‘Ilham’ in Arabic means Inspiration, and he feels that this hidden but attached value is what drives him to support people in areas of personal effectiveness, becoming organized, and structured and personal
development.
Based in Baku, Azerbaijan, Ilham attended a Coaching and Leadership conference in 2019 that sparked his desire to become a professional coach. “I feel there is something internally in me, which I can share with people and push them to become their better versions. I have been mentoring people on a voluntary and free of charge basis since years,” he says.
Besides mentoring, Ilham also pursued the path of professional coaching and completed a two-month Life Coaching program. However, he thought he needed more to be a professional coach and thus became an ICF ACC accredited professional coach and ICF Member.
“Through professional coaching, I want to enable people to unlock their hidden potential. That in turn will open many doors to them professionally, personally and of course financially. People cannot start businesses they dream about or make their other dreams come true because they are stuck somewhere in their mind. Helping them to find their own answers will turn them into profit centers or confident people who can influence businesses or people,” shares Ilham.
Speaking about his passion for coaching, he quotes Sir Ken Robinson – ‘We live in two worlds: the world within us and the world around us’.
Ilham’s always looking for a sense of balance in life… Balance as a family, role at work, and his own self. This usually comes down to time and relationships that connect with others in those roles. “I love interacting with people, realizing the hero within, and how they can transform their lives into a gorgeous one. I want to inspire people, especially the young generation, to follow their dreams no matter what. I just want to radiate happiness, prosperity and tranquility to everyone I encounter because life is what you make of it,” tells us Ilham, whose mission is to ‘Aspire to inspire, before we expire’.
Ilham is married with two kids Guler and Enver, who are at University. He spends an enormous amount of time for self-development and believes it is where he gets his energy. “Being focused on my goals helped me get there. Even small steps or slow pace is much better than none at all. Also, asking for help and learning from others who succeeded was critical,” says Ilham, who’s just as quick to list his shortcomings: “Some areas where I could be doing better were allocation of time and committing to several priorities at the same time. My intentions were positive, however trying to manage several ‘projects’ at the same time landed negatively on my health. It is always important to ask the question ‘What really matters?’ and move ahead from that perspective. Whatever is not important is an energy drainer and may lead to unpleasant habits.”
This realization led Ilham to start using the Personal Agility System and helped him maintain maximum potential balance. Now, he is a Recognized Ambassador – he coaches and trains people in this area. He also holds several agile/agility related accreditations like PSM I, PAL I, PSPO I, by Scrum.org. In addition, he has an ICP-Agile Coaching Certification (ICP-ACC) and ICP-Agile Team Facilitator by International Consortium for Agile (ICAgile).
“Sometimes you have to work hard and smart, but that costs you time with family and personal matters. On the other hand, spending time with family and on personal issues helps you to obtain assurance that all what you do, you do to have a quality time for personal life. It is all about keeping the balance and that’s what keeps me on the go,” says Ilham.
Ilham was awarded the Brainz Crea Global Award 2021 as an Executive contributor in recognition of creative and innovative ideas and contribution.
Speaking about how he beat the pandemic professionally, he says, “The pandemic pushed digital progress and development for many years. I got connected to most of the world during the pandemic, especially my peer coaches. I went through a couple of key training programs which boosted my skills and knowledge. I learned how to survive and adapt to unstable working conditions. Most importantly, I learned that people and human factors cannot be ignored, and we must be empathetic in our virtual interactions, and value the gift of face to face conversations we used to neglect.”
