When experience meets new depth
When Stephen decided to pursue the three-year Executive Master in Coaching at VU University Amsterdam, he was looking for a programme that was both academically rigorous and practically applicable. With 25 years of coaching experience, his own practice, and seven management books to his name, he wanted to deepen his knowledge, refine his skills, and take his work as a coach to the next level.
Learning from the best
“What immediately appealed to me was that this is the only university-level coaching programme in the Netherlands. It was a special experience to attend lectures by professors and experienced professionals such as Erik de Haan, Yvonne Burger, Mieke Reidinga and Marjan Timmer. They combine theory with practice and often make the parallel process visible.
In addition, you learn a great deal from fellow students, many of whom have their own coaching practices or leadership roles, bringing valuable and diverse perspectives.”
Wider repertoire and deeper insight
“The programme has greatly broadened my approach to coaching. Among other things, I learned to work with the four main streams of coaching: problem-oriented, insight-oriented, solution-oriented, and counselling. This allows me to offer more conscious and tailored coaching, depending on what a coachee needs.
The six Heron styles also gave me a richer palette for choosing the right stance—ranging from guiding to following—in conversations. This enables me to shift gears more flexibly and apply interventions with greater precision, producing immediate effects in practice.”
Reflection and body wisdom
“Supervision and reflection helped me to further recognise my own patterns and gain insight into my motivations. A very useful model is Chris Argyris’ Ladder of Inference. It shows how people often move very quickly from perception to judgement. For executives—who frequently make quick decisions under pressure—this model helps to break through assumptions and base choices on facts.
In addition, a guest lecture on breathing exercises brought me an important breakthrough. Body-oriented work has since become a central part of my personal and professional development. My greatest self-insight from the past three years, through both study and daily yoga, is the ability to recognise my automatic patterns at critical moments, to reframe myself in moments of not-knowing, and to increasingly draw upon the wisdom of my body.
My development has shifted from evidence-driven to body wisdom—and perhaps also to being more opinionated. I am no longer preoccupied with delivering the perfect intervention simply to avoid being tongue-tied. For me, the essence of coaching lies in reflection, truly listening, and harnessing body wisdom.”
Thesis and scientific depth
“The third year was entirely focused on research. My thesis examined how executives can best manage their well-being in order to thrive. The next step is to develop it into a professional publication—and who knows, perhaps it will become my next management book.
Equally important is the network of experienced professionals I built during the programme. It has deepened my expertise in leadership development and significantly enriched my professional field.”
