Maria just blogged about a coaching-experience here and here which inspired me to think yet again about the paradox of managers taking on the role as coaches.

Coaching has been called an intimate technology ("intimteknologi") of management. Intimate in that it is one-to-one, and has the behavior and understanding and stories of Self as it's subject. Possibly intimidating as the coach - or coaching manager - could cross the personal domain of privacy attempting to get the person in question to reflect on central issues in (work) life. I remember one of the training programs that I've been involved in, trying to learn how to coach (this particular incident was at CBS) where I raised the question of the appropriateness of the manager being a coach. Would it be an appropriate role to take on as a leader and how would it fit the role as a manager at other times? Would it be trustworthy to hand out a "I want this job done this way" sort of authoritarian message at one point and step into the coaching role, taking on empathic, questioning principles at another point?

I came to think that we're all changing roles at different points in time and in different contexts. Most leaders shift from one role to another at different times, delegating, being authoritative or authoritarian at different times (the best of them are able of assuming the right leadership role at the right time or in the right situation and hence getting the best potential out of the person or situation) and the role as a coach can be considered in that understanding. I am always being "myself" but different challenges has to draw on different abilities and roles from the "giving orders" end to the "dialogical" partner discussing things. The challenge is to make it clear what "mode" we are in. I know the feeling from sessions with my own coach. Sometimes I don't feel like being coached. I just want to know the freakin' answer and get to work! Other times I don't want any answers, I want to figure it out myself. And if those two different modes of discussing or communicating are mixed it gets really confusing and frustrating!

After reading Marias post and Annes comment I thought, wow, we really need to keep that up! If it's a rewarding part of working at STAGIS and it helps us keep focus at what we're good at (as individuals and as groups) we should make sure we get the best out of that dimension of the company. But what is an appropriate amount of coaching sessions (by this I mean sessions that are planned as meetings, not the everyday coaching approach)?
(I've written quite a lengthy post, read the remains and join the discussion here:)

After I posted my last blog about being coached by Nikolaj Stagis, I've come to that idea that the experience reminds me of the Socratic dialogue, which is about getting the answers and solutions to anything in the mind of the answerer (in this case: the coached person: me, in the old days: Plato), but still the coach (in the old days: Socrates) has an idea or a goal about the process of coaching.

I find it very interesting what method and idea is behind coaching because I found it as a good experience, why I would like to add this post to the subject.

We're looking for talent. We need a production manager, a person who wants to be in charge of the overall production planning and budgetting of our ongoing projects as well as coordinating a number of freelancers, suppliers and production companies that are involved in the execution of our projects. I'm imagining a project coordinator, production manager or project manager that has knowledge and experience from the fields of design, advertising, digital media production or business research. If you know anyone who would fit the description and would want to work with these responsibilities, let them know. I'd be much obliged! There's a Danish description in this blog-post. Thanks to everyone who's looking out and emailing friends and colleagues to find a good spirit for us!

Anne showed quite a strike of genious today. Either that, or plain hard work. A combination, I suppose. On her screen I saw a proposition for a new logotype for STAGIS. We've vowed to finish a new graphic identity and a new stagis.com website during april as we've focused our strategy and want our visual identity to express where we're at. I didn't take pictures of it but I'm sure we'll soon be revealing our new brand. One of the things that has really been missing in our website are examples of projects we've done and the new site is going to present a handful of cases which I'm really excited to hear what you'll think about.

I received an insane amount of emails today. Two of them were particularly interesting, carrying kind messages from extremely talented people. Mr. Alberto Alessi of Alessi invited me to come talk at the headquarters in Crusinallo, Italy. And René Redzepi, one of the finest and most creative chefs of our time and certainly of our nation agreed to discuss the authenticity of Noma which I can warmly recommend if you have hunger for food - especially food for thought.

Speaking of talent, I just saw - or rather heard, I should say - Teitur wander off the small podium of the Danish tv program Den 11. time (The Elleventh Hour) to sit down at the piano starting "The Singer" acapella just to arrive perfectly in key with the piano two bars later. Not only is he gifted with the talent of writing and singing. He is blessed with absolute pitch. I'm not sure if I have the talent and wonder if absolute pitch is something you can gain by training? For now, I'll start by getting the new album. Check it out.

< The experience was the opposite of what this picture symbolises!

As a more or less new employee here at STAGIS, I had a brand new experience personally and professionally the other day at work. I had a coaching-session with Mr. Nikolaj Stagis as part of a normal staff development interview. The session was build up in a way that maked me evaluate and think about my new life as a STAGIS-employee but at the same time, my new (practical) life in the business of communications. I study PR at Roskilde University beside this student job.

It was a transcendent experience because suddenly I noticed myself telling my boss about things which I would never had imagined. The purpose of the whole thing was to get me to reflect upon my role in the STAGIS company together with my private life. Summing up, the real experience was that I, as a result of this coaching, could talk myself to the answers of my questions emerging from my new role in the ”real” life of communications.

The experience has later made me reflect on the effect this coaching had on me. Now I feel myself more confident in the new role having shared my emotions and experiences with my boss. At the same time, my general idea of how internal atmosphere on a workplace can be and evolve to and what boundaries there is between the work staff is in my mind more flexible now.

In the work STAGIS do where authenticity is the basis in the approach to the clients, I can easily draw a parallel to this experience. To work together efficiently and with a nice and relaxed karma, I find it the most important to stay authentic with one another. Don’t you?

Could you imagine yourself being coached by your boss?

Last weekend the Stagis team spent a Saturday afternoon at the office dedicated to improve our individual presentation of Stagis. The frame for the afternoon was to practise and discuss different ways of presenting and accentuate Stagis services and characteristics in relation to specific cases. We discussed different theoretical models, and professional ways of explaining the way we work. But witch points hit clients? And what is really the most authentic way to present Stagis?

We each did a few presentations of Stagis with and without relation to cases, and as you could expect, they were quit different! One presentation emphasised Stagis history, clients and examples of cases. My presentation was focused on the theoretical approach we have to the creative process, and the model that focuses our skills. A third presentation was based on our beliefs, and our ability to feel empathy with our clients. We all talked about authenticity.

Each presentation gave a new view of Stagis. But what is actually our greatest and most appealing strength? Is it our history, clients & cases? Our theoretical approach to the process of development? The fact that we as the only company work with authenticity mappings? Our empathy and ability to understand each client better? Or something else? We made our conclusions, and we are still working on it. But I'm quit curious to get new opinions? What is our most valuable skill? What is the best experience working or collaborating with us? Hope you can give me a few new clues or point of views to inspiration!

For tiden arbejder jeg med forskellige efterskoler og højskoler om udviklingen af deres identitet. I den forbindelse har jeg fundet en rapport frem som dokumenterer en kvalitativ undersøgelse Stagis har lavet i 2005 om unges tanker om valg og fravalg af efterskole. Hvis du er interesseret og vil vide mere kan den downloades her, den hedder "Hvorfor efterskole – og hvorfor ikke?". God fornøjelse! Download efterskolerapport_stagis.pdf

A group of students from Roskilde University that I'm mentoring this semester is working with organizational blogging - is it a buzzword, buzz-phenomenon or a tool that creates value? Check out their new blog and join the conversation on corporateweblogs.wordpress.com

This great car covered in grass reminds me of the exhibition stand we designed for Novozymes in the fall. Today Nikolaj and Louise is going to DTU in Lyngby where the DSE Fair is being held in the following few days. They are coordinating that the exhibition stand is being build up again, (last time Novozymes used it was at the SICEF fair at Øksnehallen) ready to welcome students from DTU.
Of course the grass on the floor of the stand and the fig tree is real. The grass on the car it's fake...