Exclusive Interview: Saurabh Mukherjea Reveals Unfiltered Truths from 'The CEO and The Coach' Journey

"Unfiltered: The CEO and The Coach" provides readers with a profound glimpse into the world of leadership coaching, offering a comprehensive narrative of a coaching engagement from inception to conclusion. Authored by Saurabh Mukherjea, Founder and Chief Investment Officer at Marcellus Investment Managers, and Ana Lueneburger, an esteemed coach, the book delves into the transformative power of coaching in the corporate realm.

The book begins by challenging common perceptions of coaching, particularly in the context of leadership development. It highlights the significance of understanding coaching as a tool for personal and professional growth, rather than mere academic assistance. Through an incisive account, readers are guided through the entire coaching process, gaining insights into the involved individuals, assessment frameworks, and the tangible outcomes of this collaborative effort.

From the initial meet-and-greet to the eventual closure, "Unfiltered" meticulously outlines the essential stages of coaching. It addresses fundamental questions surrounding the coaching process, shedding light on its mechanics and nuances. The narrative offers a personal touch, allowing readers to witness the authentic and vulnerable conversations that underpin transformative coaching experiences.

An exemplary feature of the book is its dual perspective, presenting insights from both the CEO and the coach involved in the engagement. This multifaceted approach provides readers with a holistic understanding of the coaching dynamic, including the establishment of trust, the client's commitment to growth, and the coach's strategic interventions.

"Unfiltered" also emphasizes the importance of ongoing engagement between coaching sessions, highlighting the CEO's active involvement in personal development activities. It underscores the value of reflective practice and continuous learning in maximizing the benefits of coaching.

Throughout the book, Ana shares her unique coaching style, leveraging the client's strengths and employing tailored frameworks to address individual needs. The inclusion of various assessment tools and book references enriches the reader's understanding of coaching methodologies.

A pivotal chapter in "Unfiltered" is the Fish Bowl excerpt in Chapter 6, which provides an intimate glimpse into the inner narratives of both the coach and the CEO. This candid portrayal underscores the transformative potential of authentic human interaction, offering invaluable insights into vulnerability and resilience.

The book concludes with reflective insights from both the CEO and the coach, encapsulating their five-year journey and the evolution of their partnership. With its easy and organic narrative flow, "Unfiltered" emerges as an essential read for coaches and organizations considering coaching for senior leaders.

In essence, "Unfiltered: The CEO and The Coach" serves as a roadmap for navigating life's uncertainties with grace and courage. Through the collaborative efforts of Saurabh and Ana, readers are empowered to embark on their own journey of self-discovery and growth, unfiltered and filled with possibility.

Excerpts from the Interview:-

Q1) Your previous works, such as "The Unusual Billionaires" and "Coffee Can Investing," have focused on financial strategies and wealth creation. What inspired the shift towards exploring the transformative power of coaching in your latest book, "Unfiltered: The CEO and the Coach"?

Saurabh: My friend Anupam Gupta and I co-authored a book on psychological development titled "The Victory Project." Despite neither of us being psychologists, our perspective allowed us to delve into how the human mind learns and grows. Focusing on training the mind and developing skill sets, the book surprisingly resonated with many readers, becoming a national bestseller. While not my first venture beyond finance writing, "The Victory Project" was a profoundly enriching experience, enjoyable to write, and its success was a delightful bonus.

Between 2017 and 2020, I underwent coaching, which proved immensely useful and powerful. Unlike self-development through videos and reading, coaching addressed inherent limitations in self-correction and cognition. It helped not just me but also my entire firm navigate the challenges of COVID-19, both personally and professionally. I elaborated on this in "Unfiltered," highlighting how coaching was instrumental during those times.

Why is coaching so powerful, especially in India where it's not widely understood? The typical model of self-development in India emphasizes hard work, reading, podcasts, and leading a sincere life. However, as the economy becomes more complex and competitive, I realized firsthand that coaching offers a way to remedy deficits and improve skill sets beyond what traditional methods can achieve.

To share this insight, I needed Ana's cooperation and collaboration. In the summer of 2021, while visiting my family in the UK amid the COVID-19 pandemic, I proposed the idea of writing a book on coaching over a cup of coffee with Ana. After some consideration, she agreed, and "Unfiltered" came into being. It builds upon the principles explored in "The Victory Project," focusing on how coaching can elevate personal development beyond individual control.

My coaching journey commenced when I transitioned from a team member to the CEO of a subsidiary and aspired for a larger role within the organization. I got introduced to coaching by my employer, it was a paradigm shift for me as a middle-class Indian. The confidentiality, customization, and focus on addressing specific challenges transformed my professional life, for which I am eternally grateful to my employer. Coaching has truly changed my life for the better.

Q2) The book delves into the importance of trust and safety within the coaching space. Could you elaborate on how you initially established trust with your coach, Ana Lueneburger, and how this evolved throughout your coaching engagement?

Saurabh: I don't believe the credit for establishing trust should be attributed to me; it belongs to Ana. Establishing trust is clearly one of her strengths, something she's worked hard to develop. With the benefit of hindsight, I've learned from observing how she builds trust and have strived to improve this skill myself.

Broadly, the trust-building process, as outlined in the book, consists of three main steps. Firstly, before trust can be built, it's essential to truly get to know the other person—not just on a superficial level, but understanding their hopes, fears, aspirations, and life journey. Ana and I underwent this process during the initial months of our assignment, speaking to close relatives, colleagues, and friends to gain a comprehensive understanding of each other.

The second step involves understanding the other person's strengths, especially in the context of professional coaching. This entails assessing psychological strengths and weaknesses, often using formal tools like VIA Pro. High-quality coaches typically have qualifications in psychology, enabling them to assess personality traits from a psychological perspective.

The third piece involves agreeing with the coach on a plan of action based on the insights gathered. This plan outlines the goals, the path to achieving them, and the time frame involved. Both the coach and the coachee must voluntarily agree to this plan for coaching to be effective. Implementation of the plan entails hard work over a period of time, usually around six months, involving reading, role-playing with the coach, and conducting real-world experiments.

Throughout this process, trust is subtly nurtured through various interactions, such as spending time together outside of formal coaching sessions. For instance, Ana and her family visited Mumbai, spending time with my colleagues and our families, bonding over dinner and leisurely conversations. Looking back, these interactions may seem basic, but they are often overlooked in corporate settings.

Q3) One of the unique aspects of "Unfiltered" is its dual perspective, providing insights from both the CEO and the coach. How did you navigate the process of incorporating Ana's perspective alongside your narrative in the book?

Saurabh : Firstly, the idea behind the book was truly mind-blowing. The approach to writing it stemmed from a celebrated psychology book called "Every Day Gets a Little Closer," which Ana recommended I read—and I thoroughly enjoyed it. This book revolves around a psychologist and their client navigating through understanding and resolving the client's issues. 

The template followed in "Every Day Gets a Little Closer" involved alternating chapters between the psychologist and the client. We decided to adopt this template and agreed not to review each other's chapters while writing our own. We believed that reading the other's chapter beforehand could influence our own writing. So, we wrote alternate chapters and refrained from reading the others until after writing our own.

Furthermore, we decided not to include dramatic credits even after reading each other's chapters. Thus, the sequence of events remained consistent, although some events I remembered as happening earlier actually occurred later, and vice versa. It's fascinating how memory can play tricks on you, even for events that occurred just five years ago. Writing in this manner was a new experience for me, inspired by a celebrated psychology book, and it was a lot of fun. Each of us had the opportunity to share our experiences without being influenced by the other's perspective.

This is why we titled the book "Unfiltered." It provides readers with both sides of the story without one side influencing or altering the other's viewpoint on the subject.

Moreover, one of the motivations for writing the book was my realization of the layers to our being and the numerous ways we can develop ourselves, especially in the investment profession. I wanted to shed light on the fact that there are various tools available to make ourselves better individuals and professionals. While I'm not a psychologist and only an amateur in this realm, coaching has proven to be invaluable, even at my level of expertise.

Q4) The book includes a Fish Bowl excerpt in Chapter 6, where both you and Ana share your inner narratives. What motivated you to include such raw and vulnerable moments, and what impact do you hope it will have on readers?

Saurabh : So, Chapter Six is titled "In Session: A Coaching Conversation," which was Anna's idea. Given that we wrote this book in the aftermath of COVID-19, we had to utilize Zoom effectively. I must admit, it was terrifying at first. However, I'm glad we embraced it because it provides readers with a glimpse into what it's like to undergo coaching.

This isn't just a casual chat; it's akin to a psychological boxing match. A good coach pushes the coachee into challenging parts of their mind, areas they may prefer to avoid. It's comparable to a physical workout with low intensity. When you hire a trainer, they're there to push you. Similarly, in a coaching session, it's a high-intensity mental workout. Often, I need two or three hours of downtime after sessions to recover.

So, what does Chapter Six achieve? As it’s nicely called the Fishbowl chapter, it offers an outsider a view of these high-intensity conversations and how motivated individuals can greatly benefit from them.

Q5) Throughout "Unfiltered," you discuss various frameworks and assessment tools used in coaching sessions. How did you decide which frameworks to include in the book, and what criteria guided your selection process?

Saurabh : As a psychologist, Ana is an expert in utilizing various frameworks, which she employed throughout our coaching journey. However, we made a conscious decision to select frameworks that would be easily understandable to the public, particularly considering that the typical reader of this book is not a psychologist but rather a mid-career executive.

In a proactive approach, we opted for tools that would effectively communicate to a mid-career executive how coaching can enhance their skills. One such tool is VIA Pro Feedback, which stands out as among the most intuitive to grasp. In Chapter Five, titled "Do we Ever Arrive?" this tool is utilized to illustrate my development journey.

Similarly, the Culture Map is another intuitive framework we utilized. Our intention was to intentionally select tools that would resonate with the reader, ensuring that they are easily comprehensible.

Q6) Your background includes founding the Association of Portfolio Managers in India and working with Marcellus Investment Managers. How has your experience in finance and portfolio management influenced your approach to coaching and writing about leadership development?

Saurabh:  I believe that the key lesson from working in the stock market is the importance of maintaining calmness as an investor. Those who can remain composed under pressure are most likely to succeed in the long run. Having spent over 20 years in financial markets, I've come to realize that success is less about intellect and more about emotional control.

While I understood this concept abstractly a decade ago, it became more apparent to me five years ago through practical experience. However, my perspective has been further reinforced by my recent coaching experience. I now firmly believe that success in the stock market, or any high-pressure environment, hinges on one's ability to remain calm and think rationally amidst intense pressure.

Mastering this skill in any professional context can significantly enhance one's chances of success. By maintaining composure, thinking logically, and treating others with respect even in the most stressful situations, one can greatly improve their outcomes. It simply makes sense.

Q7) Reflecting on your journey from writing financial guides to exploring the nuances of leadership coaching, what insights or lessons have you personally gained that you believe will resonate most with readers of "Unfiltered"?

Saurabh : Through the coaching process, I've gained a significant insight, which I've shared in Chapter Four titled "The Leader's Hard-Won Lessons." One crucial lesson I've learned pertains to my previous belief that maintaining emotional distance and treating people fairly necessitated avoiding empathy and emotional bonds with colleagues.

However, coaching has led me to a different understanding, echoing your initial question. People don't solely commit to work for monetary compensation; empathy plays a pivotal role. This unpaid empathy is crucial for fostering a conducive work environment and ensuring high-quality output. Yet, without emotional bonds, empathy cannot naturally flourish. This realization, facilitated by coaching, has transformed my perspective.

Ana's guidance has not only enhanced my professional capabilities but also contributed to my personal growth. She extends empathy towards me as a human being, which underscores the importance of fostering emotional connections in the workplace. Therefore, to expect top-notch work from my colleagues, I prioritize building emotional bonds with them.

For me, this revelation stands as the most significant takeaway from the coaching experience: trust, empathy, and collaborative behavior serve as the foundation for success.

Thank you all for reading and a big thanks to Saurabh Mukherjea for collaborating in today’s post!

About the Authors 

Ana Lueneburger has worked globally with big companies like INSEAD, Danone, and the Boston Consulting Group. After spending fifteen years in coaching and advisory roles, Ana became a Master Certified Coach (MCC) with the International Coaching Federation. She earned a PhD in business from the University of St Gallen, Switzerland, and later worked as a postdoctoral research fellow in change management at INSEAD, France. Ana was also one of the founding fellows of the Institute of Coaching at Harvard Medical School, USA. In addition to her coaching and academic achievements, Ana is a fully licensed and accredited integrative psychotherapist in the UK.

Saurabh Mukherjea is part of Marcellus Investment Managers and has written bestsellers like "The Unusual Billionaires," "Coffee Can Investing: The Low-Risk Road to Stupendous Wealth," and "Diamonds in the Dust: Consistent Compounding for Extraordinary Wealth Creation." He studied at the London School of Economics and is also a founder director of the Association of Portfolio Managers in India. Saurabh holds a CFA charter and is a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.