References
Clienthistory
A better team in Høje Taastrups arts centre
When Poul Damkjær (In the middle of the picture) took over the leadership in
Høje-Taastrup municipality’s spare time and arts centre in the
spring of 2006, was it at a time, where the centre for a longer
period of time have had an unstable management, and this had also an
effect on the confidence and team spirit among the employees.
Therefore he searched for inspiration to build a
more visible and reliable management cultur, and
contemporary get all the employees to focus on new
ways to rebuild and develop good working methods, in
the centre.
The sparetime and arts centre
takes care of the central administration in relation
to Høje-Taastrup municipality’s various sparetime-
and culture offers, which includes; sport arenas,
associations, libraries, music, theatres and so on.
“I read the book ‘seven good habits’, and particioated in an open workshop – ‘The
seven good habits for coaches’ in the fall of 2006”
Poul Damkjær explains. “During this workshop I found
out, that there this was very usefull,
and there
were certain tools I could use to create valuefocus
and establish continuosly valuemanagement. Exactly
these methods were very usefull in the centre, which
in a longer period of time have had no leadership.”
After the workshop Poul Damkjær and two of his
co-workers startet by defining what the needed to
control the management and development. Together
with Fredi Falk Vogelus (to the left in the picture
at the top of the page and benieth), they created a
tailor-made two days workshop program for all the
employees in the centre.
“The two days in June 2007 were incredible for all
the employees, and got them united with a common
language, which were very useful in our further
development.” Poul Damkjær remembers. “Maybe we
should have created a more concrete business plan
for our own development work after the workshop, but
I feel under all circumstances, that we got a better
team after the workshop, where people respected each
other, and all their differences.”
During the two day long tailor maid workshop in June
2007, our employees in the centre got to work with
new tools and focusmethods, which gave them a united
language and united starting-point. This created
bigger comprehension for each other and strength in
the intern communication.
Meanwhile focus were aimed for, how humans are
different as types, and that the type you are, both
have meaning of how you understand and react with
different people, and how you are presenting
yourself.
The awareness of our existents of the personal and
natural differences was an “eye-opener”, which
changed the vision on the acceptation of all
individuals’ different handle and reaction patterns.
Earlier on the differences could lead to distraction
and frustration, and develop intolerance, but now
these differences are considered as something
positive and valuable in each individual.
“Even though we didn’t make a
managementplan after the workshop in June, something
positive happened anyway” Lotte Ingvartsen explains,
who works as AC-Head-Clerk in the sparetime and arts
centre. “Generally there were more peace daily and
the grumble disappeared. I think, that this is
caused by our understanding of each other, and we
now can see the different working methods, which all
individuals have.
Clerk, Rie Dalman, who was hired
in the start of 2007, could obviously see a change
in the atmosphere after the workshop. “I was just
started, when we came into this workshop, and I
could obviously see a change – And I have to admit,
that I experienced a great positive development
compared to the past. Even though it continuously
was busy, the atmosphere was good. Something did
really happen – and all the “damn-sounds” were
suddenly gone”, Rie Dalman describes.
On a follow-up day in November 2007 together with
the consultant Fredi Falk Vogelius, did Poul Damkjær
and his co-workers again got the progress going in
the intern development. And they did make a
management plan, which should help them in the
future as a team, and as an individual hold on to
the development-elements.
Among other things, one established a Buddy-System,
where the employees in pairs (Buddy to Buddy) could
help each other by practice and improve the usage of
different planning-tools and priority-tools with
exchanging of inspiration and best practice
experience. With this deal the Buddy-conversations
the new habits should be a part of the work.
“The Buddy-system is running, and we are holding on
to each other, to the things done, which needs to be
done, so we automatically get better to manage”.
Explains the special consultant, Bo Petersen (to the
right at the top picture). “Personally I have got
good benefit from discussing, what really are the
important roles. Generally I’ve also become more
deliberate about how important it is the consult
your calendar and to set realistic deadlines on your
tasks. Once you get a better comprehensive view and
work mere directly, which makes your work more
efficient.
I think, that there is a lot to get in this system. We
have established – meaning priority, management,
Buddy-Maker and so on. We all act more responsible,
helpful and directly in the daily life” Bo Petersen
concludes.
Personal Coaching, which crates development and results
A lovely kick in the right direction
A good rond of coaching could be the road out of a
working hell. Pharmacist Anne Holm tried it, when
she was ‘stuck’ at the work. This gave her a huge
energy boost, clarification, and the courage to
change her job.
She took off. The impact worked so strong on Anne
Holm, after the first coaching conversation.
After a long period of time with destroying stress
at the job and a sick note, which were imminent to
stay for a long time, Anne Holm decided, that
something had to happen. ”I was almost a living dead
on my work, and could feel, that I had to do
something drastic. I couldn’t no longer just keep on
working on the routine and ignore the signals.” Anne
Holm explains about the time, before she ended up in
the warm chair at Coach Fredi Falk Voglius. Anne
Holm could just like that in the middle of all the
despondent and stress, feel that, when the thoughts
about the future popped up, the energy came back.
All she needed was a bit of help to set a kind of
structure on the daydreaming.
A FUNNY PERSONAL TEST
A Coach course at Fredi Falk Vogelius from the
consultant house Nymand & Vogelius consist of a
personal test followed by two to four conversations
of one to two hours. At the first conversation you
make the personal test. When Anne Holm sat down to
answer the questions of the test, she had the boxing
gloves on. She barely had any energy to make an hour
long test about her career, which have had all
different situations. “The test was different,
because I couldn’t figure it out, even though I
tried several of tests. Some of the statements
seemed somehow irrelevant and by that means, that I
surrendered to the spontaneous. It was quite funny.”
Anne Holm remembers. The result was also by
following, and according to Anne Holm, the results
were some of the most exact descriptions, ever made
of her. Coach Fredi Falk Vogelius often use a
special type of test called: “California
Psychological Inventory (CPI)”, because it isn’t
easy to figure out. “That’s the reason why it is so
brilliant to academics and well educated people, who
normally can figure out the most test, without
knowing, what they have to answer, to be presented
as they want to.” Says Fredi Falk Vogelius. He uses
the test to get a quick picture of the person, and
to have something concrete to talk about before the
first coaching conversation. “The test is not a list
of result, and it never stand alone. The test is no
matter what supplied with a dialogue. But it is good
to use, to set up some hypotheses about the person
you are about to talk with. The test can get to the
core very quickly, and by that means set turbo on
the process.” Fredi Falk Vogelius explains.
CLARIFICATION AND ACTION
Anne Holms first coaching conversation was like a
journey with the speed of a rocket aimed for the
core of the case. “The first conversation was like
an energy injection. I took off from there with my
confidence sky high” She explains. At the first
conversation Fredi Falk Vogelius is focused to find
out, what the Client wants from these conversations
and puts up a success criterion.
The first step towards the road of clarification is
to get people to admit, where they are now, and
which resources and problems they contaion. “I don’t
do ‘problems’, but instead put my focus on, how I
can improve their strengths. If you improve your
resources, and do what you are good at, it gives you
a energy boost of confidence and self-esteem, and if
you do that, your problems will be decreased.” Fredi
Falk Vogelius explains. The conversations is about
focusing on power of the individuals and define a
goal, they want to work towards. It can be an
improvement of your competences, a new job, a change
in your career, etc. At the conversation Anne Holm
opened her eyes for her resources and potential
through the hypotheses, which the coach sat up from
the results of the test. “I really experience some
recognition and new inspiration. I got happy for
myself, and went home from there, and made a new CV with a bobbling feeling of, that I have
plenty of competences.” Anne Holm says.
THE COACH DOESN’T SHOULDER CLAP YOU
The second coaching conversation took place app. 14
days after the first, and was very focues on the
goals Anne Holm sat up, on how she could attain
them. “The second conversation was very tangible,
and I found out, what my dream job was, and what I
needed in my work” She says. Basically Anne Holm got
a bunch of tools to move on with her business idea,
and she still works to realize it.
»Coaching is, to go from where you are to where you
want to be,in the most simple way and with the most efficient
resource of yours.«
Fredi Falk Vogelius, ICF Professionel Certificatedt
Coach
Today, Anne Holm is back at her job, but with a new
recognition and a lot of plans of her future. She
highly recommends to use a coach, if you suddenly
feel like you are stuck at your job. Because there
are certain situations, where the network of your
colleagues, friends and family, just isn’t enough.
“In the hell I was in, I needed some serious
impulses from a person, who didn’t know me. I didn’t
need other people’s opinions like “You can make it,
you are strong”. Those kind of etiquette and labels
as people put on you in a lot of situations to give
energy to move on. It just didn’t work in my
situations, where I was under stressed and on the
road of total destruction. That was the reason why,
I needed a coach to help me move on, and build new
pictures and reactions of me” Anne Holm explains.
Fredi Falk Vogelius sees this as one of the coaches’
forces, who don’t have opinions on a person in
advance. “I see all as an undescribed magazine,
which contains all the resources they need, to move
on. I’m not as judging as a HR-department can be, or
talk like you, as you network of friends can do. The
fact that I’m not familiar with your personal
history and behavior creates a new and fresh
picture
of you.” He says. He emphasizes, that a coaching
coruse isn’t an eternal line of appointments in your
calendar. It is a proportional short and intesiv
process over a few months. “ I do all I can to help
people get “selv helping”. People have to learn from
the coaching, so they can move on. That’s my hops.”
Fredi Falk Vogelius emphasizes. For the sake of Anne
Holms jobsituation, she wished to be anonymous,
which means, that Anne Holm isn’t her real name, but
the name is only known by editorial staff.