The 9th Habit- Coaching, Mentoring & Feedback is our multivitamin & Protein for continuous improvement and growth mindset!
Jerry’s book & talk ‘THE 9TH HABIT’ was soft launched in 2019 at the best of ‘The British Council’ as a special, exclusive, hybrid (Live and Online) 3-hour talk & training workshop at their ‘Management Week’ and was well received with super feedback by thousands of participants and British High Commission & British Council members, employees and diplomats from over 150 countries. THE 9TH HABIT is based on the simple premise ‘FEEDBACK IS THE MULTIVITAMIN & PROTEIN OF REAL CHAMPIONS AND LEADERS FOR CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT’ TO BE SAVED CONTINUALLY. In the book Jerry explains how Real Leaders & Champions don’t wait, but VOLUNTARILY SEEK FEEDBACK not just from friends, family, peers or seniors but also from people who are junior including our children, team members and people who work with us and report to us.
Real leaders and champions value, celebrate, acknowledge, appreciate and ACT on feedback for continuous improvement. The simple but highly compelling idea of THE 9th HABIT is “I need to improve be continually SAVED and enable others to be continually SAVED.” One of Jerry’s most uplifting talks which stimulates the mind, body, heart, spirit and soul, THE 9TH HABIT is Jerry’s tribute to his most revered thought leader & teacher Dr. Stephen Covey and Jerry builds on “The 7 Habits & The 8th Habit” based on deeper learnings & insights gained from these programs that he delivers around the world. With ‘THE 9TH HABIT’ Jerry peels off layers of what principle-centred leadership means and how CHARACTER and NOT JUST COMPETENCE is what is needed to take one beyond the mediocrity that most settle for. SAVED is an acronym and explained alongwith other ideas succinctly in this page.
Here you will gain insights about the power of COACHING, MENTORING and FEEDBACK. You may read through this intro of ‘THE 9TH HABIT’. Then watch Dr. Atul Gawande's video clip (approx. 3 minutes), which gives you super insights into why Feedback and Feedback Partners/Mentors are essential for all and more so as you grow in your career and are at the PEAK OF YOUR GAME. Then browse through attached columns i) Wrong Company takes you to your fall (Insights from Rajat Gupta’s story) ii) The Williiam Kamkwamba piece that explains E3 (Education, Experience, Entitlement) entrapment. iii) Trust and Respect cannot be inherited (Learning from the CMD of a large family business that he inherited) iv) I trust chefs, not bankers (about how we get indoctrinated by beliefs & limitations of others) v) THE 9TH HABIT – Art of Seeking Feedback. vi) The Art of giving feedback. vii) Leadership Conversations.
Why Mentoring & Feedback Matter: Few Life, Leadership & Learning2Lessons from Jerry's book "THE 9TH HABIT" through Dr. Gawande's short talk. In his compelling talk, Atul—a surgeon, author, and entrepreneur—illustrates the transformative role of mentoring. it’s about someone watching you play your game, noticing what you miss, and helping you get better. Mentors don’t do the work for you—they ask the right questions, guide your focus, and push you to think deeper and perform better. Whether you’re an athlete, CEO/CXO, manager, executive, entrepreneur, parent, educator, doctor, lawyer, judge, diplomat, movie star, professional or homemaker or expert in any field, having someone to guide your thinking can make the BIG DIFFERENCE. Small tweaks they suggest can lead to huge improvements in how we think, and grow.
The Value of Coaching, Mentoring & Feedback - Mentors are not just observers but catalysts of growth. They help and enable you:
- Think critically about your actions and decisions,
- Identify small overlooked details that lead to major improvements, and
- Raise your performance to new heights.
By offering constructive feedback and asking incisive questions, coaches empower individuals to refine their thinking and decision-making, a coach can help you unlock your best potential. Coaches & mentors will enable you to change the game and raise the bar by several levels.
Key Insight: “Mentors help you think about your thinking to make you think better.”
In the mentoring interactions, conversations and process, your coach Jerry will make you think about your own thinking and the way you think and why you think the way you think, so that you can think about how to renew, refine and revise your thinking to breakwith old ways of thinking and with your improved thinking, you will think about how to continually improve your thinking and embrace the growth mindset and with your renewed and continuously improving thought process, you will be enabled to think of cutting edge solutions to breakthrough any of you concerns, personally and professionally. To quote Thomas Kuhn one of the most influential philosophers of science of the twentieth century, perhaps the most influential from his 1962 book The Structure of Scientific Revolution, wherein he said "All significant breakthroughs are break-withs old ways of thinking."
Feedback: The Superpower You Need
Feedback is your roadmap to growth. Jerry’s 9th Habit: The Art of Seeking and Giving Feedback breaks it down beautifully. Here’s why feedback is essential:
- It shows you what you can’t see yourself.
- It builds stronger relationships when done right.
- It helps you grow and adapt faster.
Feedback: The Core of Growth (THE 9TH HABIT)
Feedback lies at the heart of self-improvement, as detailed in Jerry’s 9th Habit: Whether giving or seeking feedback (check columns in pics on the side), the process requires tact, empathy, and clarity.
Why Feedback is Crucial:
- Self-Awareness: Helps identify blind spots and areas of improvement.
- Trust Building: Creates open and respectful communication.
- Growth Mindset: Encourages innovation and adaptability.
The skill of feedback, however, isn’t just about being critical—it’s about being constructive and actionable. However, it works both ways—you need to learn how to seek and give feedback in a way that inspires action and doesn’t discourage. Check the columns for tips on doing it right.
What the stories of Rajat Gupta’s and the CMD of the large Family business teaches us. - Rajat Gupta had everything—brilliance, power, success—but his story reminds us that without trust and respect, it can all fall apart. Leadership isn’t just about skill; it’s about integrity and how you treat others. The journey of Rajat Gupta illustrates the foundational role of trust and respect in leadership. Despite his brilliance and career achievements, his story underscores how fragile success can be without integrity, intent and growth mindset. Leaders must prioritize respect, transparency, and trustworthiness to ensure lasting impact and credibility. The CMD’s story reminds us that we have to inspire and earn trust and respect and cannot think that we have it because we are higher in rank or inherit trust and respect as the daughter or son of someone who had it.
Be Inspired by William Kamkwamba- Another dear friend and associate of Jerry is William Kamkwamba. William’s journey in The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind is proof that leadership is about resilience and innovation. Even in the toughest situations, he found a way to make a difference for his community. It’s a reminder that great leaders are those who rise above challenges with creativity and determination. William Kamkwamba’s story, as detailed in William’s column, book and movie showcase resilience, resourcefulness, and visionary leadership. Despite immense challenges, his innovative spirit transformed his community. This narrative is a shining example of the power of mentorship and the importance of fostering leadership conversations that inspire positive change.
The Big Picture- What ties all these columns, video and lessons together? The importance of having someone to guide, challenge, and support you—whether it’s a a mentor, or honest feedback from those around you. Want to level up? Start with finding someone who will help you think better, work smarter, and become the best version of yourself. These stories and insights shared here highlight the importance of mentorship, feedback, and trust in personal and professional growth. A coach or mentor isn’t just a guide but a partner in your journey toward excellence. Seeking feedback and embracing mentoring could be the most transformative step everyone can take for their ground-breaking path of progress.
THE 9TH HABIT book summary- The number 9 in spiritual and self-help sciences relate to wisdom and owning responsibility, and the ultimate goal of the number 9 is to serve humanity and society. This vibration has come to serve the world and make it a better place for all to live in and leave the earth better than the one we came into. THE 9TH HABIT is rooted in the law of karma and self-help. After researching several books and self-help research, Jerry developed THE 9TH HABIT (part of Jerry's Karma Kurry and moJOsh Inspirator book series), which is simply about having the self-esteem & awareness, inner-fire & validation, discipline, maturity and security TO SEEK FEEDBACK & MENTORING FOR GENERATING INTREPID INSIGHTS about which path to follow, reassessing achievements and goals, and taking time to reflect and plan/prepare for continuous personal transformation.
The simple yet highly compelling idea of THE 9TH HABIT is simply about SEEKING COACHING, MENTORING & FEEDBACK TO BE CONTINUALLY SAVED AND INSPIRE OTHERS TO DO THE SAME. To quote Jerry "Feedback is the multivitamin and protein of real leaders and champions of change, for continuous improvement." People who understand, develop and practice THE 9TH HABIT have great strength of character, honesty of purpose, seriousness of intent as well as wisdom, intuition and high idealism. There is also a great deal of warmth of feeling and love of home, family and friends. THE 9TH HABIT is about self-improvement, development and transformation. I change to change the world, by seeking feedback and coaching/mentoring to be continually SAVED.
This is one of Jerry’s most inspiring talks/ training workshops which covers physical, mental, spiritual, emotional and moral intelligence. THE 9TH HABIT is based on deeper learnings and insights gained from Jerry’s learnings with students, teachers, parents, socio-political leaders and corporate executives who he works with in LEADERSHIP COACHING / MANAGEMENT CONSULTING programs that he conducts and facilitates around the world. With THE 9TH HABIT, Jerry goes deeper into the layers of what character-rooted leadership means and how CHARACTER and NOT COMPETENCE is what is needed to GO FOR EXTRAORDINARY and take one beyond the MEDIOCRITY, which most people settle for. Jerry always says “it is not just our talent, competence, education, experience, titles, degrees, percentage, status or position that takes us places and beyond, but our CHARACTER is what truly empowers us to GO BEYOND and GO FOR EXTRAORDINARY”, which he explains with TRUE STORIES OF REAL HEROES.
THE 9TH HABIT is the based on THE LAW OF TRANSFORMATION and covers the concept of Character-Rooted Leadership thoroughly. Jerry scientifically explains how Principles and Values are not just exotic and esoteric concepts, but are virtues & powers that have a deep impact on our brain and our beliefs, mindsets, emotions, values, behaviours and results. Jerry has deeply covered this in his SELF-HELP book moJOsh Inspirator and has also written white papers on this for the Franklin Covey Institute, Right Management, DDI, American Management Association, HBR and other global institutions where he is empanelled as a Subject Matter Expert for Leadership research.
‘How each of us needs to improve to be SAVED and then enable others to get SAVED’ is the basic idea of THE 9TH HABIT. SAVED is an acronym for SKILLS, ATTITUDE, VALUES, ETHICS and DEEDS. In his book, talks and training programs, Jerry explains how we need to unpack these 5 elements to UNDERSTAND the way to live a life of purpose, gratitude, passion, contribution and daily victory. This book has inspiring, insightful and influential novel thoughts, where Jerry debunks popular ineffective concepts and provokes insights and explains real ideas that create HIGH PEP (Proactiveness, Effectiveness and Productivity.) The book also covers the 5 essential intelligences Physical, Mental (that most speakers/ coaches cover), Emotional, Spiritual (That very few speakers/ coaches cover) and Moral (which is mostly not covered in leadership learning).
Jerry brings the concepts to life with TRUE STORIES of REAL HEROES and MAKES THE LEARNING REAL. Jerry, who writes true stories of Real Heroes is the only speaker, who can tell these stories with absolute conviction and depth because of his research and first-person encounters and engagement with these real heroes who although ordinary have GONE FOR EXTRAORDINARY and accomplished what many think is difficult or IMPOSSIBLE. Thus, unlike many other speakers and coaches, Jerry has the unique advantage for explaining learning concepts with TRUE STORIES (and not just with fables, fairy tales or metaphors), to make the learning highly PRACTICAL, EFFECTIVE and PLAUSIBLE.
