"The high pressure at work and unexpected feedback from my manager left me feeling off balance. It made me quite irritable, which started to affect my role as a leader. At the time, I had been working for a year and a half at a pharmaceutical company, where I was, and still am, responsible for the technical department. This department consists of four teams, all reporting directly to me."
Not long after that review, my then manager reported to me that some people in my teams sometimes felt not so appreciated. For me, this was nothing more than an incident; I have been managing for more than 20 years and it has always gone well. And yes, I was not feeling so good for a while. I saw it as a temporary dip, no big deal. My manager thought differently and wanted me to talk to a coach. I thought he overreacted a bit, so I didn't entirely agree with the reason. But I figured that working with a coach couldn’t hurt, so I decided to seize the opportunity.

Through an introductory meeting, I connected with Rebecca from LemonGrass Coaching. I appreciated that she had experience coaching people in more senior positions. She understood the dynamics of large organizations like the pharmaceutical company where I work, which helped her quickly grasp the situation. The coaching question I developed together with my employer and Rebecca was: How can I ensure results are achieved while also making people feel valued in their roles?
After an introduction about myself, where we explored who I am, what I value, and what drives me, we shifted focus to my daily work. Rebecca asked me to list the challenges I faced at work: When don’t things go as I’d like? And when do they? What energizes me? For a few weeks, I kept daily notes about my workday, recording what went well, what didn’t, and how I handled those situations. This exercise helped me clearly see the impact my own mindset had on my communication with others.

When I had a minor disagreement with an HR advisor, I noticed it drained my energy, and she likely didn’t find it pleasant either. Together with Rebecca, I decided to follow up with her about it. She appreciated that, and it was a relief to clear the air. I think I would have let it slide if not for this coaching process.
The coaching didn’t bring me any major revelations, but it has made me more aware of certain things. When I’m not feeling my best, I know I can be more difficult to communicatie with. I’ve learned to avoid confrontation during those times and wait for a better moment. I also make a point of letting my team members know more often when they’ve done a good job. I already did this, but now I do it more intentionally.

During my initial sessions with Rebecca, we expanded my coaching question. I wanted to take the opportunity to review my career development with her. I already knew I’m a driven person. On the one hand, that’s a great quality, but I tend to focus too much on the next step, which sometimes diminishes the value of where I am in my career right now. So, I’ve made a deal with myself to take a few moments each year to reflect: Where am I now? Where do I want to go? How will I get there? For the rest of the year, I aim to be content with where I am, fully commit to what I’m doing, and give it my all. This mindset not only has a positive impact on me but also on my colleagues and our shared results.

In recent months, I’ve been in a more positive flow at work than before—and not just me, my team as well. A great illustration of this is a annual survey we conduct to measure employee engagement and their ability to perform their work effectively. This year, my teams improved by 25 per cent across the board compared to last year. And on all individual items, the team is performing better. A very nice and concrete result, of which I am quite proud.
Despite the somewhat negative occasion, I look back on the coaching process with a nice feeling. It offered me a piece of reflection. Rebecca has a great ability to connect, she quickly understands what it is about and is able to put it well and smoothly into her own words. I felt understood by her and would definitely recommend her if anyone in my area is looking for a work coach."