Coaching Degree Program Overview

Interview with Dennis Hoofe at the conclusion of his Coaching degree at Janus.

How did you experience the coaching training? What was special for you – in terms of the concept and in terms of the content and the way of learning?

• I experienced the training as very interactive and engaging at all times. The special aspect is the constant interaction between the participants and the seminar leaders. At every moment, I was involved, either as an active listener, active coach, coachee, or as a participant in the course. It was always entertaining, while also being very relaxing and grounding; due to the choice of locations (Ohlstadt and Bad Kohlgrub are my two favorite places), the good breaks, and also the evening programs. I also really liked the seminar times. Sunday evening to Friday was a well-chosen timeframe.

To what extent did the training meet or even exceed your expectations, and where did it not?

• The training exceeded my expectations. Methodologically, my expectations were fully met, and personally, I underwent a development that greatly surpassed my expectations.

What learning steps have you already been able to implement during the training?

• The training initiated a "journey to myself" that will probably never fully end. At the same time, a few solid pillars have been added, such as respect in terms of self-respect, respect for my resources, respect for my energy levels, (greater) respect for the feelings of my counterpart. A more conscious perception of my behaviors and character traits. I was certainly receptive to all these topics beforehand, but Janus carefully guided me in the further development in these and many other areas.

In retrospect: What was the most important thing for you – was there a "milestone" on your journey?

• The milestone was the entire journey, a special step was the conclusion. Jasmine, with a final presentation, allowed me to visually reflect on my journey with Janus. Like a skier looking at the mountain he just skied down. Besides all the positive things - in terms of content, personal development - I had the opportunity to meet many special people who have shared parts of the ski trail with me and now hold a special place in my heart.

What do you plan to do now with your graduation? What do your next steps look like?

• Gut feeling: One day of coaching and mindfulness per week. I am already working 80%, so it makes sense to use that day for it. This also includes many everyday matters; the entire Janus journey is reflected in almost every conversation: whether in goal agreements, performance assessments, mentoring conversations, 1:1s in the coffee kitchen, conversations with my wife, my children, or friends.

Interview with Dr. Bianca Ahrens on the completion of her Coaching degree at Janus.

Dear Dr. Ahrens, we sincerely congratulate you on the successful completion of your Coaching degree and wish you all the best for your future path as a consultant. How did you experience the coaching training? What was special for you — in terms of the concept and in terms of the content and the way of learning?

• I found the coaching training to be very enriching for me personally. It was sometimes very moving to open up in the personality-oriented seminars, to get to know myself better, and to understand my strengths and weaknesses. I particularly appreciated the freedom of choice, the flexible pace in the modular system of the training, and the very good connection between the seminar theory and the various resource trainers and topics. It was also very enriching to experience the seminars in groups of different people with various levels of knowledge and backgrounds, and then to encounter people again in the final phase of the training whom I had already met in another seminar. The learning atmosphere based on trust, appreciation, respect, and acceptance was very important to me, where everyone is allowed to be who they are. For me, the experiential and practical nature of the individual seminar topics over such a seminar week made the training particularly sustainable and effective. Another special aspect was the real coaching cases with clients whom I did not know beforehand and about whom I knew almost nothing. They were very educational — both as a coach and as an observer and part of the Reflecting Teams.

To what extent did the training meet or even exceed your expectations, and where did it not?

• I don't even know if I really had expectations for the training beforehand; I think not. I developed over time, tried things out, and received valuable feedback. Today, I feel capable of supporting and accompanying people in conversations on their path. That makes me satisfied.

What learning steps have you already been able to implement during the training?

• I have learned to know and understand myself well over time, I can approach people empathetically, and I am aware of the coaching process, as well as a set of questions that I can use. I have learned and internalized several methods and theories, tried out coaching alone and in supervisions, and gained confidence in it.

In retrospect: What was the most important thing for you - was there a "milestone" on your path?

• I was given the time and space to develop and to be close to my true self from time to time. I had a significant turning point after the seminar "Leadership Style and Personality" — I could feel it internally, and it was reflected back to me in my environment. I decided to complete the coaching training, started at a new company, and was satisfied with myself and the world.

What are your plans now with your degree? What do your next steps look like?

• I definitely want to stay engaged with the topic because I find it a very beautiful and mutually enriching way to meet people — particularly intense in the coaching setting, but I also find applying a coaching attitude and changed communication in other contexts enriching for my life. Further practice and seizing opportunities for coaching are the most important aspects for me. It would also be nice to stay in contact with some from the training and reflect on these next steps, exchange ideas, continue practicing, and provide and receive feedback in such a group. I am already in one-on-one exchanges with several people, and perhaps we can manage to meet physically once or twice a year. I want to create a homepage and also engage with the DCV certification in the near future. Body and breath work occupy me, and that is also a topic I would like to pursue and deepen further. Thank you very much for your feedback!

Interview with Anke Idstein on the completion of her Coaching program at Janus.

Dear Anke Idstein, first of all, we would like to warmly congratulate you once again on the successful completion of your Coaching program. We are very pleased that you are giving us insight into your training period through this interview and sharing your experiences with us. We are very interested in hearing your perspective and learning if there are possibly areas that could be improved.

When you think back to the training, what was particularly significant for you regarding the structure?

• The deep personal experience in the self-experience seminars is, in my opinion, the best way to first tidy up within oneself. I feel I was very well prepared for practicing as a coach and learned a lot methodologically. The supervisions serve as personal assessments and provide the opportunity to experience a variety of different coaching characters. Thus, from my perspective, the modules represent a very good combination in the training.

Our training is structured in such a way that all method components are accompanied by the teaching coach. In the personality-oriented components, you also get to know other trainers – how did that go for you?

• My teaching coach Jasmine Harde always found the right way to teach me and us while also building a relationship. Especially with the longer accompaniment and the many personal topics of the participants, I imagine that walking this tightrope is not easy. For me, it worked very well. Furthermore, I am still impressed by her ability to coach (the right topic at the right time and the appropriate method), and to hold the coachee in deep emotional processes and bring them back to reality. I couldn't have asked for a better teaching coach than Jasmine. In the seminar "Self-Management," I had the opportunity to work with Mechthild Erpenbeck and observe how she coached participants. Here, I experienced what professional coaching of personal topics should look like. The quality and years of experience of both are visible, and to be honest, it has led me to respect the profession of coach. From my perspective, what both of them do deserves a different designation than what we beginners refer to as coaching.

At the end of the training, there is a final thesis that includes a practical and a theoretical part. Often, such a thing can seem daunting – how did it go for you with your final thesis?

• The thesis was a lot of fun for me personally. Reflecting on my own development was another step in my growth. Additionally, I was able to add some science to the training by delving deeper into the ZRM model and the associated scientific elements that were briefly presented in the reading. Admittedly, I would have liked to learn a bit more about the scientific elements behind the methods and approaches during the training, but I can now acquire that knowledge on my own as I continue my journey. And if there are ever considerations at Janus to offer seminars for graduates on further methods that also delve a bit deeper into the science behind them, I would be immediately interested – and of course, in supervisions for alumni.

Thank you very much for your feedback! We wish you all the best on your further path as a coach and consultant and look forward to seeing you again at the alumni events. 😊

Feedback from Stephanie Thelen on the Coaching program at Janus, which she successfully completed in March 2023.

While I am glad to close the chapter on coaching training, I also regret that this very inspiring time is now over. I will not be working as a classic coach. However, I am convinced that a coaching attitude is what future employees expect from us leaders. Thank you very much for the many impulses and the opportunity to develop further in the hands of Janus!

Interview with Manuela Schwandt, personal developer at ALTE LEIPZIGER Lebensversicherung, at the conclusion of her coaching program at Janus

How did you experience the coaching training? Was it as you had imagined?

• I found the coaching training to be very enriching and intense. Not only were methods and techniques taught, but there was also work done on and with one's own personality. After the first Janus seminar, I realized that it would not just be a professional training, but rather a personal development process. I perceived the training at Janus as a luxury, as such thorough reflection and engagement with myself unfortunately often falls short in my everyday life. All the trainers are incredibly professional, empathetic, and appreciative. They have a very good sense of their fellow human beings and directly recognized the true motivations, needs, and motives of the individuals. Every exercise sequence was resource- and solution-oriented. Overall, the training was more intense and personal than I had expected, allowing for a completely different depth of awareness.

What have you been able to implement during the training?

• In my practice, I dealt more with coaching teams than with classical individual coaching. Particularly helpful for me were the insights that each coachee has their own truth and thus their individual ideal solutions. Furthermore, I paid more attention to my own contributions in the respective coaching situations so that I wouldn't fall into the "parallel process trap."

Looking back, what was the most important thing for you – was there a "milestone" along the way?

• Besides the many special people (trainers and participants) I got to know at Janus, there were many key phrases and situations that made me think and advanced my development several steps. Generally, the depth with which personal topics were discussed was consciousness-expanding and enriching. I find the palpable energy during constellations and the power of visualization through (team) sculptures particularly impressive.

What are your plans now that you have completed the program?

• After the completion is before the completion. I want to remain with Janus and look forward to further seminars. Professionally, I now also want to focus more on individual coaching. For me, the completion is not a farewell or an end, but an important step in my personal development. Janus has supported me enormously in this. The atmosphere, the energy, and the experiences I was able to gather are hard to put into words. One simply has to have experienced or felt it themselves.

Feedback from Martin Victor, organizational developer and coach, on the completion of his coaching program

How did you experience the coaching training? Was it as you had imagined?

• My first two seminars at Janus were attended in 2009 as part of an executive training program. It wasn't until 2014 that I made the decision to pursue the training. The choice for Janus was made because of the values that the company embodies. The person and the system around them are prioritized, despite the necessity of working economically. The conviction that success only works with employees and not against them convinced me. The entire training also conveyed these values. Not only were we taught the methods in a way that enabled us to work human-centered, but the participants were also treated in the best sense in the same way. The only way for me to complete such training was the modularity and the resulting flexibility. This allowed me to optimally fit the seminars into my life reality. Through the modularity, I was also able to meet new participants and benefit from different experiences and characters. There was always someone there whom I already knew from another seminar. This meant I didn't always have to start anew. And the different trainers: Simply top-notch! At the beginning, I had few concrete ideas. Had I had any, they would have been more than fulfilled.

What have you already been able to implement during the training?

• Since I was already involved as an organizational developer in supporting change processes during the training, I was able to use individual methods that I learned in the coaching training well and deepen what I already knew. Systemic questions, mediation in conflicts, team development measures, or also supporting executives are part of such projects. This was a good opportunity to practice what I learned repeatedly and to question my perspectives. I was able to bring concrete examples into the supervisions and benefit greatly from them.

Looking back, what was the most important for you – was there a "milestone" along the way?

• I can't say that there was a real milestone. Like in a marathon, all the "miles" I had to overcome were equally important. Because if I hadn't taken just one step, I wouldn't have reached the finish line. The combination of personality seminars and method seminars, the supervisions, and also the exchange with the other participants was brilliant. I was constantly pushed to my limits and thus matured. For me personally, it was also important to give myself time and let things develop. So it was less about a quick "completion" but about "getting better." Therefore, over time, I attended more seminars than necessary. I wouldn't have wanted to miss any of the method seminars.

What are your plans now with the completion?

• Primarily, I will try to position myself more broadly in the future and also work as a coach. The recognized qualification from Janus will certainly help me market myself even better. Not only the certification of the training with the DCV but also the special value system of Janus represent a wonderful unique selling proposition here.