It wasn’t the textbooks that shaped my journey as a coach – it was my first emotional breakthrough in the middle of a practice session.
Back in university, I took a coaching course for students. I recently came across a quote from my final assignment. In 2011, I wrote:
"It has also become clear that some of the competencies presented are not only important for the field of 'coaching,' but can also be supportive in both professional and personal life."
Back then, I had no idea that this would become the driving force behind my passion for coaching and shape my philosophy for life and business. However, this insight wasn’t the initial spark – but we’re getting closer.
During the course, we covered all the basics: the difference between coaching and therapy, internal and external coaches, how to give feedback, the types of questions, and of course, the inner attitude we coaches require.
But the real aha moment didn’t come from theory – it came from practice.
We were practicing in triads. The goal was to use the tools and techniques we had just learned. I stepped into the role of the coach, excited to apply the methods… and I couldn’t get anywhere.
Nothing was landing. I had this strange feeling that something was missing, and I felt an inner urge to ask a question that hadn’t been on the learning plan.
So, I asked my client: “Could it be that it’s less about topic XYZ and more about topic QRS?”
And there it was – a breakthrough. My client reacted emotionally, and we both realized we had uncovered a valuable insight.
Even now, I could tear up thinking about it. Coaching is less about following techniques, methods, or frameworks. It’s more about being fully present, truly listening, and trusting your intuition.
That day, I improvised coaching for the first time.
Christine Paulus
ENGLISH | DEUTSCH
