Your story

Everybody has a lot of stories, including you and me. All those stories represent our life experiences. Professional and personal stories. Consciously or subconsciously you have stored all your experiences in your ‘personal library’. This library is a unique place being a reflection of your identity. Your library may contain historical books, fiction/ nonfiction, science, sports, family-business or love, to name a few categories. Irrespective the categories, you have stored your experiences by yourself. How does your library look like? Do you feel the need to reorganize your library?

If you choose to create a new story you might have to say goodbye to a few old books in your library without forgetting them. Sometimes you have to pave a new path whether you decide to develop a new story by yourself. Or is it a new experience forcing you to think about taking new directions? One thing is for sure: life will continue and new stories will challenge you to empty a few of your shelves to make space for new books in your ‘personal library’. That’s what life is all about, isn’t it?

The last 40 years I had the privilege to listen to all kinds of stories in the business world. I supported the development of new stories of professionals, managers and leaders. That’s what coaching is all about. Inspiring personalities opened up to me and were willing to share their uniqueness and vulnerability while taking next steps in their lives. I am grateful for being able to support them. My passion is to continue supporting people who are on a cross road and wonder which direction they would like to take. Or perhaps should take.

The question is how to take your next step. How do you become aware of the fact that you need to reshuffle the books in your own library? How to let go of past experiences? Or maybe you just need to remove some dust from existing books?

Whatever your story is you are the director of your own life and experiences. You are the owner of that next chapter. This can be done by yourself or with the support of an executive coach.

Executive coaching in a nutshell

It’s all about supporting people in their unique process of decision-making while being on a crossroad in (business) life. The process of coaching will trigger you to develop new future scenarios and to draw creative roadmaps in order to clearly see the new stories of your professional and personal life. Coaching is also handholding while you enhance your skills, explore new competences and build new paradigms to write next chapters.

In my experience competences like reflection, empathy, anticipation and imagination are part of the ‘art of coaching’. Guiding people to their next levels means coaching as well as training them in creative mindsets, new competences and unique leadership styles.

A few examples of questions I received, as a coach, over the years:

..‘Can you please help me understand and provide me insight into the game rules of how to maintain my position on the Board of Directors while our company undergoes a massive change, including a change in leadership’...

...’How to reset the mindset of my people in order to keep them on board of our fast-moving business? What do I need to learn to achieve this goal?’....

...’I’m an entrepreneur but need more challenges in my working environment to keep myself motivated. Would a management-buy-out be a solution or shall I start a new business with my team? What do you think?’....

...’We are running a family business however too many family matters are being discussed in the boardroom and too many business topics are at our breakfast table. I would like to change the balance but how?’...

.. ‘I have the feeling my personal history becomes a bottleneck to develop myself further in my professional career. The last couple of years I created the same old story and I don’t seem to find a way how to break through to create a new story’...

The process of coaching

Working together means trying to understand and respect each other. Values like openness to learn, curiosity and building trust are key. These are core values while we listen to each other’s stories and start the process of coaching. Every personality is unique and has a past while living in the presence and dreaming about the future. Is the past too much present in the presence? Let’s face it and see how we can store past experiences on empty shelves in your ‘personal library’. How about your future? Does it look blurred? Or is the future in full colour including your dreams? Let’s face that too and visualize the road ahead.

The following stages will pass the review while we collaborate during the process of coaching:

• What is your story all about?
• What is the structure of your story? What is the past, the presence, the future?
• How to make your new story? Let's inventorize your presence, design your future, develop and implement your roadmap.
• How to connect new insights in your day-to-day life?
• How to sustain your key learning's after the process of coaching?
• How to remain the owner of your new stories?

Depending on your question(s), your challenge(s) or your ambition(s), we can think of various sessions with different coaching formulas. Think of one session of 4 hours, or a full day session. Or perhaps it will be more convenient to spread out several sessions over a period of a few weeks or a couple of months. We will find a suitable formula to collaborate.

Furthermore, HR, L&D or consultants in corporate or governmental organizations can be trained in coaching and/or intervision techniques through train-the-trainer sessions.