Deepak Menon

I grew up in Mumbai (or Bombay, then) in a Malayalee household. As a child, I enjoyed three things - reading, contemplation and conversations. (These still remain my ways of making sense of the world).

After studying engineering and management, I entered corporate workplace at the age of 24. And got out of it at 30. I craved a higher meaning -and switched careers to the nonprofit sector. Here, I experienced fulfilling work, engaged workspaces and intellectual colleagues. Also, because of the complexity of the social problems being solved, I learnt about Systems Thinking, Self-Managed teams and Purpose-Driven Organisations. I witnessed courageous leadership in action - not just by CXOs, but also by staff members, community leaders, social workers, activists, government officers, volunteers, children and youth, journalists, religious leaders, tribal leaders, etc.

At 35, I got bitten by the entrepreneurial bug. I raised some money through friends and acquaintances. The business flopped and I learnt first-hand, the inner turmoil that entrepreneurs face - stress, anxiety, anger, shame, guilt, etc. I came face to face with my harshest critic - myself. The failure was very personal and very raw. Overtime, as the pain of the loss eased, I started developing the courage to acknowledge my own fear of failure, inauthenticities and blindspots. I started working on myself - calmed my hyper-judgemental mind, and allowed my empathy, creativity and curiosity to recreate my future.

At 40, I received an epiphany - that my purpose in life was “to make people come alive”. I got myself trained as a coach, and started coaching actively. Curiously, entrepreneurs and some progressive corporate leaders were interested in the leadership and management concepts I had learnt in the social sector world - purpose driven organisations, systems design, non-hierarchical work cultures,

I am inspired by people who are willing to take courageous action. So entrepreneurs, small business owners, social entrepreneurs, and some corporate leaders are whom I coach. I support them with three things - becoming the best leader they can be, developing a high-performing leadership team, and creating a thriving work culture.

Coaching helps the coach as much as the coachee. I feel blessed to have chosen a vocation that’s fulfilling, impactful and joyous.

I live in Bangalore along with my family.