Frederieke Maagdenberg
Appreciative coaching: connecting science and practice
One of the things that made my time at Kessels & Smit special was the fact that I had my own subject to work on: ‘appreciative coaching'. I discovered my interest for this subject while talking with colleagues and joining them in their work. I based my graduation research on this interest. This meant I could not pick a ready-made assignment to work on. I made my own way by getting in touch with colleagues who shared my passion for appreciative coaching. The interviews I held gave rise to some intriguing questions that were of interest to me as well as the coaches and scientists.
I wanted my research to be a valuable contribution to Kessels & Smit. I achieved this by discussing preliminary results with colleagues and organising workshops on the subject. Kessels & Smit offers plenty of opportunities to link research results to real-life situations, and I have made use of them.
Maliebaan 45 in Utrecht, with the flexible workspaces, was a very attractive working environment. I like to have the freedom to work on projects independently and plan my own work. I never felt alone since I was always surrounded by colleagues I could talk to if I needed some feedback. The Kessels & Smit Days were important too. These monthly meetings gave me the opportunity to hear what was going on in the organisation and see what others were doing. Those days gave me a lot of energy, and I always learned a lot during workshops and the conversations I had with colleagues.