“…getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life.” Steve Jobs
30
Days
On a cold sunny October morning of 2001, I am waiting at our Bristol, UK, office to be called. Called to be told that my Senior Digital Art Director role no longer exists. Strange title, stranger times. In the post 9/11 dot-com bubble burst and the slide to deep economic recession, our entire company closed down, like many others. I had just 30 days to find work or return home, back to India. Just 30 days. We had no idea what we’ll do with all those carefully collected things, the many memories, that made up our beautiful home and stay of over 2 years.
Seeding
scaling
nurturing
Little did I know then that in the years to come I would go on to co-found my Studio in Manchester, UK, help Adobe seed and scale it’s Experience Design practice in India ground-up, lead the Design team at India’s biggest startup success story – Flipkart, become a Senior Vice President at India’s largest Online Travel Aggregator (OTA) – MakeMyTrip & GoIbibo. Or lose our beautiful studio at Old Trafford, once again, to another recession.
600
million
pockets
But surprises came in many forms. I had absolutely no idea that day that I would go on to work for a VC firm – advise some of the many rising stars, founding teams and unicorns in India and SE Asia. Or that I would help co-create what eventually would become SE Asia’s largest Design-in-tech conference and community – DesignUp.
That day, none of my colleagues from around the world, could have ever imagined that in 2 decades an invisible virus would shut down the world. Never imagined I would be part of a voluntary team working with the Prime Minister’s Office to roll out a tech response downloaded to over 600 million phones, and carried around in as many pockets, purses and bags. Or that DesignUp would raise Rs7,000,000 for charities.
Connecting
the dots
Looking back, connecting the dots – we all realise how those little choices we make, even in midst of the most trying times, define our long trajectories. Over the years and decades. Then there was my choice to get on to the Ontological coaching journey. To create the space for you, and your teams, to make meaningful choices, thoughtful decisions.
As my coaching guru (and former Commander & Naval Aviator) Dreyvan puts it – “the choice to show up as who we are and who we want to be.”
For me, coaching is about providing a space to reimagine and restart. For individuals or teams.
What Steve Jobs describes as the lightness of being a beginner.
The space to explore without baggage or fear. Unlike mentoring, coaching isn’t about ready made answers based on my past journey. It’s about helping you find your own compass and keys. For you, or your team, to unlock, unblock, navigate and lead with confidence.
Interested? Curious about leadership coaching, performance coaching,
seeding a culture of creativity, or unblocking cross-disciplinary collaboration?
“When one door closes, another opens,
Alexander Graham Bell
but we look regretfully at the closed door
and don’t see the open one.”
I have always known theres something I am not doing right, that is holding me back from achieving my true potential. In just a few sessions, Jay helped me to identify the problem all by myself and come up with actionable approaches to improve on multiple fronts. His coaching sessions have been extremely insightful and helpful.
I was fortunate enough to have my mentor, Jay, as my boss when I started my design journey. I attribute a lot of the success I have had in my career to the guidance that Jay has provided me in my formative years. His own evolution, from a mentor, guide and advisor to a coach is a testament to his commitment to help people grow in their careers.
Jay has a strong 10,000 foot view of the tech industry, both from his direct experience running design teams at well-known startups and also as a leader in the Indian design community. He’s the rare super-connector person who also knows what it’s like to be in the trenches. I value Jay’s knowledge and experience.
Jay has been a mentor, an incredible leader, a persuasive speaker, a guide, good friend and someone I constantly consult with on anything design/art/life and inbetween. I have known Jay for over 15 years now from our Adobe days, working under his leadership. It’s been a magical, commendable journey to see him grow from being a young leader of the design team at Adobe to a very popular figure and a leader in the design world.
I have had the opportunity to learn a lot from him, his ideas have always been ahead of time and he never missed an opportunity to challenge teams and pushed each of us to raise the bar .
Jay is effortlessly articulate, approachable, combined with a great sense of awareness for the future of design, making unexpected connections. The impact he had as a design leader both within India and abroad is extremely laudable. Wishing him the very best to continue with the fantastic work he does in bringing together the world of Designers and Non-Designers; Design, Tech and Business.
I was fortunate to work with Jay as young graduate eight years back, and since then, Jay has been a guiding star in my career. Some of the most influential people in my life were introduced to me through him. In a world where everyone celebrates the destination, Jay emphasises the importance of the journey. I would count myself lucky to have a guide like JD.
Jay’s ability to nudge and find the true strengths of an individual has always inspired me, and his progression to becoming a coach, goes on to talk about his commitment to the community. From my interactions I have learnt to mindfully reflect, address my own biases, unearth those blindspots & carve out a solid roadmap. Interactions with him are always energising!
I have always known theres something I am not doing right, that is holding me back from achieving my true potential. In just a few sessions, Jay helped me to identify the problem all by myself and come up with actionable approaches to improve on multiple fronts. His coaching sessions have been extremely insightful and helpful.
I was fortunate enough to have my mentor, Jay, as my boss when I started my design journey. I attribute a lot of the success I have had in my career to the guidance that Jay has provided me in my formative years. His own evolution, from a mentor, guide and advisor to a coach is a testament to his commitment to help people grow in their careers.
Jay has a strong 10,000 foot view of the tech industry, both from his direct experience running design teams at well-known startups and also as a leader in the Indian design community. He’s the rare super-connector person who also knows what it’s like to be in the trenches. I value Jay’s knowledge and experience.
Jay has been a mentor, an incredible leader, a persuasive speaker, a guide, good friend and someone I constantly consult with on anything design/art/life and inbetween. I have known Jay for over 15 years now from our Adobe days, working under his leadership. It’s been a magical, commendable journey to see him grow from being a young leader of the design team at Adobe to a very popular figure and a leader in the design world.
I have had the opportunity to learn a lot from him, his ideas have always been ahead of time and he never missed an opportunity to challenge teams and pushed each of us to raise the bar .
Jay is effortlessly articulate, approachable, combined with a great sense of awareness for the future of design, making unexpected connections. The impact he had as a design leader both within India and abroad is extremely laudable. Wishing him the very best to continue with the fantastic work he does in bringing together the world of Designers and Non-Designers; Design, Tech and Business.
I was fortunate to work with Jay as young graduate eight years back, and since then, Jay has been a guiding star in my career. Some of the most influential people in my life were introduced to me through him. In a world where everyone celebrates the destination, Jay emphasises the importance of the journey. I would count myself lucky to have a guide like JD.
Jay’s ability to nudge and find the true strengths of an individual has always inspired me, and his progression to becoming a coach, goes on to talk about his commitment to the community. From my interactions I have learnt to mindfully reflect, address my own biases, unearth those blindspots & carve out a solid roadmap. Interactions with him are always energising!
Jay is a fantastic coach! He is thoughtful, insightful and unconditionally supportive. I am consistently amazed by his creativity, inclusivity and naturally human approach towards nurturing great teams and long-term coaching relationships.
His holistic approach is nourishing across multiple dimensions of a person’s growth. I have been genuinely lucky to have worked with and learned from him. The ease with which he motivates and leads people is very inspiring.
Jay has the ability to bring out a level of awareness in me I never knew existed. His ability to be present, ask thought provoking questions, and guide you to obtain your future goals is top notch! Working with Jay has been an uplifting transformational experience.
I have had the privilege of watching Jay’s unique journey as a designer, executive, and pillar of the design community over the years. The common thread through this journey has been his empathetic leadership, growth mindset, and genuine care for the success of those around him. I am truly excited that the wealth of his wisdom and experiences have found such a powerful outlet in his avatar as coach!
Jay has been my manager, guide and friend for more than a decade. I’ve always felt a certain calm, curious connection, and a sense of belonging to a community, every time I have interacted with Jay. He assembled the avengers of Adobe India’s design team who later went on to lead big design orgs in India’s startup space. I can’t wait to see his coaching abilities now used to not just transform careers but companies!
I have known Jay as a person with a deep empathy, sharp mind and a patient demeanour. In our peer coaching sessions, I was very impressed by his ability to quickly grasp the crux of the matter and provide a thinking space for ideating on the desired outcome. He is extremely well read and imaginative, which helps him draw metaphors for a varied real life issues.
Jay Dutta or we fondly call him as JD is synonymous with words like Design, Thoughtfulness, Art, Entrepreneurship and now let me add the word Coach. I have known JD for now 13+ years from our days at Adobe: founding a startup together, fund raising, and as a very dear friend. I have seen him coach designers, artists and engineers, leaders and bring about a profound impact on diverse people, and helps them achieve their desired outcomes. JD has a very keen sense of listening, he understands what kind of help the person needs – be it mentoring or coaching or just a to hear someone out. He uses his vast experience to guide folks drawing inspiration via practical examples and helps folks do better.
Jay is the consummate guru. He brings his full self to every conversation – his years of building beautiful things but also his lived experiences of guiding many souls, including myself, through the twists & turns of life.
Jay is a fantastic coach! He is thoughtful, insightful and unconditionally supportive. I am consistently amazed by his creativity, inclusivity and naturally human approach towards nurturing great teams and long-term coaching relationships.
His holistic approach is nourishing across multiple dimensions of a person’s growth. I have been genuinely lucky to have worked with and learned from him. The ease with which he motivates and leads people is very inspiring.
Jay has the ability to bring out a level of awareness in me I never knew existed. His ability to be present, ask thought provoking questions, and guide you to obtain your future goals is top notch! Working with Jay has been an uplifting transformational experience.
I have had the privilege of watching Jay’s unique journey as a designer, executive, and pillar of the design community over the years. The common thread through this journey has been his empathetic leadership, growth mindset, and genuine care for the success of those around him. I am truly excited that the wealth of his wisdom and experiences have found such a powerful outlet in his avatar as coach!
Jay has been my manager, guide and friend for more than a decade. I’ve always felt a certain calm, curious connection, and a sense of belonging to a community, every time I have interacted with Jay. He assembled the avengers of Adobe India’s design team who later went on to lead big design orgs in India’s startup space. I can’t wait to see his coaching abilities now used to not just transform careers but companies!
I have known Jay as a person with a deep empathy, sharp mind and a patient demeanour. In our peer coaching sessions, I was very impressed by his ability to quickly grasp the crux of the matter and provide a thinking space for ideating on the desired outcome. He is extremely well read and imaginative, which helps him draw metaphors for a varied real life issues.
Jay Dutta or we fondly call him as JD is synonymous with words like Design, Thoughtfulness, Art, Entrepreneurship and now let me add the word Coach. I have known JD for now 13+ years from our days at Adobe: founding a startup together, fund raising, and as a very dear friend. I have seen him coach designers, artists and engineers, leaders and bring about a profound impact on diverse people, and helps them achieve their desired outcomes. JD has a very keen sense of listening, he understands what kind of help the person needs – be it mentoring or coaching or just a to hear someone out. He uses his vast experience to guide folks drawing inspiration via practical examples and helps folks do better.
Jay is the consummate guru. He brings his full self to every conversation – his years of building beautiful things but also his lived experiences of guiding many souls, including myself, through the twists & turns of life.
I have known JD a very long time and seen him lead and mentor diverse teams to help them realize their potential.
He combines a pragmatic understanding of workplace pressures with deep insights into human nature and behaviour, making him an excellent and effective coach
Jay and I met in 2017 when he asked me to speak at the 2nd DesignUp conference in India. We had an immediate rapport, and I was impressed by his keen intelligence, deep compassion, and commitment to family, community, and service. Jay has always been a mentor, leader, and guide and I am delighted that he is now also a coach.
Jay has always been a guiding light. I admire his thought process, be it in Design, business, people, beliefs or beyond. Compassionate, observant, well-read, humble – he can sometimes be a tinted glass to make you see things in a different light, and often times — a mirror.
He has his way of answering, without actually saying the words. Think Master Oogway. Perfectly balanced between IQ and EQ, he listens to the emotional side, your reasoning (if there was one), and then gently wraps his perspective around that one question, which will compell you to rethink the whole situation from a fresh POV.
I’m humbled that I got to share work space with him, and for all the things I’ve learnt from him that will stay with me.
I got to know Jay in our coaching certification journey & quickly realised that he is a powerhouse of content, ideas, creativity, and humility. He brings a sense of equanimity & calm to any conversation and nudged me to think about various perspectives which blew my mind away – a super amazing trait to have in a coach. Rooting for him transforming people’s lives.
Coaching with Jay has been an extremely positive experience for me. He creates a safe environment to realise my own thought patterns and bring clarity to what I desire. The tools used in our conversations brought out insights in an effortless way. As I result, I have been able to avoid indecision and can channel my efforts with greater awareness and focus.
I have known JD a very long time and seen him lead and mentor diverse teams to help them realize their potential.
He combines a pragmatic understanding of workplace pressures with deep insights into human nature and behaviour, making him an excellent and effective coach
Jay and I met in 2017 when he asked me to speak at the 2nd DesignUp conference in India. We had an immediate rapport, and I was impressed by his keen intelligence, deep compassion, and commitment to family, community, and service. Jay has always been a mentor, leader, and guide and I am delighted that he is now also a coach.
Jay has always been a guiding light. I admire his thought process, be it in Design, business, people, beliefs or beyond. Compassionate, observant, well-read, humble – he can sometimes be a tinted glass to make you see things in a different light, and often times — a mirror.
He has his way of answering, without actually saying the words. Think Master Oogway. Perfectly balanced between IQ and EQ, he listens to the emotional side, your reasoning (if there was one), and then gently wraps his perspective around that one question, which will compell you to rethink the whole situation from a fresh POV.
I’m humbled that I got to share work space with him, and for all the things I’ve learnt from him that will stay with me.
I got to know Jay in our coaching certification journey & quickly realised that he is a powerhouse of content, ideas, creativity, and humility. He brings a sense of equanimity & calm to any conversation and nudged me to think about various perspectives which blew my mind away – a super amazing trait to have in a coach. Rooting for him transforming people’s lives.
Coaching with Jay has been an extremely positive experience for me. He creates a safe environment to realise my own thought patterns and bring clarity to what I desire. The tools used in our conversations brought out insights in an effortless way. As I result, I have been able to avoid indecision and can channel my efforts with greater awareness and focus.
Jay has been a mentor, an incredible leader, a persuasive speaker, a guide, good friend and someone I constantly consult with on anything design/art/life and inbetween. I have known Jay for over 15 years now from our Adobe days, working under his leadership. It’s been a magical, commendable journey to see him grow from being a young leader of the design team at Adobe to a very popular figure and a leader in the design world.
I have had the opportunity to learn a lot from him, his ideas have always been ahead of time and he never missed an opportunity to challenge teams and pushed each of us to raise the bar .
Jay is effortlessly articulate, approachable, combined with a great sense of awareness for the future of design, making unexpected connections. The impact he had as a design leader both within India and abroad is extremely laudable. Wishing him the very best to continue with the fantastic work he does in bringing together the world of Designers and Non-Designers; Design, Tech and Business.
Jay has a strong 10,000 foot view of the tech industry, both from his direct experience running design teams at well-known startups and also as a leader in the Indian design community. He’s the rare super-connector person who also knows what it’s like to be in the trenches. I value Jay’s knowledge and experience.
Jay’s ability to nudge and find the true strengths of an individual has always inspired me, and his progression to becoming a coach, goes on to talk about his commitment to the community. From my interactions I have learnt to mindfully reflect, address my own biases, unearth those blindspots & carve out a solid roadmap. Interactions with him are always energising!
I was fortunate to work with Jay as young graduate eight years back, and since then, Jay has been a guiding star in my career. Some of the most influential people in my life were introduced to me through him. In a world where everyone celebrates the destination, Jay emphasises the importance of the journey. I would count myself lucky to have a guide like JD.
I was fortunate enough to have my mentor, Jay, as my boss when I started my design journey. I attribute a lot of the success I have had in my career to the guidance that Jay has provided me in my formative years. His own evolution, from a mentor, guide and advisor to a coach is a testament to his commitment to help people grow in their careers.
I have always known theres something I am not doing right, that is holding me back from achieving my true potential. In just a few sessions, Jay helped me to identify the problem all by myself and come up with actionable approaches to improve on multiple fronts. His coaching sessions have been extremely insightful and helpful.
Jay Dutta or we fondly call him as JD is synonymous with words like Design, Thoughtfulness, Art, Entrepreneurship and now let me add the word Coach. I have known JD for now 13+ years from our days at Adobe: founding a startup together, fund raising, and as a very dear friend. I have seen him coach designers, artists and engineers, leaders and bring about a profound impact on diverse people, and helps them achieve their desired outcomes. JD has a very keen sense of listening, he understands what kind of help the person needs – be it mentoring or coaching or just a to hear someone out. He uses his vast experience to guide folks drawing inspiration via practical examples and helps folks do better.
Jay is the consummate guru. He brings his full self to every conversation – his years of building beautiful things but also his lived experiences of guiding many souls, including myself, through the twists & turns of life.
Jay is a fantastic coach! He is thoughtful, insightful and unconditionally supportive. I am consistently amazed by his creativity, inclusivity and naturally human approach towards nurturing great teams and long-term coaching relationships.
His holistic approach is nourishing across multiple dimensions of a person’s growth. I have been genuinely lucky to have worked with and learned from him. The ease with which he motivates and leads people is very inspiring.
I have had the privilege of watching Jay’s unique journey as a designer, executive, and pillar of the design community over the years. The common thread through this journey has been his empathetic leadership, growth mindset, and genuine care for the success of those around him. I am truly excited that the wealth of his wisdom and experiences have found such a powerful outlet in his avatar as coach!
Jay has been my manager, guide and friend for more than a decade. I’ve always felt a certain calm, curious connection, and a sense of belonging to a community, every time I have interacted with Jay. He assembled the avengers of Adobe India’s design team who later went on to lead big design orgs in India’s startup space. I can’t wait to see his coaching abilities now used to not just transform careers but companies!
I have known Jay as a person with a deep empathy, sharp mind and a patient demeanour. In our peer coaching sessions, I was very impressed by his ability to quickly grasp the crux of the matter and provide a thinking space for ideating on the desired outcome. He is extremely well read and imaginative, which helps him draw metaphors for a varied real life issues.
Jay has the ability to bring out a level of awareness in me I never knew existed. His ability to be present, ask thought provoking questions, and guide you to obtain your future goals is top notch! Working with Jay has been an uplifting transformational experience.
I got to know Jay in our coaching certification journey & quickly realised that he is a powerhouse of content, ideas, creativity, and humility. He brings a sense of equanimity & calm to any conversation and nudged me to think about various perspectives which blew my mind away – a super amazing trait to have in a coach. Rooting for him transforming people’s lives.
Coaching with Jay has been an extremely positive experience for me. He creates a safe environment to realise my own thought patterns and bring clarity to what I desire. The tools used in our conversations brought out insights in an effortless way. As I result, I have been able to avoid indecision and can channel my efforts with greater awareness and focus.
Jay and I met in 2017 when he asked me to speak at the 2nd DesignUp conference in India. We had an immediate rapport, and I was impressed by his keen intelligence, deep compassion, and commitment to family, community, and service. Jay has always been a mentor, leader, and guide and I am delighted that he is now also a coach.
Jay has always been a guiding light. I admire his thought process, be it in Design, business, people, beliefs or beyond. Compassionate, observant, well-read, humble – he can sometimes be a tinted glass to make you see things in a different light, and often times — a mirror.
He has his way of answering, without actually saying the words. Think Master Oogway. Perfectly balanced between IQ and EQ, he listens to the emotional side, your reasoning (if there was one), and then gently wraps his perspective around that one question, which will compell you to rethink the whole situation from a fresh POV.
I’m humbled that I got to share work space with him, and for all the things I’ve learnt from him that will stay with me.
I have known JD a very long time and seen him lead and mentor diverse teams to help them realize their potential.
He combines a pragmatic understanding of workplace pressures with deep insights into human nature and behaviour, making him an excellent and effective coach