Celebrating the First Inaugural Leader-as-Coach Certification Program Graduates in Bhutan’s Civil Service
Today marks a historic milestone for leadership development in Bhutan’s government. Over the past year, 18 civil service leaders from every ministry and agency have successfully completed the Leader-as-Coach Certification Program, becoming the first cohort in Bhutan – and the first in Asia within this framework – to be formally certified as “Leader as Coach.”
Co-designed and delivered in partnership between CTI Leadership and the Royal Civil Service Commission (RCSC), the program unfolded in two levels:
Level 1 completed in October, and Level 2 completed in April.
During the celebration ceremony, Mo Kasti and RCSC Chairperson Tashi Pem congratulated the cohort on their accomplishment, recognizing not only the rigor of the program but also the courage and commitment it took to complete it on top of demanding leadership roles.
A New Kind of Leadership in Bhutan’s Civil Service
The Leader-as-Coach program is an immersive development journey that equips leaders with practical coaching tools and, even more importantly, the mindset to use them in everyday leadership moments.
Participants deepened their skills in:
- Active listening and powerful, effective questioning
- Co-creating solutions rather than imposing them
- Using the three-box coaching model to move from current state to desired future state
- Building psychological safety and trust in teams
- Balancing the roles of manager and coach in the same conversation
Through a combination of workshops, circle meetings, practice coaching, and reflection, leaders learned how to:
- Navigate complexity with greater clarity
- Lead teams with deeper empathy and respect
- Create shared ownership instead of one-way instruction
- Bring coaching into both professional and personal contexts
This inaugural class sets a new standard for what leadership can look like in the Bhutan civil service: grounded, human, and growth-oriented.
How Graduates Describe the Impact
Leaders across the Bhutan civil service describe the Leader as Coach program as a transformative journey that reshaped how they lead, work, and live.
Graduates report that they are now:
- Use coaching skills to overcome real organizational challenges and
- accelerate team progress despite heavy workloads and resource constraints.
- Step into larger leadership roles with more confidence, empathy, and clarity.
- Shift from command and instruction to co‑creation, dialogue, and shared ownership—seeing leadership as a mindset rather than a position.
- Apply active listening, effective questioning, and the three‑box coaching model with colleagues, superiors, friends, and family, discovering “a new, more grounded and self‑assured” version of themselves.
Perhaps most importantly, graduates emphasize that the impact reaches far beyond the individual. Newly certified leaders are:
- Coaching their own teams
- Sparking visible growth in previously quiet or hesitant colleagues
- Helping build a culture where human judgment, psychological safety, and continuous learning thrive alongside Bhutan’s national vision and rapid technological advancement
Voices from the Graduates
Here is how some of the graduates themselves describe the program and its impact:
- From training to real results at work
“Right after the coaching program, I faced serious challenges in my division. Using the skills I learned, I was able to overcome them and saw our fiscal year activities start progressing much better. Despite heavy workload and attrition, these coaching tools helped my team move forward together.”
- A human skill for work and life
“This is not just an official training; it’s a soft, human skill I now use every day. I find myself asking colleagues, friends, and family, ‘What do you feel about it? What do you think should be done?’ The techniques have become part of how I speak and listen to people.”
- Discovering a more confident, grounded self
“Through this journey, I discovered a new me – more confident, more grounded, more self‑assured. I used to hesitate to step out of my comfort zone or even offer advice. Now I show up as a more structured coach and advisor, guided by models like the three‑box coaching model, active listening, and effective questioning.”
- Leadership as a mindset, not a position
“This program reshaped my understanding of leadership. I’ve learned that effective leadership is not about command and control, but about enabling others to think, take ownership, and grow. ‘Leadership is not a position, but a mindset’ now guides how I lead, coach, and make decisions every day.”
- Co‑creation, not imposition
“One key learning that stayed with me is co‑creation. Solutions and growth shouldn’t be imposed; they should be built together through dialogue, trust, and shared understanding. I don’t see this certification as an endpoint, but as the start of a continuous journey to learn, unlearn, and grow as a coach and leader.”
- Becoming a better leader in a bigger role
“Shortly after the program, I was entrusted to officiate as a chief planning officer. I credit this to being molded into a better leader through the coaching sessions. Now, when I make decisions, I first seek to understand the situation, empathize, and be compassionate – instead of deciding too quickly.”
- Impact far beyond the individual
“While I had the privilege to be coached, the true impact goes far beyond me. I’ve seen my colleagues grow – some who were previously quiet or disengaged now contribute actively. Being coached by CTI with support from RCSC has emboldened us, and now we are coaching others. It’s a collective growth journey.”
- Coaching as ‘dancing’ – even with superiors
“Mo once said coaching is dancing with others. I carry that image into every conversation. It helps me relax, be present, and handle complex issues with both junior colleagues and superiors. I feel I’ve become a different, better person – calmer, more intentional, and better able to support others.”
- Human judgment in a high‑tech world
“In a world rapidly transformed by AI and new technologies, this program reminded me of something technology cannot replace, human professional judgment. Leader as Coach strengthened that judgment – teaching me to lead myself first, then others, and to see myself as a leader learning from other leaders.”
Looking Ahead
This inaugural cohort is more than a group of program graduates; they are trailblazers for a new leadership culture in Bhutan’s civil service.
They are:
The first certified Leader-as-Coach cohort in Bhutan, spread across all ministries and agencies, committed to paying it forward by coaching, mentoring, and developing others.
We’re proud to celebrate their achievement and even more excited about the stories of impact they will continue to create—in their teams, ministries, communities, and in Bhutan’s future.
Congratulations to all 18 certified Leader-as-Coach graduates. This is the beginning of a powerful, ongoing coaching journey for Bhutan’s leaders and the people they serve.
