"It's been about 10 years since I've been coaching quite actively, and the biggest evolution has been a comfort with composure. In the early days of coaching, I was keen to demonstrate I could have an impact, often missing opportunities for the coachee because we didn't sit in the discomfort long enough for real insight and clarity to emerge. Now, I really try to hold space for the coachee in moments that might involve long silences or feelings of discomfort, which ultimately lead to deeper reflection, allowing insights to come up organically rather than forcing or prematurely pushing them." - Parin Mehta
"The biggest thing I've learned is that the power of the right question at the right time can be incredibly impactful. Most operators or builders have a clear sense of what they eventually want to do, but they struggle with landing the specific actions to get there. One of the important aspects of coaching is the ability to be present, pick up the mood of the person, and ask the right question at the right time to unlock an insight that leads to action. It's really, really important. So, in every session, I'm always looking for those moments of insight and clarity I can provide for the coachee by asking the right question and helping them feel truly understood." - Parin Mehta
"What attracted me to Airbnb was two things. First, many excellent people I'd worked with at Google had moved to Airbnb, and I wanted the opportunity to work with them again. Secondly, there was a strong, founder-led culture and a product I loved using. In scale-up companies, you don't enjoy every day of work—some days are really rough. You need an underlying motivation to keep turning up, doing the work, and tackling the hard tasks of running a team. For me, that motivation was a love for the product and a desire to see it used by as many people around the world as possible. I particularly enjoyed the international expansion aspect of my role at Airbnb." - Parin Mehta
In this episode, Jeremy Au speaks on the Google and Airbnb GM career, tech executive to founder coach journey, and leadership advice.
Keywords: Parin Mehta, Google and Airbnb GM Career, Tech Executive to Founder Coach, Leadership Advice, Singapore, Southeast Asia, Mentorship, Founder Story
