Committed to Community: A Coach's Vision for the Philippines

On a recent Called to Coach, we spoke with Celine Sugay, positive psychologist and Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach. Coach Celine talked about how CliftonStrengths helped her focus her life's purpose and how she is using her Includer talent to bring coaches into the growing CliftonStrengths coaching community in the Philippines. Coach Celine is profoundly committed to building a deep and strong army of CliftonStrengths coaches throughout her country.

NEW: Below is a full transcript of the conversation, including time stamps. Full audio and video are posted above.

Jim Collison 0:00

I'm Jim Collison, and live from the Gallup campus here in Omaha, Nebraska, this is Gallup's Called to Coach, recorded on September 7, 2019. Called to Coach is a resource for those who want to help others discover and use their strengths. We have Gallup experts and independent strengths coaches share tactics, insights and strategies to help coaches maximize the talent of individuals, teams and organizations around the world. If you are listening live we'd love to have you join us in the YouTube chat room -- easy to get to and easy to get at, just put your questions on there when you have them. Or you can email us your questions after the fact. Send them to us: coaching@gallup.com. Saurav Atri is our host today. Saurav is the Regional Director for Southeast Asia, and he is in the Philippines today. Saurav, welcome to Called to Coach.

Saurav Atri 0:53

Thank you so much, Jim. It's good to be back on Called to Coach live from the Philippines. And you know we've got an excited month coming ahead in the Philippines, with lots of activity going on. And today we have a special guest logged in live with us: Coach Celine Sugay, who's one of the only positive psychologists who's also a Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach in the Philippines. And you know, we're so glad to have her. Celine has been part of this journey right from when we launched the first course in the Philippines and been a very integral part of the coaching community. I call her -- she's the glue of the coach community. And the Communicator, the Includer, somebody who sort of brings people together. And we're so glad to have her be with us today as well and share some of her experiences. And she -- just about a little bit about her background. She received her degree in psychology in 2007, and her master's in psychology as well in 2015. And she has over 16 years' experience in facilitation, counseling, coaching. And she -- her origin actually she started off with speed-reading workshops for grade-school students. And she's experienced, she's gained experience as a facilitator, running team-building sessions, positive work attitude sessions, effective communication skills, public speaking, business writing, English proficiency in a variety of wellbeing programs. She also has been a counselor during her years in college as part of the Ateneo Peer Counseling organization. And then she officially pursued coaching in 2015, after completing her master's degree. She is somebody who's very passionate about, you know, the part around strengths coaching and positive psychology, and she truly believes in the power of helping people individualize and capitalize on what they are naturally good at. So we'd love to hear more from Celine, what her journey has been. And she recently, you know, talked about her points of view practitioner as well. So we'd love to hear all of that today, Celine. Thank you so much for coming in. And welcome to Called to Coach. Please tell us a little bit about your Top 5, a bit about your background into strengths.

Celine Sugay 2:57

Hi, Jim. Hi, Saurav. Thanks for having me today. I'm excited to be here. So my Top 5 are Maximizer, Positivity, Communication, Woo and Includer. And you know, I actually started off as a psychologist doing counseling, and I wasn't really sure of what groups I wanted to work with. And I was kind of shifting from, you know, working with people with addiction, people with anxiety, children, children with special needs, and I was just really exploring the the field. And then, in 2009, I first discovered strengths. And I was supposed to use it for one of my psychology classes. And I actually decided not to because apparently the book I had at home was the Living -- Living Your Strengths. Yeah. And so it was a little bit -- I wasn't, I wasn't so sure about it only because each theme had a Bible verse connected to it. And so I say, I'm not so sure how this is going to fly in school, right? So anyway, I put it off, and then eventually fast forward in 2014. Still not really sure what groups I wanted to work with as I continue counseling. I, a friend of mine invited me to one of the meetups which had apparently started here already by coach Val. And we didn't have a certification just yet. And so I went to the meetup in October, I rediscovered my strengths, you know. Once I saw the results, I was just like, OK, this is maybe why I wasn't so sure what groups I wanted to work with in counseling, because my Maximizer and my Positivity just really showed me that I actually want to be helping people focus on what's right and focus on what's good with them. And that's what I do for, you know, a lot of my clients as well.

Celine Sugay 4:44

And so when I went to the meetup, hosted by Coach Val in October 2014, I left going, that's what I want to be doing. And I was so sure of it. And I had never been that sure. You know, and when I was telling my parents about taking this course and all that, they were actually saying, "Something new again?" And I was like no, no, no, this time, I'm so sure I'm going to stick to it right. And so, in fact, when I started learning more about strengths, I had bought the book, I had started buying all the different books of Gallup and reading it, I was also going through my licensure exam to be a registered psychologist here. And so you know, I have this Bible of all the disorders, and I would be like, OK, one chapter of disorders, and then I get to read one chapter of the StrengthsFinder book. And that was my reward. And I don't -- I honestly don't like to read. And so that was really just like, OK, I'm rewarding myself by reading more. But it was so exciting. And so once -- and I had actually planned to take the certification course in Singapore in 2016. But when I found out in August of 2015 that they were bringing it here to the Philippines. I was just like, yes, absolutely, yes. And so strengths actually started my entire journey into becoming a full-blown positive psychologist. So last year, I took my certification in positive psychology with the Flourishing Center in New York. And so now I do a whole range of strengths coaching, strengths workshops, as well as wellbeing workshops, and anything really under positive psychology that helps people flourish and thrive.

Saurav Atri 6:20

Beautiful, that's a beautiful story there, Celine. Tell us a bit more about your experience of going through the program and what got you involved into sort of holding this community meetups and get-togethers and bringing them together as one cohesive unit.

Celine Sugay 6:31

Yeah, so, the meetups on on its own -- I didn't start them. I'm just an avid fan and an avid supporter. So coach Val Baguios actually started the meetups in 2014. And, but when we, when we came on to the course, I took the course with him as well. And it was such a, it was actually a reunion because I was you know, we come into the course looking for names that were already placed in the tables. And it was so funny, because when I found my name, right next to me was my college professor. And then right next to him was -- next to her was a batch mate of mine I went to in college as well. And so, you know, even just there, there were instant connections and instant relationships. And, you know, and like the Filipinos, we are very relationship -- very relational people, right? Relationships are huge for us. We would eat and get together for any reason that we can do so. And so, really, the community was a big part of that. And when we had finished the course, and you know, instantly just and, Saurav, you were our trainer, right? And you've attested to this as well, that maybe within the first hour or so of the course running, we had already started laughing, already started teasing each other. And it was just like instantly a family right, right then and there.

Celine Sugay 7:53

And so when Coach Pia, who had really who is the Gallup Philippines representative then, she really believed in strengths. And she was a -- she's a reason of why we even -- why strengths was even brought to the Philippines. So when she said, You know, I need a few people, come on, come on board, help me build the community, I was like, Yes, absolutely, yes! In fact, the first get-together my batch had, so we took it in November, we got together in December. And someone else was organizing the get-together. And right right after at the tail end of the get-together, I said, Hey, you know what, I'm really good at organizing people and getting people together. I want to volunteer for that role, right? Well, whatever it is, whether it's to follow up and to send out invites to check on people, I want to do that. And so the person who was doing that then, he was like, Oh, yes, please, it's all yours! And so since then, given that I have Includer as my No. 5, since then it has really been what has helped me get people together and really want to welcome people and make them, you know, feel like they're supported and make them feel like they have whatever it is they need from -- not just the batch one or not just, you know, we have this thing called a council that leads the community. So not just from the council, but from everyone else that, and, and really just other coaches on board. So sometimes someone goes, "You know, I'm looking for this type of coach." OK, you know what, I know who to connect you with. Or "I'm looking for someone in this part of the Philippines." We have someone there, let me connect you with that person.

Saurav Atri 9:28

Wow. And you know, especially on Includer, you know, people, a lot of coaches sort of just struggle with this: Hey, what's the business use of Includer? Like, how do I use it in my work, in my communities, in the, you know, especially around the positive side of Includer. Tell us a little more about that, and how have you been able to use your Includer, particularly, in bringing this group together?

Celine Sugay 9:46

So, I'll just share my story. And then, you know, you can actually use it in any part, wherever it is, you know, whether it's, you're in a family reunion, or even with friends or even in the workplace. So I actually feel like my Includer is really strong when it comes to welcoming people into something new. And helping them just understand a little bit more of what it is they're about to get into. And so I used to help -- and I still do, so I help people get on board and do the ASCC [Accelerated Strengths Coaching Course]. So when they're interested in taking the coaching course, and they have more questions, I would actually get on a call with them. Sometimes I -- the longest call I've had would be like 3 hours talking to someone about the course, trying to help them figure out if it's right for them or not. And just really making them feel that, again, they have someone already inside and someone already to help them even if they haven't taken the course. So I've also done like a lot of one-on-one sessions, like really just meeting with people and just sitting down with them, going through the process. Sometimes it's even letting them experience of OK, you know what, this is what I went through, and then here, and so I kind of coach them as well. And at the end of that I'm like, you know, when you get onto the course, that's what you can do for other people as well. So even without being in the course, I'm already helping -- my Includer already helps them feel, feel welcome, then feel that they can really count on someone, whether they decide to or not.

Celine Sugay 11:18

And so there are people who are like, OK, maybe not at the moment. And so we get to connect them with the meetups, we get to connect them with coaches, wherever they are, or whatever it is they need. Same thing when they do come on board, I make it a point that when the course starts, I'm actually here at 7 in the morning on a Monday. And I never have to wake up that early for anything! And so I'm here by 7 a.m. and this, and -- Yes, I'm here by 7 a.m. And I'm here to welcome them and I make sure that I'm always like, Hi, I'm Celine. I'm a coach here and, you know, any questions you have. And usually I'm also the one introducing them to their trainers. And I always make it a point that I'm like, I'm not the Gallup employee, OK, I don't work for Gallup, I'm a coach, I'm a local coach. And then I come back again, at the end on the last day of their ASCC. Because oftentimes, you know, being the first batch, we didn't have a lot of resources, and we didn't have a lot of people who knew what it was like, right? And so it was, I found that a lot of people have questions about how to how to get certified: What is it? What is it like? Or what is the test like, right? What do we need to know? How do you study? And things like that. And so when I come back on the last day, I have them take pictures as well for the graduation, and then I'm there to just answer and I stay -- I stay about another 2 hours just to answer what people -- the questions people have.

Celine Sugay 12:48

And then we've also come up with like an FAQs for -- that we send out to people who finish the course. So that right then and there, they already know, oh, I get so many discounted codes if I become a certified coach, if I pursue with certification! What's in it for me? And it's not just what Gallup has to offer them, but even what the local community has. We've also encouraged you know, my again, my Includer because I really want to be able to reach more people, and which is really the "why" for me of doing all this. And I honestly don't have to do all this, right? I do this as a volunteer, I don't get paid for anything. But I really just want to be able to get strengths out there for more people, because I've always known that I wanted to help people by talking to them. I knew that it was counseling, that it was psychology. But there still was a missing part for me. And so when I did -- when it finally clicked and I found that it was strengths, it was positive psych. And so I can just imagine the magic it will do and the power it has for so many more people if we could just reach more people. And so with the ASCC when, and the last batch, in fact, we we now have 202 coaches in the Philippines, trained coaches and 12 batches. And so even in the last batch, I found someone from Cebu and I found someone from Cagayan de Oro and the first things I said were like, please, if you want to make a meetup, let's make a meetup so that you can reach more people, so that you can start, you know, practicing, you can run with what you have. And and then we also -- something I've also done with a few of the coaches in the community is that after they finish the course, they don't really do anything. And so by the time they have to take the test, they've forgotten things. So I do like a tutorial kind of review session with them as well, just answering questions also, especially like the difference of specific themes, which can seem very similar. And so I get often the same questions. And so I help them out with that.

Celine Sugay 14:56

And then at the same time, you know, I also get asked a lot about How did you start your practice? What do you do? Everything from, you know, registering as a consultant, as an individual consultant here in the Philippines. And also just really how you get clients. And so I really just share my story. And I help them out with that. There are coaches also who want to do workshops, but they're not so familiar with the material or they're not so sure how to create the workshop. And so I've even had, I've even been able to help out people that call me up and just say, Can I run my program with you -- run through my program with you, give me suggestions? And so I just walk through that with them. And I actually feel really fortunate that, you know, people trust me with this and people -- people just come to me for this. And I'm just really happy to be able to help because I know if they get to do well, then more people get to discover what's great about them and more people get to love themselves and it -- really love those Aha! moments when people are like, Yes, that's me! or Oh my gosh, yes, I want to do that! Or sometimes even Oh my gosh, I'm getting in my way, right. So and those realizations just help people get through, you know, whatever the challenges or get -- achieve the goals that they have. So yes.

Saurav Atri 16:19

Yeah, thank you, Celine, no, a wonderful Aha! moment you talked about. Now what would be some of your Aha! moments in your experiences of coaching as well?

Celine Sugay 16:26

Yeah, so something I really like about coaching and running workshops is that every time I leave a workshop or a coaching session, I actually have a new learning about myself. One of my favorites was after a workshop, someone had gone to me asking about their Maximizer. And, you know, I always say, I can't tell you what your Maximizer is like for you; I can only tell you, the, you know, the what I've seen as Maximizer for other people. And so this specific one, she was asking me about -- she was telling me that "I don't like details. Is that my Maximizer?" And I'm like, I don't know. Right. So I started asking her more questions about it. And then she came to a conclusion that yeah, it is her Maximizer. And it was so funny, because as she was talking, and she was telling me that, you know, I like just, I don't need to know all the details. When I my team does things, I don't need to know all the details. They like to sit down with me, and I'm just like, you can do that! You can do that! Just figure it out. Just figure it out. And that's what she was saying that she doesn't like details. And after leaving that I was like, Oh, hey, that was my Maximizer too! So on my own I was like, because of her questions and because I helped her figure out the question, I actually learned as well that Yeah, that was that -- that resonated with me, that was so "me" as well. And then, you know, again, because of this Includer, right, when I do get to meet people and companies that have Includer, I realize that that is exactly what I've been doing with the community. It's just that it's not my formal organization, right. But within organizations, people have used Includer as a really good way of onboarding people. And not just your technical and formal onboarding, but the people with Includer are the ones I've seen that really welcome people; they're the ones who show them, you know, the ins and outs, the tips and tricks, or maybe even just the best restaurant around the area of the company. And so that's, that's something as well. And there was my own Aha! moments when I'm running things or when I'm coaching people.

Saurav Atri 18:37

OK, Celine, that was fantastic. Tell us some more about what tips and techniques do you use when coaching other people, in terms of generally helping them generate some Aha! moments as well?

Celine Sugay 18:47

OK, so the first, the first thing that comes to mind is, I tend to have this -- one of one of my strengths, it's not a Gallup CliftonStrengths thing, is like curiosity. I'm a very, very curious person. And so with coaching, it's really just capitalizing on that curiosity, you know, which, which does correlate with my Includer, with my Communication, it's just really being able to ask the right questions, right. And so and wanting to learn more also about the person. So one thing that comes to mind with being curious is that I'm very quick with seeing contradictions. So when people start talking, you know, maybe they're saying, one of my favorites is usually with managers, it's, "Oh, you know, this is my challenge! I want to develop my people, I want my people to take initiative." I'm like, OK, so what are you doing then, so that they have that initiative, so that you're creating that culture that they can speak up, and that they can have suggestions, and they can share their own ideas? And then, you know, they start saying, "Oh, I'm so busy. So when I, when they ask me what to do, I tell them what to do." And so the culture is very spoon-feeding. And I'm just like, Oh, OK, so they're talking, they're talking. And I'm like, I don't think she realized what she had said. So -- and I've done this for, and this is just one of the examples, right? And so I'm like, oh, OK, you know, what, can you pause for a bit, because this is what I heard from you earlier on. I heard that you want to create initiative, you want your people to have initiative. And when I asked you what you wanted, what you're doing, what I was hearing was a lot of telling them what to do. How does this relate to each other, right? And so when, as soon as they hear me repeat what they've said, then it's like, Oh, OK, I'm actually doing the opposite. I'm actually, it's not about their initiative, but it's also about what I'm doing that allows them to take that initiative.

Celine Sugay 20:57

And so they find that they actually get in their way of their own goals. And I've done this for a lot of different situations, and just sometimes even just personal, you know, they're they're confused about, let's see, one was confused about his Competition, and how his Competition was just really negatively perceived. And he was seeing and something there was like, Oh, you know, but my Harmony and my Positivity are low, and all these things that, you know, would make me more understanding, like Empathy, they're not very high. And then, you know, as we talk and talk and talk, he actually has a side of his Competition that, he does use it, that the team, the whole team can compete with other groups as well. And so it's really just again, watching out for those contradictions, and not even translating it in my own words, just giving it back to them, and then asking them things like, "Can you tell me more about this?" or "I'm a little confused. I'm not sure how this relates with what you had just said" or just also asking them like, maybe a little more examples or giving help, asking them to make me understand. But when they explain it a little more, then they start seeing what what I saw, that there are contradictions with what they're doing, and with what they hope to be able to do.

Saurav Atri 22:22

So what are some of the go-to questions you have, Celine, to think about, you know, helping them probe a little deeper in your coaching?

Celine Sugay 22:30

My go-to are really very Gallup questions that I've learned through through the course. So it's really I really start with what's working, what's not working? And then what can you do differently? And so those three questions are really like, my power go-to questions. And I can actually stick with just those 3 questions in a whole coaching session. And it can be so very beneficial to the client, to the coachee, in fact, a lot of of the managers I work with, I actually tell them to do the same with their people, right, especially with this case, where you know, they want to develop their people, they want people to speak up, they want people to take initiative, I go, you know, before you say anything else, ask these 3 questions. And you'll see that they actually have really good ideas as well. And then, you know, those 3, yeah, so those 3 questions. And then sometimes I would also ask, especially if I've heard a contradiction, I would really ask them, "How are you getting in your way?" And that's often something they don't usually think of as well, especially in a strengths coaching session, because they always think that, you know, they have this premise that this is all about what I'm good at. And this is all about what I'm great at. And then when I start asking that, How are you getting in your way? They realize that oh, OK, my strengths can actually get in my way. And so they start seeing a lens, a different lens of it as well. Another one that I've started using just recently only because it I seem to have waves in terms of coaching. So sometimes I have waves of like, contradictions, I have waves, and then the recent wave is people have started seeing that the their frustrations can be linked to their their themes, their Top 5 themes. And so, so oftentimes, questions that I ask in terms of that are, What are your frustrations? And what themes do you think are linked to that? And then from there we take it into, So what are your needs because of these themes, because of the way, you know, you function in the world and the way it filters your world?

Saurav Atri 24:38

Such great stories. What specific stories that you can, you know, share with us that what might be useful for the listeners, either from your facilitation or from your coaching experiences that, you know, that have stuck in your memories and your experiences?

Celine Sugay 24:52

So one of the ones that and I this is my favorite example, I use this a lot, whether in workshops or in coaching. So when I had just started coaching, one of -- and this is a trick that I, well, this is my technique into building my coaching practice. So when I had just started coaching, I went to my friends first and I really said, you know, I'm going to coach you for free. And I'm going to try this out, I'm going to practice with you. And so one of my friends that I coached, and it was really a challenge because being newly certified in this because she had said, you know, this is not me, "I have Empathy." And this is not me. You know me, right? And I was just like, oh, what am I going to do here? And so I had read up her it on her Empathy, and I was just like, oh, that's actually really her. And you know, and so I was just like, Oh, no, I don't know what to do is kind of panicking as well. And so I was just like, OK, no, no, no, this is about her. I'm just going to ask her questions. And so as it OK, sure, let's go with that. It's not you what, what about it is not you. And so she started telling me about it, I saw that the discrepancy was more of an understanding of the themes, and also self awareness. So she knows herself to be a certain way where she's, she doesn't really she's not really the type to actually go up to people and see, or Yuki, what's wrong. And the understanding of Empathy seems to be that you, you're a person who cares a lot about people. And so that's where the difference was coming from that she was really objecting to this Empathy being in her Top 5. And so as we explore that, she started seeing that Empathy. And we, you know, this is the power of the naming and claiming, right? So you really have to understand what Empathy is in the CliftonStrengths point of view, and not really in the dictionary or the English point of view, or just general way we assume that Empathy is about -- what Empathy is about. And so when we started looking and naming her Empathy, see, she was like, OK, I actually can tell how people feel, I can actually sense that you're in a bad mood. But I don't care if you're having a bad mood. And so we were laughing about it, because I was like, yeah, you know, that I understand where you're coming from. And so, when we finally under when she finally understood this Empathy, the realization there was my Empathy -- her Empathy was about being able to sense the emotions and being able to see that, OK, it's not the right thing, the file my leave, because my boss is in a bad mood. It's not about going off to my boss and saying, Are you OK? Can I help you with anything? Is there something wrong, right? So it's not that; it was really using the information, the emotions of other people as information, and then whatever response she has to it might not be about the Empathy. And so that that was one of the themes that I love using as just a way of seeing also the many different aspects of strengths and of the themes, because it's not just one part. And it's not just one definition of it.

Saurav Atri 28:18

Especially, Celine, for coaches who are starting off new or been there, you know, experienced coaches as well. And since you've been doing this for a while, what's your advice to them around how should they go about, you know, building their practices, or even in terms of coaching? What tips and techniques do you have for them?

Celine Sugay 28:32

Um, so one is, I would really say, just practice, just try it out no matter who it's with. So again, what I did was I went up to my friends and said, Can I please coach you for free, and I actually had a few not-so-great experiences, I guess, or very different from what they had expected, especially when I was coaching my friends who were psychologists as well. You know, they, we ended the session, and they were like, Oh, that was so different from what I thought it would be. So one is to just just really keep trying it out. And I would often say that, you know, try it out, even if you don't make money out of it just yet. So I do, I really started off by really just wanting to help people, not really thinking of how I was gonna, you know, ROI, or make it back or make the investment back, right. But I just wanted to get more people to learn about it. And then through the -- through practicing with my friends, and through helping my friends name, claim, aim their themes. I was like, you know, the only thing I ask for in return is that, if you like your experience with me, please talk about it. And how can you not talk about it, because even if I don't ask that, people are talking about it. And so from there, that's when people started coming to me. And that's when people started, you know, that my paying clients started coming to me, because they were being referred by the friends who had experience with strengths was about with me. I even have friends who have referred me to their companies. And so that's where we started running workshops. So really just practicing.

Saurav Atri 30:07

What's the impact that you can see here with your clients, particularly, Celine, that you, you know, have experienced in terms of your facilitation or work?

Celine Sugay 30:16

So, and this is, I guess, this is also what I, which is why I've chosen to be a positive psychologist, because throughout practicing strengths, something I've seen really that was so powerful was that people get to learn more about themselves. So it's really the process of self-discovery. And it's a never-ending process, right? But, but then when they've learned more about themselves, and what's great about them, they actually get to accept who they are, whether it's, you know, what helps them or what hinders them, they're able to accept that, and then they're able to find ways around it. So especially the parts that get in their way, maybe they're able to create systems or create partnerships with people that that balance that out. And really the bottom I'm of it all, for me is to help people just come to terms with who they are and love themselves. So it's beyond just being more of who you are. For me, it's really loving yourself. So when I started strengths, coaching, people would ask me, what do you do? And my answer is, I help people fall in love with themselves. Because if you write if you love who you are, then you can show that to other people. And you can help people do the same as well. And it's really a chain of react reaction, it's a ripple effect. Going back, just a bit syrup. So aside from practicing, something I would say I would recommend as well for new coaches is to really talk to other coaches. And this is something I struggled with when I started counseling people was because I didn't really know what to do and where to start. But with, like here in the Philippines, with the community, there are just so many resources, you have all the experts in one room, right, you have access to all these experts. And you know, gala passes as well for all the new certified coaches, because there's an amazing community. And it's really to make use of that community where whatever the question is, you know, it's such a safe space to ask, I have a new client, or I don't know what to do with schools, I don't know what to do with teachers, and people just openly and generous as they share what they have, and really capitalizing on that. And another one was to really just learn with other coaches as well. So I've done this with a few coaches where they, you know, one of one of my really close friends from the community now, she works with me as well, because she doesn't want to do things on her own. And so we collaborate together. I've -- same thing I get to learn from other coaches, so I get to help out, I get to collaborate with people. And that's one thing I really love about the community is because we don't com -- Yes, we have our own businesses. But we don't really compete against each other in terms of getting more business. In fact, we boost each other's businesses by either, you know, marketing each other or referring to each other, or just even collaborating and working together on a specific project.

Saurav Atri 33:11

And I know the community loves you, Celine, because you're the integrator and the communicator for that group of people. Tell us more about, What does community offer to new members who are joining that group of people -- How often do you guys meet? What all do you talk about? Tell us more about that.

Celine Sugay 33:25

So for coaches and, and I actually tell a lot of the ASCC graduates that, you know, whether you like it or not, you're part of the community, unless you really say you don't want to be, right. So, so automatically, ASCC graduates are part of the community. And then after the course, we usually have monthly meetups for coaches. So something we run as well, and Coach May was talking about this in her Called to Coach also the other month, right? So we have something called coaching circle, wherein we help our coaches upscale, because there are people who join the ASCC and have never experienced coaching or have never really done coaching themselves. And so they're at a loss because, you know, yes, the framework of Gallup is amazing, but coaching skills, like you know, listening or asking questions, they're not so familiar with it. And so the coaching circle gives them gives new coaches as a space to be able to learn these coaching skills and practice them. And so what happens in the coaching circle is, I get to coach let's say, for example, I get the coach Jim, Jim gets to go serve and serve gets to coach me. And then after coaching, there's also that's a space to be able to get real feedback, right? Whatever worked for them, or maybe where we confuse them sometimes, and really, what can help me as a coach, upscale and get better and improve. So that's something that we do for coaching circle, another one that we do for coaches, as well as that we do have get togethers we're in, we're able to just, you know, share our best friends practices. Sometimes we have a coach who wants to try something new out. And so we come together, and we let them try it out on us. We experiment together and try new things.

Celine Sugay 35:11

And then a big thing that we just started and really by Coach Pia's initiative last year was the conference. So we have a Strengths Philippines conference. So the community is called Strengths Philippines. And we started our own conference because the summit is so far away, right. And we wanted not just coaches to be able to join, but also just the public. So it's an initiative by the coaches. And so what's nice about this is it gives the coaches a platform to really showcase and showcase their expertise and show what they have to offer to the world. And then it also gives the public non coaches to really discover more about strengths. So maybe they've taken it, but they don't know anything about it. We have people who have never taken or have never even heard of CliftonStrengths. But they came to the conference. And so last year, we had 180 participants join us with 11 learning sessions and about 13 people speaking in that conference this year. And so from among, you know, we've had 12 batches, we have 202 coaches right here in the Philippines, and who have trained in the Philippines and I think about 150, who are based locally, we have about 30 people who are active and when I mean active, they're actually playing a role, whether they're volunteering for the conference, or, you know, Coach Jerry just started his Facebook live, where he we do like our own theme, Thursday's kind of thing, with coaches sharing about a specific theme. And then we have, of course, Coach Val who does meet ups. And so when I say active, they're actually doing something for the community, contributing something specific to the community. And so, but in the conference, we have more people coming in, enter, get them we have coaches coming in our meetups as well, which is open to the public, not just the coaches, we have other coaches coming and contributing, whether they're here next month or not the next month, just about, you know, they're more than 30. People who, who who join in and who do something for the community as well. So this year, we have about already 30 people, at least 30 people doing something for the conference, my team we're about we're six ladies organizing the conference, right. And we have been learning sessions all throughout the day. And it's just amazing, because the sessions are really now about using strengths.

Celine Sugay 37:43

So last year, it was just very generic, very general, for everyone to be able to connect with whether they know something about strengths or not. This year, it's still open to people who don't know about strengths and just exploring. But what's nice is the sessions are very about aiming, it's focused on aiming and how I can use it for myself, for teams and for the, for the company as well. And so we have speakers who are talking about how they've rolled strengths out into their company, and what it's like to now work with a strengths based company. And so and so these are a lot of coaching initiatives, right, the coaches initiatives. So really, for the public, the best, you know, the easiest, easy access thing, right, that's available is the two things that I mentioned earlier. One is the the Facebook Live, of course, Jerry has just started and that and you can follow the strengths Philippines Facebook page for that. And then of course the meet up. So we started with one meetup in Ortigas in Pasig, which is a city here right in the Philippines. And so we started in 2014 in Pasig; in 2016 we -- 2017 we added one more in Ortigas. And then now we have one in Alabang. We've moved already to Mandaluyong as well. We have Indaba, which is down south of the Philippines. And then just yesterday, we launched the newest one, which is in Cagayan de Oro, and so it's growing and it's growing. And we've also encouraged more coaches to start meetups wherever they are located so that we can reach more people. The meetups are also amazing because they're free. The coaches do not charge anything; the only request we have is that they order something because we have we have this in a cafe or in a restaurant. And we want to be able to support the business as well. So it's a free learning session. And sometimes we've even had meetups where there are one coach is the one participant in the meetup. And so that becomes a very rich learning session. Right? They basically get coached for free during the meetup. So yeah, those are just a number of things that we're doing as a community to support coaches, new coaches, and not just, and even just the public.

Saurav Atri 40:05

I mean, I know that the Strengths Philippines community also has a motto, a mission statement. Tell us a bit more about that, what that is and where that came from. And how does that unite the community here?

Celine Sugay 40:14

So it's really Stronger Philippines. That's what we hope to be able to do together, you know, the 150 coaches based here in the Philippines, it's really to build a stronger country. And really to be able to do that one person at a time and imagine, with 150 people, we can only reach so many. And so the -- which is also why I've really, you know, been active in getting people onto the course, whatever it is that help they need to be able to get people into the ASCC, because we do need more coaches, we need more coaches to reach more Filipinos. And especially being able to run these programs maybe in Filipino in our local language, so that more people can understand it and more people can connect with it.

Saurav Atri 41:10

You know, Jim, we actually looked at the number of you know, people who have taken the CliftonStrengths assessment the Philippines and sort of mapped it to how many coaches do we have? Currently the ratio is for every 756 people who've taken strengths, we only have one coach. for every 756 people who have taken the CliftonStrengths, we have only one coach. So we do invite more people to be part of this amazing thriving community as well in the Philippines and come and join this family. And truly, it does feel like a family as well. Celine, one final question that I have for you is also you've been through these, you know, this journey over the last, you know, 4 or 5 years. And also, you know, been through the conference, you've organized it, you've been to many meetup groups, what's been some of the biggest insights and discoveries you've discovered for yourself personally, being part of this family community?

Celine Sugay 41:53

It really goes back to the community for me. I, you know, a lot of people have asked me, Why do you do this? You don't even get paid for it. It takes up so much of your time! Some people have even said, You should start getting paid for it. And I'm like, Oh, no, I don't need to get paid for it, really, because, you know, I've gone through the experience of doing things on my own. And so and not knowing how to start. And so having this community was has just really helped me develop and has helped me grow as a coach. And even just as a person, I get access to the best coaches out there that I would never have been able to do without being part of the community. So the huge insight really there is why do things on your own when you can do them with 150 amazing individuals who, you know, people -- I'm very visible only because again, I go to all these things, I reach out to people; my Includer makes me visible, but there are so many other people there that have really contributed and that I've learned that I've been able to learn from it. So it's being able to identify what I need, and who that right person is. And not and really being able to be honest with myself that I want help for that. Right. That's that's exactly what we do for our clients. We help them because they want the help. And so what more is when we ourselves have our own coach or our own mentors, and being able to go up to someone and say, Hey, I need your help. In fact, I actually did that before this Called to Coach. I called one of the coaches and said, Help me out. What -- what in the world am I supposed to talk about? Right? So having that awareness that I need help as well and just being able to be real with that, and seeking that out. And if you have a network of people, even no matter how small it is, or how big it is, it's to really just capitalize on that.

Saurav Atri 43:58

And again, Jim, I think you have to feel it. I know what the power of the community is, you know, it's something which I don't think words can do justice in terms of explaining it. And actually, the only word that I can think of that could truly explain what that feeling or the energy that we have here in the Philippines is called, it's actually a Filipino word that's called malasocket, which really has no English translation to a direct translation. And you know, and that's why I say you have to feel it and experience what this community is. So if all the people out there who are interested to be part of this family, come, you know, experience and connect with Celine, you know, connect with the coaches, and you'll feel what that the power, the power of this community and power of this mission that, you know, everybody in the country is on to make Philippines a strengths-based country and make it a stronger you, stronger Philippines community as well, you know. Thank you, Celine for sharing experiences. Jim, any questions that you have from the community, as well or from the people logged in live?

Jim Collison 44:51

Yeah. Marta had asked in the chat room, Celine, you had talked about "filling your own bucket." And she's wondering, are you using, you know, we have that book, How Full Is Your Bucket? And, you know, we kind of use that terminology a lot. Do you teach that a lot? I mean, is that something that's catching on there?

Celine Sugay 45:07

In fact, I had just finished a workshop yesterday about filling your bucket. And it's been amazing seeing how, you know, people who have worked together, they, they don't fill each other's buckets, right. And the fact that we taught it, and we brought it into their attention, right, into their awareness, they were like, I actually should be doing this more. And one of the amazing the one of the amazing insights there was really the fact that when they do something for other people, they actually get to fill their own bucket as well. So it was really powerful, because yesterday, we had a group of like, just all men in one table. And we actually asked each other, we asked them to drop, put a "drop" in each other's buckets, right? So they created all these notes, these drops, and, and then something I said was just don't, don't just give the drop to the person. Read it first to the person before you hand it over. And so we were watching. So my partner and I, Denise, so we were observing this group of all men, and we were like, Oh, no, it looks like they're awkward, very feel so uncomfortable. And so I wasn't so sure how it was going to fly. And so I had gone to them, to their table, and I was like, Are you guys OK? And, and then there's this guy, really, he was just so red. And he was just really like, seated in this uncomfortable manner. And I'm like, are you OK? If you feel uncomfortable, remember, it's OK. You don't have to, we don't force people to do things you don't want to. And what happened was, his his manager goes, Oh, actually, he's about to cry, which is why he was looking like that. And so he was apparently stopping himself from crying. And then really, at the end of it, the Aha! moment there was like, we should be doing this more often. And so these the paper I brought for their drops, I was just like, you know what, I'm leaving all this paper here. Take some; don't leave it within the room. Write something for people who are not in this room. And so they did. And, and it's, and I've done this a few times, and it's always the same experience of I need to be doing something for other people so that I can fill my bucket too.

Jim Collison 47:32

Yeah, nobody ever says, Now stop saying nice things, stop. I don't -- No, no, no more, you know, and and you're right, that is contagious in a lot of ways. And when one does it for another, it begins to make this kind of -- it can have this exponential effect on engagement and the way people feel about what they're doing and each other and the teams and those pieces. And, you know, it's a simple piece of paper in some cases, or it's even a kind word, right, in that. So good job for doing that. I will say and I'll wrap it with this. We -- I'd better watch out for my job Sauav, like Celine here is like, Wow! Like as you were talking about some of the things you do, I'm like -- Wow, that kind of sounds like what I do. Wait a minute, I do that! Oh, wait a minute, I do that! So I guess I better watch my back. You may be coming up and and taking over. Thanks for doing a lot of those things that are there. They're they're needed. They're -- you know, I do them globally, but it's certainly we need people local to do some of those kinds of things, help people get through the exam. Help people feel welcome when they're there that first day, I try to stop in to the sessions when they're here in Omaha, and I can, I try to stop in and see see the class and even though we don't have the same Top 5, I think we we probably have the both the same motivations in making people feel comfortable and welcome and all those kinds of things. So thanks for doing that locally. It's a little tough for me to get to Manila all the time. So thanks for thanks for doing that on a local basis. I appreciate that.

Celine Sugay 49:05

Thank you and you know if you're ever here, we do hope you drop by and visit us!

Jim Collison 49:09

Yeah, I'm working on it. We'll see how it goes. Saurav, any final thoughts before we wrap it?

Saurav Atri 49:14

Yes, you know so we do have a few programs coming around the corner in the Philippines so and you know, like as you enter -- you fly into the Philippines, the airport says "It's fun in the Philippines!" And strengths is even bigger fun in the Philippines. So come and join us, be part of this community. You, by the way, automatically when you take a course in the Philippines you become part of the community here as well, you know, because you build those connections and you experience malasocket -- the experience of feeling within the room as well. So come and join us from October 14-18 we have an Accelerated Strengths Coaching course coming across. And then, for all the people who've been through that program globally, we also have the Advanced Strengths Coaching course coming up the following week of that, followed up with a CliftonStrengths Discovery Train the Trainer. So you've got two weeks of just unbelievable learning and just on that weekend, Celine is also hosting the strengths -- the conference here that in the coaches have gotten together to organize. So it's going to be a two weeks of just unbelievable connections, learning. So come be part of the Philippines story here in the Philippines community here.

Jim Collison 50:19

All right, well, with that we'll remind everyone to take full advantage of all the resources we have available at the Gallup Strengths Center. Don't forget if it's if it's after September 20, 2019, we've moved. We need to put up a moving sign, Saurav, that says, "We've moved!" Well actually, we'll move you automatically but we're moving on to Gallup Access and lots of things going on. You can access that through my.gallup.com, an easy way to remember on how to get there. A bunch of brand-new resources coming on online. We just created a Called to Coach today that talked about that. A demo is involved and some other things. We're actually doing a bunch of communication -- if you're one of our certified coaches and you're watching this, you might want to pay close attention to what's going on in our Called to Coach channel because we have a lot information coming and a lot of changes happen. We won't want to catch you off guard. So make sure you're staying close. If you have any questions, you can send us an email: coaching@gallup.com. Or see Celine; she's she's probably got the answers as well. If you -- and we're changing our Coaches Blog too. It had been, it -- or it has, it is, it's going to be weird because some people watch these in the future or listen to him in the future. It had been at coaching.gallup.com. It is moving to gallup.com/cliftonstrengths, so lots of great stuff. We've prepared about 700 pieces of content for you to be moved over there: Mastery Mondays, Theme Thursdays, Called to Coaches, all those, all the blogs are moving as well and will be available for you. Saurav mentioned courses. We do have a global list of all our courses that are available for you there on our courses page. Just go to courses.gallup.com. Look around there a little bit. We do them all around the world. We'd love to have you join us -- one of them as well. You can join us on our Facebook group. There's a great Facebook group there in the Philippines as well, but if you want to join the big one the big the big global one: facebook.com/groups/calledtocoach. Want to thank you for joining us today. Want to watch my back because Celine's coming up on it and I just want to make sure I get my job for the next couple of years. Thanks for listening. With that we'll say, Goodbye, everybody.

Celine Sugay's Top 5 CliftonStrengths are Maximizer, Positivity, Communication, Woo and Includer.

Purchase Living Your Strengths (Protestant edition; Catholic edition).