So, what do you do?

Lots of different and exciting things. The focus is always on people, their decisions, their behaviour or the communication style and the resulting challenges and successes.

I enjoy one of my tasks particularly, which is why I answer the question of what I actually do as follows:

I provide individual support to managers, top performers and key people. I coach and advise in the role of a sparring partner or mentor. This mainly takes place in the background. I do not play an operational role in companies or organisations and do not appear as a strategist for everyone to see. The people I support take on these roles. Our collaboration is based on professional support, which takes place in a protected space on the basis of trust and absolute discretion.

What exactly does such a collaboration look like? I regularly have one-to-one discussions with my clients. This works in person, via video call and also by telephone. We have had the best results with one or two, 60 to 90 minute conversations per week.

What is the content of the discussions? First of all, the time we spend together is too valuable for the theoretical transfer of abstract textbook knowledge. Our focus is on analysing and finding solutions to specific, current management and communication tasks as well as the associated challenges in our clients' everyday work. Together we develop ideas and measures that my client can apply immediately. For example, as part of a planned event, at an upcoming meeting, when working with an employee, and so on and so forth. We analyse the reactions and results of the implemented steps together in the follow-up meetings. From this we derive the next steps. A process of short, medium and long-term experience and professionalisation cycles emerges. In this way, individual and targeted hard and soft skills and potential can be developed and built up.

Is success measurable? The results are visible, audible and noticeable. For the person themselves and even more so for those around them. This is obvious from the feedback I get:

"I was fearful of how I was going to manage the restructuring without everything blowing up in my face. Now my colleagues on the board are asking me why I seem so confident and why everyone at my resort in particular is so positive and motivated."

"People came to me after the town hall and said it was really good. They've never done that before."

"The agenda that we developed has really worked. Even the hesitant people are there after the workshop and we can get started."

"Without you, I wouldn't be at this company anymore."

"I now have more time for myself, and it's crazy what ideas and innovations are suddenly coming from other people."

"I would’ve liked to kick him out, but now I'm glad I have him."

"I never thought about the storyline before meetings. Now I know what you can achieve with good preparation."

"You could see how I struggled spinning so many plates during the daily madness and how insecure the team was. Now they realise that we have a plan and I can sleep well again."

And why is this type of work particularly fun? Quite simply, I try to make people happy. If I succeed in that, that will also make me happy. The thanks shown to me and the appreciation of our collaboration continues to motivate and release forces that make incredible things possible.

For information about my individual support for managers, top performers and key people, see also the article Consulting Coach - a contradiction?