to help achieve her goals: the Centre for Transformational Leadership, Centre for Entrepreneurial Excellence and Centre for Coaching Excellence. You can watch the video of that session through the link above.
Jyoti wrote a very thoughtful blog post about Bob’s influence on her journey and the effect Truly Human Leadership has had on the leaders she is coaching. An excerpt from her writing appears below. You can read her entire post here.
I first met Bob exactly two years ago, in May 2019, before the world knew what Covid was.
Thanks to technology, we could have a deep-dive conversation from the comfort of our homes many oceans and 12 hours away from each other, me in India and he in the US.
Bob Burg, co-author of the beautiful must-read book The Go-Giver, had connected us because I was in search of Level 5 Leaders, as Jim Collins called them, as role models for my coachees. When Bob Burg heard of my project, he immediately said I had to meet Bob Chapman, Chairman and CEO, Barry-Wehmiller…
For me, business is a work of art, an expression of creativity of the artists known as the business leaders, a vehicle to fulfill one's Purpose this Lifetime. I had developed a hypothesis since I had started my journey as a coach in 2010 after 15 years of loving the adrenaline rush of the mad corporate rat race, without really knowing that was the journey I was on when I started. 
The hypothesis was about business being a way to contribute to the world and only, if one began with that intent, would one be able to lead oneself and one's business from good to great. Otherwise, the business and those who led such businesses in pursuit of wealth, fame and success were destined to burn out and die the death of mediocrity along the way.
The hypothesis was that the purpose of Business is to make a difference. When the Business lives that purpose, it leads to not only greater but sustainable profitability. That it is no longer politics or religion that will lead our species forward. It is on the shoulders of business leaders that the future of humanity now rests…
Yes, it is a long haul forward. Why should you make your life difficult to be on this path? Because this path supports you to have it all - deeply fulfilling successful career, joyful relationships, happy responsible kids and lots of nourishing me-time, while making a huge difference in the world through the work that you do.
The old model of leadership only gives you a successful career but at the cost of everything else. In this new model of leadership, you have it all and experience not just a successful career but the joy of a super-successful career that creates a huge positive impact.
I believe this new model of leadership will transform what it means to be a business, a leader and a human being inside of that; helping each one of us to contribute massively to humanity, making a huge difference to our fellow beings around the world, through the shared wisdom of our common heritage, our creativity and innovation which is a privilege of our species, and authentic leadership in business and society; creating joy, harmony, peace, loving kindness and prosperity for all beings on our planet. It indeed is a journey worthwhile…
I am deeply grateful to Bob for not only the massive contribution he has made to my life, but also the massive contribution he continues to make in the lives of my coachees through his mentoring sessions for them. My coachees are CEOs, Business Owners and Senior Business Leaders from India.
By mentoring them on Truly Human Leadership, he has changed the way they lead their businesses and inside of that moved my country forward in her journey to be the world's most developed and beautiful nation - economically, socially, environmentally, intellectually, spiritually, and infra-structurally - with her citizens happiest, healthiest and the most prosperous in the world.
After a recent mentoring session with Bob, the recording of which is given at the top of this article, here's what my group shared through post-session Review and Reflection inputs collected from the participants on how they felt, the insights they had and the actions they are committed to take.
I am simply blown away by the depth of impact Bob has had on the group in a mere 2.5 hours session with them. What enables transformation with greater velocity is to have a role model that you can see and learn from because it increases your belief that transformation is possible. And, when you can believe it is possible, then you can make it happen.
Reflection by the Participants Post-Mentoring Session with Bob
How the participants felt as an outcome of the session: Positive, Inspired, Wiser, Focused, Empowered, Rejuvenated, Energized, Grateful, Committed, Encouraged, Happy, Purpose-inspired, Insightful, Deeply Moved.
The insights that the participants had that made a difference to them:
1. Business is the most powerful force for good in our society today. True business success is measured by the way we touch the lives of our people.
2. How we lead affects how we live. Organizations have a significant opportunity to treat people in a different way; a way that energizes, provides purpose, and leads to personal growth.
3. You can't ask people to care. You have to teach them how to care.
4. Don't listen to debate, don't listen to judge, listen to understand.
5. It's the combination of Purpose, People and Performance that creates a winning organization. An inspiring purpose, inspired people and business performance are all equally important. Only with business performance, a safe bus is created for people to journey towards fulfilling the organization’s shared purpose. It is the responsibility of the business leaders to create that safe bus.
6. The greatest acts of charity are not the checks we write but how we treat our people every day.
7. Your culture can give you a competitive advantage.
8. Treat your low-performers as you would your own child when he / she is not performing well.
9. As leaders, we can't lose hope. We have to give hope and a grounded sense of future to your people.
10. Everyone is someone's precious child, so when someone joins our team, it is our responsibility to provide the care, inspiration and support that he or she needs to realize and achieve their dreams. This is true not only for our own people, but also for our business partners.
11. It takes real courage and skill to care about people.
12. Leadership = Parenting
13. Be the leader you would want your child to have.
14. Business model needs to take care of all the three - people, purpose and performance.
15. We need to practice Deep Listening and make everyone in the organization feel that they matter.
16. Treat people with respect and dignity.
17. As a leader, we have the privilege of the stewardship of the lives in our care.
18. Leadership is caring and inspiring others to care.
19. Everyone wants to do better, TRUST THEM. Leaders are everywhere, FIND THEM. People achieve good things big and small things every day, CELEBRATE THEM. Some People wish things were a little different, LISTEN TO THEM. Everybody Matters, SHOW THEM.
20. If we build a great culture, then people want to work in our organization. Though, don’t build culture to win the talent war. Build it because we truly care about people.
21. Make every employee feel that they matter.
22. It is important to give employees committed listening.
23. If we have to let go of an employee; call it an adjustment, instead of firing. And, do it with compassion and dignity so that the individual feels respected and cared for.
24. My role as a leader is a privilege and a blessed opportunity to touch people’s lives.
25. Everyone is someone’s precious child. I will always remember this when I am engaging with people, personally or professionally.
26. People simply want to know who they are and what they do matters.
27. Listen to understand and validate; and not to argue and debate.
28. A true leader doesn't tell his people what to do but asks questions that lead the people to the right decisions on their own.
The actions that the participants are committed to take in their lives, professionally and personally, that they feel would create breakthrough results for them:
1. Keep reminding myself of the huge responsibility I have as I am more important than their doctor in ensuring their health and well-being by being caring and respectful.
2. Treat home support staff with as much care, respect and dignity as for the office staff. Treat people at work like I would treat my son.
3. I will shift from hearing my vendors, suppliers and business partners to deep listening to really understand; relate to them as my family and truly care for them.
4. I will start Listening Sessions in my organization. I will appreciate an employee 10 times for every negative critical feedback that I give.
5. Build a caring culture all across the organization, not just focus on creating that in my CXO team.
6. Caring is a skill. I will practice it consciously at work and at home.
7. I will be a leader like a leader I would want my kids to have.
8. I will practice deep empathetic listening.
9. I will share with the Executive Committee and the entire organization the concept of Everybody Matters and take actions to build a Caring Organization. I will also plan a session on Bob Chapman's concept for the entire organization.
10. When I am talking to my people, I will always remember that each one is someone's precious child.
11. I will be the harbinger of hope for my people, even during the turmoil we are going through as a business.
12. My job as a leader is to inspire people. I have people in my care. People simply want to know who they are and what they do matters. Listen to understand, not listen to judge. Elevate myself to almost a spiritual form of leadership and personally, learn how to deal with the emotional exhaustion that comes with having to listen.
13. I will practice to actively listen to my employees with the intention to really understand than to think of a smart response.
14. I will speak to more colleagues across functions and seniority in the company to build a strong connect.
15. I will make a conscious effort to practice deep listening with everyone in my life.
Thank you, Bob, for being the trailblazer and leading the way to create a more caring and a loving world. May God continue to give you inner strength, health and well-being to spread your Light far and wide. You are making a huge difference.