A

Ashridge Centre for Executive Coaching   
www.hult.edu/coaching/

A faculty of Hult Ashridge Executive Education with a global reputation, specialising in professional coaching and leadership development. Its offering includes a wide range of research-based, accredited programmes designed to enhance the coaching skills of executives, managers and professional coaches. The centre is renowned for its innovative approaches, which combine academic insights with practical application to foster personal and organisational growth.
 

Authenticity

...means being genuine, honest and true to oneself, both in one’s actions and in one’s communication. In a coaching context, it means that both the coach and the client interact openly and sincerely with one another, without reservations or hidden agendas.

B

Behavioural Patterns

...often remain unconscious to us for a long time. Signs frequently include feeling stuck or overwhelmed, self-doubt, avoiding difficult decisions, problem-oriented thinking, unclear goals, and difficulties in taking concrete action.

C

Client-centred techniques

... include, amongst other things, open-ended questions from the coach aimed at encouraging clients to reflect deeply on their experiences and values. Affirmations and empathetic statements may also be used to validate feelings and foster a sense of being seen and understood. This approach empowers clients to find their own solutions and promotes a sense of personal responsibility for their own development.
 

Coaching – what it is, what it isn’t

Coaching generally serves to support personal and professional development. Although it often involves emotional aspects, the primary focus is on overcoming current and future challenges.
Coaching is not a sufficient approach for more profound psychological challenges.  In cases where it becomes apparent during the coaching process that therapeutic support might be more appropriate, I assist my clients in finding a suitable specialist.

E

Empathetic listening

... is a form of active listening, completely free from prejudice, aimed at understanding the other person’s feelings and perspective. It creates a safe and supportive environment, fosters trust and open communication, and enables a deeper exploration of thoughts and emotions to enhance self-awareness and clarity.

G

Gestalt

Gestalt methods in coaching encourage clients to take personal responsibility and develop awareness of the present moment. These methods encourage clients to notice and reflect on the thoughts, feelings and behaviours that arise in the here and now. This heightened awareness enables them to understand how they interact with their environment and to make more conscious decisions. This allows them to free themselves from automatic or limiting behavioural patterns and to develop greater authenticity in all areas of their lives.

H

Humanistic Approaches in Coaching

These include, for example, person-centred, existential and Gestalt coaching. All these approaches focus on clients’ inherent potential and their capacity for self-actualisation within a supportive, non-judgemental relationship.

R

Relational coaching

Here, a supportive coach-client relationship acts as a catalyst for personal growth. Personal interactions with others can be better understood. This approach focuses on building trust and open communication to explore one’s own behaviour and develop a healthy and stable sense of self. The aim is to be able to bring about meaningful changes in the desired areas of life.

T

Transactional Analysis (TA)

Transactional Analysis (TA) was developed in the late 1950s by Dr Eric Berne. His work laid the foundations for understanding social interaction and personality dynamics using the model of Parents, Adults and Children.
This way of understanding helps us to recognise how different parts of our personality communicate with one another.

• The ‘Parent’ part within us consists of many things we have observed, heard or subconsciously perceived from the people who have shaped us, such as parents or teachers. This includes, amongst other things, rules, behaviours or ways of reacting.

• The ‘Adult’ is our rational level. It is the part of us that takes in information, weighs up options and makes decisions on that basis.

• The ‘Child’ represents our instincts, emotions and impulses – essentially, how we felt and behaved when we were young.

The main aim is to strengthen the ‘Adult ego’. This enables us to make better decisions suited to our current life situation, rather than continuing to be unconsciously driven by old habits or emotional reactions from childhood.
 

U

Upheavals or turning points

...can have many different and very varied causes: for example, illness, the loss of a loved one, burnout, forced career changes, the end of relationships, moving house, retirement, financial problems, interpersonal conflicts and much more besides. These causes often trigger intense emotional reactions and questions about the meaning of life. However, they can be a valuable starting point for change or adjustment in life.

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