In Conversation with Ms. Rama Kannan

“It gives me immense happiness as a coach when people start believing in themselves and explore their vast potential because of our coaching conversations, and that is why I do what I do,” says Ms.Rama Kannan, mentor at STEP. She is a Coach to UN agencies, an Executive and Leadership Coach, a mentor to corporate and social sectors, and a Systematic Team and Group Coach.

The professional journey 

After graduation, and a law degree and diploma at IIFT, she worked in India with organizations like Pepsi. She then did a stint at management consulting with multinationals wanting to enter the Indian markets.

” I loved the work and decided to get a management degree,” she says.

Rama moved to Singapore with her husband and joined NUS for an MBA in Strategy and Marketing.

Post her MBA, she worked with British Petroleum in the Asia Pacific region.

She quit in 2008 to explore the social sector. Kannan got an opportunity to work pro bono with CARE International to build strategies for engagement with the private sector.

She traveled with them to developing countries in South Asia – Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and India.

” I developed a lot of respect for people working on the ground level.  However, I also realized that the work of the private sector is equally important for a country’s development,” she adds.

She then co-founded a microfinance society in Singapore. 

Around that time, she was offered a project through SIF (Singapore International Foundation) that partnered with UNITAR (UN Institute for Training And Research) to improve the skills and knowledge of Afghan civil servants. It was an annual 9-month capacity building program, where she co-mentored 5-6 Afghan civil servants every year in a project they took up within their organizations. During the program, she met many Afghan women and their strength surprised her.

” It was a pivotal moment for me. I was amazed by the intelligence and assertiveness of these people. It changed my perception of what is possible if you believe in someone. Working with people, especially women, was a fulfilling experience,” she says.

She was a part of the project for 10 years till the program ended in 2019.

” Those were among the best years of my life,” she adds.

Kannan was heartbroken when the Taliban took over Afghanistan, and the negative impact it is having on the lives of the Afghan people, especially the women, still disturbs her. 

After returning to India, she was a mentor in the leadership program run by DASRA, which works towards the capacity building of nonprofits in India. 

She got to know about coaching at that time and trained as a coach in Singapore in 2012. Later, she got the master coach credential degree from International Coaching Federation, the global body for coaching. 

” Coaching is about helping people look forward to understanding their aspirations, help overcome their challenges, understand and use their strengths and thus achieve their goals,” she says.

Presently Kannan coaches senior executives in corporate and social sectors (including the UN Agencies) and is an Independent director on the board of a BSE-listed company, and sits on the advisory board of two Impact Funds. She has also been co-teaching a module on social entrepreneurship at the Indian School of Development Management since 2018.

The shift to the development sector 

The inequities in society bother her, and she wants to help bring a shift.

“Supporting people making an impact and helping them realize their potential is my ikigai,” she adds.

Experience as a coach to UN agencies 

Rama is a coach to leaders from all over the world in UN agencies like UNITAR and UNICEF. She realized that though the situations are different for every country, the root problems remain universal- people are insecure, self-critical, and lack confidence.

“It has been an amazing experience helping people figure out their strengths,” she adds.

Advice to women 

In her coaching journey, Rama has seen how women are (unfortunately) more self-critical (than Men in general) and put themselves down. Conditioning and societal pressures play a big part in this.

” We all have a judge sitting inside us,” she says.

Kannan feels women can break these barriers by building self-awareness, understanding their strengths and values, supporting each other, and mentoring.

Rama asserts that it takes a lot of courage for women to be entrepreneurs, managing and balancing a lot of asks from many stakeholders (including the ‘critical’ self), more so than men.

She feels that as entrepreneurs, women need to work on their financial skills and confidence.

The STEP experience 

Rama is a mentor at STEP, and it has been a joyful experience for her.

” Listening to the personal journey of the Steppers and helping them navigate their challenges makes me feel happy. I love the feeling that I have added value and something has shifted for them,” she adds.

Dos and don’t for organizational culture 

• Building trust and transparency in an organization is vital for people to reach out to each other comfortably.
• Roles in an organization should be clear. People must understand their purpose and goals to ensure accountability for their work.
• Trust and accountability go together.

Helping teams achieve their goals 

• Each team member should be clear about their personal goals and team goals.
• Clarity on the metrics, breaking goals into milestones, and dividing the roles of each member accordingly.
• Working with each member on their personal challenges 
• Regular workshops and one on one meetings.

” Each person in the team has their own way of doing things, and these steps help bring clarity in achieving goals,” she adds.

Rama, the person 

Rama describes herself as a friend, a listener, and a family person. She doesn’t like being in the spotlight. Tea made by her husband is what gets her going in the mornings. She loves traveling, and visiting Antarctica is on her bucket list.

” I make a conscious effort to avoid being judgemental,” is her mantra for life.