At de Bestuurskamer, we believe that good leadership starts with self-insight, energy and team strength. Our partner Jan Berent Heukensfeldt Jansen in this blog, shares his views on coaching programs, the value of vitality and the power of intervision. His experience shows that coaching makes a difference not only individually, but also in collaboration.
My expertise lies in supervising a career change and it onboarding leaders. It usually involves individual trajectories: an intensive search for the next step in someone's career.
After an extensive self-analysis written by the client, the search for a new desired destination starts. Sometimes there are financial uncertainties or other obstacles that stand in the way of an expeditious approach. I have to admit: that is not always easy to explain.
What I did discover is that a few checks are crucial to get a process off to a good start:
- Is anyone getting enough sleep?
- Is he/she eating and drinking healthy?
- Is physical fitness being worked on structurally?
- Is there a passion besides work and family?
- Is there humour and the ability to put things into perspective?
If one or more of these elements is missing, it is time to be alert. Often, there is simply too little energy available to make a coaching process run effectively. In such a case, it is sometimes wise to call in a psychologist or personal trainer first before continuing the coaching process.
Teamwork in coaching
At de Bestuurskamer, we have a structured solution for this: intervision with partners. This is the perfect time to discuss dilemmas and challenges. Here's how it works:
- The partner tells their story and is interviewed without advice.
- The other partners then discuss with each other what they see and how they think they can help.
The result? The situation is viewed from a distance, disturbing emotions are filtered and there is room for critical but constructive feedback. Everything happens in a safe environment, so that honesty and sharpness are not a problem, but rather add value.
Sometimes this means that another partner takes over the process because it is a better fit, or that a step is deliberately taken to use other expertise.
A new way of looking at coaching
It wasn't until after a few of these experiences that I really realized: good coaching is teamwork. But not in the way I was used to from previous leadership positions in the financial corporate world.
I wish everyone such a structure and such committed colleagues, which is exactly what characterises the way in which the Board of Directors works: professionalism, team strength and an eye for the people behind the position.
Jan Berent Heukensfeldt Jansen
Board Room Partner
