Your analytical way of thinking has probably taken you a long way, at work and outside it. Logical reasoning is a powerful way of dealing with the world. But sometimes you run into questions where it doesn’t quite get you where you want to go.
Maybe you are noticing patterns that keep coming back or find yourself unable to make a decision even though you have thought about it long and hard. Or maybe something just doesn’t feel right, even though your life looks fine on paper. Maybe you simply sense that it is time for a change, without being quite sure about what and how. With questions like these, analysing and re-analysing rarely leads to better insights.
Who I work with
I mainly work with people from science, technology, engineering and IT: people who are used to approaching the world through analysis, logic and reason.
I come from this world myself. I know the language, the professional environment and the way of thinking from the inside. That means I already have some understanding of the world my clients are in, so we can get right to work and focus on what is going on.
Examples of questions we could work on together
“Why do I keep avoiding conflict, even though I know it would be better to address it?”
“Do I actually want this next step in my career, or have I convinced myself that I should want it?”
“Why can I get myself to perform when I put myself under enormous pressure, but struggle to do what matters when I am at rest?”
“Why do I keep putting the same things off, even though I know they are important to me?”
“Why do I keep repeating the same pattern, even though I know it isn’t helping me?”
How I coach
I use your own thinking and reasoning about the question as a starting point, because that is often an important part of understanding the question you have brought. But I don’t simply follow along with the story. I pay attention to what doesn’t quite fit.
Sometimes that is an inconsistency in the story itself. Sometimes it is a difference between what you say you want and what you actually do, or between what you tell yourself and what you seem to feel. I make those discrepancies explicit and explore them with you.
I also question the explanations we give ourselves. An explanation can make perfect sense and still not tell the whole story. Rather than immediately accepting it as the answer, I may look with you at what else could be going on.
When thinking starts going in circles, we can shift perspective. That might mean looking at what you feel, what happens in your body, what you want, or whether there are any choices or decisions you have been avoiding.
I ask questions, sometimes confront, sometimes slow things down, and sometimes simply leave space. The aim is not to replace rational thinking, but to give you more to work with than analytical thinking alone.
Sessions can take place online, at your home or workplace, or at my office in The Hague. We can decide together what works best.
Contact me
If something here resonates with you, you can read more about getting in touch and arranging an introductory conversation on the contact page.