Consultants at TAG are never on their own. During their career, they are supported by a team manager and a personal coach who maps out their career plans and growing opportunities. But who makes sure that the support of our coaches stays up to standards? That’s the task of TAG’s Head Coach, Astrid.
Hello Astrid, congratulations on the promotion to Head Coach! How long have you been part of the TAG team?
‘I’ve been a consultant at TAG for over seven years now. I studied bioengineering and did a postgraduate in business and innovation. TAG perfectly combined these two interests of mine. Currently, I’m supporting the retail sector as business analyst. But in addition to the project I’m working on, I also take up internal responsibilities at TAG to advance my skills. For a long time, I’ve coached consultants, but recently, I got promoted to Head Coach, which means I now coach the coaches.’
Let’s take a step back for a second. How exactly are consultants coached at TAG and why is this so important?
‘TAG wants to foster the growth of its consultants. That’s why they sit down with a coach to discuss what they like or dislike in a consultancy role. What are the challenges they’re struggling with? Do they want to grow towards a particular role within TAG or work on a specific project? While a team manager monitors a consultant’s current actions on a project, a coach helps them look towards the future.’
Can you give an example of what a coaching programme at TAG looks like?
Certainly! The first coaching session(s) are focused on mapping out your strengths and weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Basically, your coach helps you understand your personal strengths better. To do that, we use a platform called ME+U, to which I will personally introduce you. Together with your coach, you will use these insights to draw up a personalised development plan and determine the next steps to help improve your work and achieve your career goals. Making that plan as hands-on as possible really makes a difference for young graduates. To ensure that your plan stays up to date, your coach organises follow-up sessions with you every month.
How long does a TAG consultant receive coaching?
For as long as they need to. I still have a coach (laughs). I meet with my coach less and less frequently, but we still discuss issues I’m running into or my current career ambitions. But it’s an interesting question: what can coaches offer senior consultants? As Head Coach, I want to answer that and find out how our coaches can respond to the needs of seniors.
What other tasks do you have as Head Coach?
I organise general trainings for the TAG coaches and offer them guidelines to ensure that their support is sufficiently personalised and effective. If a coach needs a certain type of training or struggles with a particular issue, I’m there to offer support.
Lovely to hear how helpful and responsive TAG’s working environment is. Thanks for the interview Astrid and good luck!
Want to know more about TAG’s onboarding process?
