It happened again… I fell into an old habit. I had to pitch my company and myself in one minute. But my old habit of “over preparing” kicked in and therefore I was not being perceived as authentic (note: this is my opinion, I did not fact-check that). Authenticity is one of my USP’s (Unique Selling Points). I had to look at my notes a few times, which made it look rehearsed, so the thought crossed my mind: I failed, I did not make the impression I wanted. But… at the end I managed to include one authentic aspect, in which I set myself apart from the other 40 people who pitched before I did: In the last 5 seconds of my 60 seconds show I asked a thought-provoking question to the audience (which is one my talents), to show them my competences and not only tell them about it. The audience started murmuring, laughing a little and talking to their neighbors. I reached my goal: I left a lasting impression. Back in the ‘old days’ I would be very dissatisfied with the performance described above, because 55 seconds went ‘bad’. Today I feel satisfied, because I did not do […]

Hereby (roll of drums…) I present the logo of my company Rosavicus Coaching & Training, developed by Eric Mus, a very talented drawer. The logo and name has symbolic meaning. The name consists of two Latin words: Rosa & Vicus. Rosa = rose, a strong flower that can grow and blossoms, even between rocks. Vicus = house, shelter, a place people feel at home, a foundation, where you can be yourself. The values these words represent are very dear to me and are the basis for who I am as a work psychologist who coaches and trains: I believe everyone has the potential to grow and can blossom, but you do need a basis of trust (in/from the coach/trainer) and nonjudgmental attention from the coach/trainer, a foundation to start the development. I offer this basis and can help you flourish and guide you so you reach the goals you set. And then there is the abstract butterfly with the rose… I relate the butterfly to one of my favorite quotes: “you can only fly… once you are willing to give up the safety of your cocoon” (Connie Lynne). The wings of the butterfly are not symmetrical, because I like to […]

What’s in the formulation? Quite a lot actually. I used to say: I think I am going to start my own small coaching and training business, because I think I can help people develop. And especially in the Dutch culture (and maybe also in other cultures) people tended to respond like this: “wat leuk, je begint je eigen bedrijfje” (roughly translated as: that is so cute, starting your own small business). By adding the “small” (or in Dutch the ”je” behind the word) you often do not realize what you are destroying: you trivialize the importance of what you are saying! I know I said it, and people around me as well. Until… I started to change my formulation. I left out the “I think”, because I sounded less secure of my plans than I was and I started to view my company in the right proportion: I believe it is a courageous step to set up your own business. Therefore I changed my formulation and said: “I will start my Coaching & Training company, I am the managing director of Rosavicus Coaching & Training. I can guide people to grow to their highest potential.” The response was that people […]

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