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Bill Gates. Eric Schmidt. Satya Nadella. Steve Jobs. Oprah Winfrey. All work or have worked with a coach. Not because they don't know what they're doing. But because they know what coaching brings.

And yet, we hold the belief that coaching is for people who cannot manage on their own. For the weak. For those who "need help.

It is precisely the opposite.

What those who have tried it say

Everyone needs a coach. Whether you are a basketball player, tennis player, chess player or manager, coaching is for anyone who wants to improve their performance.

- Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft

A coach showed me things I didn't know about myself. Whenever I look back, this was one of the best steps I ever took.

- Eric Schmidt, former CEO of Google

Coaching helped me realise that my behaviour as a leader affects the entire organisation in ways I never suspected.

- Satya Nadella, CEO Microsoft

Figures that speak for you

86 %
companies report that coaching has yielded a return on investment (ICF study)
70 %
clients report improvements in work performance and relationships
7×
average ROI of coaching versus investment (Manchester Group study)

Why successful people seek out coaches

The higher you go in an organisation, the less feedback you receive. Subordinates will not tell you the truth. Colleagues have their own agendas. Your family loves you but does not understand your world. A coach is the only person who will give you honest, unfiltered feedback.

1. Blind spots

We all have blind spots, areas where our self-perception does not match reality. The more intelligently and independently we work, the more sophisticatedly we rationalise these blind spots. A coach sees them from the outside.

2. Space for thinking

On an ordinary working day there is no time for deep reflection. A coaching session is a dedicated space where you do not deal with operations, but with strategy. Where you are going, why you are going there and whether it is the right direction.

3. Accountability

A commitment to another person works differently than a commitment to oneself. You know that at the next session your coach will ask what you have done. And that motivates.

4. Transitioning into the unknown

Every move to a higher level means doing things you have never done before. Coaching guides you through this uncertainty, helping to name the fear and work with it.

Myths about coaching that are holding you back

Myth: Coaching is for the weak.
Reality: Coaching is for the ambitious.

Weak people do not look for ways to improve themselves. Strong people seek every advantage.

Myth: I can handle it myself.
Reality: The best athletes have coaches. Why not you?

Roger Federer has a coach. Even though he is the best. Because he knows that without an external perspective, development stagnates.

Myth: It is expensive.
Reality: Coaching is an investment with measurable returns.

One promotion, one better business decision or one less conflict in the team, that will pay for years of coaching.

Myth: Friends are like coaches.
Reality: Friends tell you what they think you want to hear, not what you need to hear.

They have good intentions. But they are not neutral. A coach is.

Coaching for IT founders and managers in the Czech Republic

Abroad, coaching for leaders is standard practice. In the Czech environment it is not yet, but this is changing. More and more IT managers, founders and team leaders are starting to work with a coach. Not only in Prague, but also online.

I work with people who are at home in the technical world. IT managers, CTOs, startup founders. I understand the specifics of their world because I come from IT myself. I know how they think, what worries them and what they resist.

I thought coaching was for the 'soft' people. After six sessions, I realised I had been lying to myself for years about what I really wanted.": client, CTO, Prague

Join those who take coaching seriously

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