From elite sport to complex challenges
Ewout Boogaard's experience of Executive Coaching at VU Amsterdam
When Ewout Boogaard (1979) took the Executive Team Coaching programme at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, a lot came together for him. His career as a coach began as early as 2003, growing out of his experiences as an elite athlete in the Dutch national handball team.
Author: Edo Groot
‘The coaches I worked with back then didn't tell me what to do. At exactly the moments that mattered, they asked me questions like: what do you really want for yourself, how does your behaviour contribute to the team's performance right now, and where does your strength lie? Through them, I discovered how valuable coaching can be. From that moment on, I knew I wanted to do this too.’
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From elite sport to complex challenges
In 2003, Ewout completed the Johan Cruyff University for elite athletes, with a thesis on the influence of elite sports coaches on group dynamics. ‘From the very start of my working life, I have focused on guiding teams and alliances. In doing so, I build on an important conviction I formed during my sporting career: that body, mind, and social context constantly influence one another.’
Through his firm, Courageous teaming, Ewout mainly supports alliances within public–private megaprojects, such as major infrastructure hubs, flood defence reinforcement, and port development. ‘In this sector, traditional hierarchies work less well. The technical and societal complexity is simply too great. That is why the alliance between client and contractor has to be shaped from the outset.’
Another important influence was his deep dive into the work of Harvard professor Amy Edmondson. ‘Her ideas are about the behaviours teams need to adopt in order to keep improving how they work together. That fits seamlessly with our approach. A systemic perspective is also a cornerstone of our work, which I also recognized in the Executive Coaching programme at the VU.’
Structure, application, and experimentation
What immediately appealed to him about Executive Coaching at the VU was its clear structure. ‘Once every two months, a two-day session devoted to a single coaching style. That worked extremely well for me: I could apply it straight away in projects, experiment with it, and then reflect in a focused way. The online peer consultation sessions with colleagues were also a valuable place to discuss real-life challenges and receive direct feedback.’
'However complex a situation is, I feel I have the competences to deal with it. My freedom of movement has grown, and Executive Coaching at the VU has contributed significantly to that.'
After completing the Executive Team Coaching programme, Ewout combined the Executive Coaching programme with body-oriented work with Yvonne Burger. ‘That combination strengthened my development. It broadened my repertoire of interventions.’ When clients asked for evaluations and for research into the alliance within megaprojects, this led to his decision to take the Executive Master in Coaching.
He also discovered which styles truly suit him and which he could broaden. ‘Some styles felt rather far removed from me at the start, such as psychodynamic work. By experimenting with them, I discovered that even this style is a very valuable approach in certain situations. That has expanded my repertoire.’
More freedom and more impact
‘During my sporting career, I experienced how valuable it is to become so good at something that it doesn't matter where in the world you put me on a handball court. In my work, I have come closer to that same feeling. However complex a situation is, I feel I have the competences to deal with it. My freedom of movement has grown, and Executive Coaching at the VU has contributed significantly to that.’
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