management coaching

What all forms of coaching have in common is that people use it to move forward or to change their situation. Simply formulated: coaching is a conversation, or a series of talks, between two people. The coach tries to establish an interaction that the other, the coachee, can use during their learning or change process.

Coaching sessions can take place in different ways, in different situations. Coaching can also take various forms and be applied to many areas of human activity.

In coaching, the coach uses the customer question to effectively achieve the predetermined and jointly agreed on objective(s). The coach does that in such a way that these objectives have the desired effect, but above all, a positive and substantial influence on everyday life.

During the coaching sessions, development is key: understanding the competencies and passion in both the existing situation and the possibilities that remain.

Problems at work can arise from the work situation, but also be caused by personal circumstances. The coaching question itself is often, or at least initially, related to the job.

Someone who is not happy in their job will also notice the consequences in other areas. Those who do not feel healthy or energetic will notice that in other areas, for example, in their relationships or social life.

Themes that can be addressed with coaching:

• meaning and identity
• freeing up barriers arising from personality or insecurities
• discovering the options and limitations of a job
• effectively communicating/interacting with the environment
• gaining insight and awareness of who you are and what you want
• think less, feel more
• reduce (hyper)sensitivity to negativity
• high sensitivity as a strength (HSP)
• discovering your goal

People initiate a coaching process because something is ‘bothering’ them. Or because they want to talk about ‘symptoms’ they experience. CT² uses a broad knowledge base and experiences. The focus is on your story, what you have experienced and your feelings. The coach creates clarity by disentangling feelings, thoughts and desires with you.

After each coaching session, the coachee can quickly determine whether the interview was a success, assessed on the following three points:

• during the conversation, the coach paid attention to the coachee and their circumstances
• the coachee’s thinking, acting, feeling or learning have improved considerably as a result of the coaching session
• it is unlikely that this improvement would have taken place in the same timeframe if the session had not taken place

After thousands of years of sports coaching, a sports coach who works with top athletes seems quite self-evident. It may seem contradictory to hire someone who is less good at something you excel at, but who helps you to do it better.

By applying the principles of perception and feedback, a sports coach can make the difference between a world-class player and an average player. The perspectives and skills of a (sports) coach are quite different from those of an athlete. It is not enough being good at something yourself; you need to be able to coach.

The same principle applies when we talk about personal coaching. Personal coaches work with people to help them improve their performance at work, regardless of whether the coach can do that job themselves. What a coach can do is help people to examine where they can improve and find practical ways to make progress.

The coach has a toolbox full of accumulated experience, theories and models, which they use to let the coachee gain some insight into themselves and other matters. The personal coach uses a combination of various skills, such as observing, talking, listening, feeling, sparring, asking questions, reflecting and confronting if necessary.

The coach offers a type of help that is different from all other types of help. The coach focuses exclusively on the situation of the coachee and does so with a measure of attention and commitment that is rarely experienced in other circumstances.

Try to imagine what it would be like to be coached by someone who dedicates all their attention to you. This might help you understand why so many people are enlisting the services of a coach. Your coach listens to you with great curiosity: they want to understand who you are, what you think, what you feel and how you experience the world.

The coach provides feedback about your experience, with objective comments that provide real clarity. During the meetings, your coach will encourage you to face challenges, overcome obstacles and take action.

The most important thing during the sessions is you. It is all about your success, your happiness and your ultimate satisfaction!

If the employer is the actual customer, there are additional steps to take. There are three different parties involved in this type of coaching: the coachee, the customer/employer and the coach.

the coachee

It is essential that the coachee has a good rapport with the coach; therefore, it is vital that the coachee is the one who selects the coach and has an intake interview with the coach.

intake interview

An intake interview takes place before the start of the project; during an open dialogue, both parties determine the objectives they want to achieve through coaching. In most cases, the customer/employer can be present during the intake interview. In other cases, there is a separate intake interview with the customer/employer.

For an optimal effect of the coaching process, the objective(s) must be identified and defined. To achieve this, the coach will use various discussion methods and question techniques. In many cases, the question or assignment put forward by the coachee is not always the same as the objective that the coachee (or customer) has in mind; often several underlying factors play a (sometimes more significant) role.

Coaching is a personal matter that can only be experienced in real-life practice. That is why an exploratory intake interview can be instrumental. During this interview, the value of the coaching sessions can be experienced.

the customer/employer

After the intake interview, the coach can, if desired, make a comprehensive proposal that includes the objective(s) of the coachee, an overview or project plan to achieve the objective(s) and a cost overview. The coach also proposes the frequency and duration of the coaching sessions.

reporting

The coachee is responsible for any substantive reporting of the coaching sessions to the customer; the coachee determines what they want to report. This is up to the coachee, as not to disrupt the confidentiality of the relationship between coachee and coach.

For privacy reasons, in some cases, the private part of the quotation about the objectives of the coachee is more detailed for the coachee than for the customer/employer.

Based on the proposal, the coachee and/or the customer decides to start the journey.

the coach

After the intake and/or agreement with the proposal, an appointment for the first coaching session should be made as soon as possible. After that, all communication with the customer/employer will go through the coachee.

Sander Vrugt van Keulen uses a combination of various skills, such as observing, talking, listening, feeling, sparring, asking questions, reflecting and confronting if necessary. If the circumstances allow it, and if agreed in advance, the coach can also use other media, such as telephone and email.

The process is evaluated several times during the course of the process. In the end, there will be a final interview to compare the results with the predetermined objectives. Individual/separate interviews are always an option.

In principle, all initial coaching sessions at CT² are provided by Sander Vrugt van Keulen.

As a coach, Sander Vrugt van Keulen

uses a combination of various skills, such as observing, talking, listening, feeling, sparring, asking questions, reflecting and confronting if necessary. If the circumstances allow it, and if agreed in advance, the coach can also use other media, such as telephone and email.

Sander also uses (a combination of) techniques such as speech techniques, empathic listening, non-verbal perception, voice-dialogue, cognitive knowledge transfer, RET, feedback, constellations and systemic working techniques according to Hellinger, NLP, creative techniques, body work and energy work, etc.

The coachee is always at the centre of the interview or coaching process: the coach focusses 100% on the coachee.

The relationship between coach and coachee is unique because the coach keeps an objective distance, but at the same time is committed to the objectives of the coachee.

Coaching is a very personal process between the coachee and the coach, even if there is an (external) customer, such as the coachee’s employer.

Online coaching is somewhat anonymous (through email, Skype or Twitter) and creates a sense of safety. You have plenty of time to formulate things just right, it is very specific, and you can concentrate better. You translate your feelings into words, and at the same time, you create a personal file that you can refer to later on.

online coaching consists of the following phases

• the description of the current situation
• a survey of your motivation(s)
• the desired adjustments and changes
• setting goals
• getting started

first question answered, free of charge

The answer to your first question is free, via the contact form. Based on your question, you will receive an email with several questions or an exercise that you can start working on immediately. No strings attached, just as a means of introduction.

three coaching programme options

• 1 week: daily contact on working days, assignments and tasks to make real changes
• 3 weeks: contact every other day, more time to dig deeper into matters and to perform tasks and assignments
• 5 weeks: different phases with daily contact and multiple assignments; we strive for structural changes and aim to develop a clear understanding of your situation

 

Personal coaching sessions are always an option. We also provide other forms of team coaching (Dutch), such as Works Council training.

Click here (Dutch) for the rates for online coaching.