Sometimes we need a little help to figuring out who we are and what we want. Janet Rajan is an Executive Coach and Product Expert, enabling people and organizations on their growth journey. And her help is exactly what we need to leverage our strengths and maximize our potential.
In her interview, Janet talks about the 17 years she lived in the US, her time studying at Harvard Business School, and how it has helped her grow and build international relations and given her a plethora of experience. Read to know more.
Self-Growth and Development
Interview
Questions and answers
Some people are not sure about their career options and where their interest lies. How do you help them find their path?
As a coach, I work with people to create self-awareness for themselves, to understand their wants, likes, and strengths better. I use psychometric tools as well, to help them dig deeper within and then based on our findings, I enable them to create their own path to move forward with conviction aiming for incremental growth.
According to you, what is the best way to test your abilities?
I do not believe in testing abilities per se, I believe in recognizing strengths and leveraging them to be the best version of ourselves. So, I work with people, essentially to build their confidence and make traction on their journey. I base my coaching on a scientific approach to self-discovery using psychometric tools and honing their abilities to work towards success.
How do you push a person to become a better version of themselves and help them identify their goals?
Coaching is a partnership where the coachee must be invested in putting in the effort to work towards their goals. And as a coach it is my responsibility to help them believe in themselves and keep moving forward. Very often we get socially conditioned to believe that we can’t do something, or something isn’t meant for us, but effort and clarity of goals achieve, learn and grow so we can move confidently in the direction of our dreams.
How did your experience of studying at Harvard help you grow?
Harvard changed my life in innumerable ways. I have had experiences that have helped me build a strong sense of confidence and empowered me to use my strengths. The network, the support system, and of course the plethora of different interactions and learnings helped me come into my own. Working with a coach exposed me to explore various aspects of myself and my career path and I have grown both professional and personally.
How did you come up with the idea of your start-up and how do you plan on expanding it?
The journey began at Harvard as it opened my mind to various aspects of business. And my passion to want to make a difference motivated me to take this step forward. I always believed that we must try our hand at things we desire and so I planned for this start-up. I invested and found people to work with and continued to strengthen my network by connecting with people. I love collaborations. For me it is never about competing, I believe there is enough room for all of us to shine so I collaborate and enable people to grow, shine and thrive.
What piece of advice would you give to women thinking of restarting their careers?
Taking a break to look after our families is an important step a lot of women chose to take. Unfortunately, the industry sets them back and penalizes them for it, which also causes women to feel less confident to restart. I believe that every individual should work towards being self-sufficient, be there for your families but allow them to be there for you as you restart as well. Eventually each of us is responsible for our own lives and journeys, and we should be working towards being confident of that.
How have your global relations enabled you to develop partnerships and business relations?
My global exposure has helped me create a remarkably diverse and non-judgemental approach to the work I do. I collaborate with people who come from different cultures from across the world. And I can use my expertise in coaching and product development to work with individuals and corporates both in India and abroad. These global relations have helped me feel empowered to make an impact at a larger scale.