Practitioner Diploma / “Every interaction offers an opportunity to learn and grow”

Natasa Iacovides is director of human resources and an executive coach at Hermes Airports in Cyprus. A graduate of the AoEC’s Practitioner Diploma in Executive Coaching, she shares how the diploma helped shape her coaching presence, why deep listening is essential for leaders and how every interaction offers an opportunity to learn and grow.

You have had a long and successful career as a people professional and are currently working as director of human resources and executive coach at Hermes Airports. Who or what introduced you to coaching and led to you signing up for coach training with the AoEC?

At the beginning of my career, coaching was not on my agenda or something that I wanted to pursue. However, things changed after I personally experienced it and saw its impact on individuals and the organisation.

The first time I was introduced to coaching was in 2013 when the CEO of our company at the time, who was familiar with coaching, suggested introducing it to the company as part of the development of our leaders. One of the two executive coaches we were working with, after she saw my interest in coaching, offered me the possibility to explore becoming a coach myself. And from there, the journey began. I wanted to find a good institution in order to receive the right training and that brought me to AoEC.

What were some of the positives and challenges you experienced while doing the diploma?

It was a valuable experience, and the programme was well structured. I liked the blended format, which combined both classroom and on-line sessions, as well as the time between sessions to practice and reflect. The trainers were amazing in making us feel comfortable in doing some inner work, which was an essential part of the training. They offered experience in both, looking within ourselves as well as providing the relevant theory and practice.

The main challenge was to be present, leaving behind previous knowledge, and being open and curious about the new perspectives. One of the hardest questions that I had to answer was ‘Who am I?’.

What is your top advice to others considering coach training?

It is a journey that you must be willing to take, therefore it is important to be open, curious and not afraid of being vulnerable. In order to create the safe space for others (your coachees) to do their work, you first need to have done the inner work yourself.  

Looking back at doing your diploma, what has been its lasting impact on you as a person and you as a coach?

It helped me understand the importance of listening and the trap of making assumptions. Each of us is unique, with our own truths and desires. Whether as a coach, a friend or a colleague, the intention in any conversation should be, to be present, to listen and to remain curious. Every interaction offers an opportunity to learn and grow, both as a coach and as a person.

Can you tell us more about your personal coaching model and how this has evolved since doing the diploma?

My intention through coaching is to help coachees discover their truth and achieve their goals. There are people who know what they want but they don’t know how to get there, while others are still searching for what they truly want. I would say that my practice is not too structured. Of course, there are rules and there is a framework, but by being more flexible there is space where the coachee can create and explore.

Through this approach, the coachee is able to find and/or create their truth without any judgement or restrictions. We all have blind spots and limiting beliefs that we are not aware of, which hinder our progress and happiness. Therefore, I consider it important through the coaching sessions that those barriers are realised by the coachee and removed. This is achieved through challenging questions and interventions on the speech of the coachee.

What benefits has a coach qualification added to your work as an HR professional?

It helped a lot. As Natasa and an HR professional, I care deeply about people, their growth and their wellbeing. In some cases though, I was carrying people’s problems and concerns and trying to find a solution for them. Coaching taught me that in order to really help people grow in a supportive way, I need to challenge and encourage them, to find their own answers and solutions. I have the belief that every individual is able to find solutions to a problem, and by encouraging them to do that, it’s a way to contribute to their growth and build confidence.

Tell us about your work at Hermes Airports. How are you building coaching into your people management strategies and who is receiving coaching within the organisation?

Coaching is linked with the overall culture map of Hermes, our talent management processes, succession planning, and the company’s strategic priorities. It is a developmental opportunity that applies to employees identified as Talents (high performers - high potential), those holding critical positions, successors for key roles and employees who actively contribute to a strategic priority. Therefore, selected employees who are eligible to participate in coaching can become ready in attaining new positions, new tasks, new projects as well as achieve their own personal career aspirations.

The purpose of coaching sessions is to help coachees to increase self-awareness, challenge themselves, examine thoughts and beliefs, acknowledge their strengths, identify their potential, develop a new way of thinking which supports their wellbeing and higher purpose, and leave behind the old and damaged, replacing it with the new.

As leadership plays a significant role in the creation of the desired culture, we have introduced a number of initiatives in order to ensure that our leaders are effective in coaching their team members. Coaching is included in the leadership competencies which is incorporated in the performance management system and leaders are assessed against it by their boss, peers, and direct reports at the end of the year (360 feedback). The Leadership Circle Profile and the Leadership Circle Profile Managers’ edition is conducted every two years for the whole management team. During the process, leaders have their own executive coach assisting them with their development plan. The constant interaction with an executive coach, external or internal, helps maintain the coaching mindset.

Can you share a success story or testimonial from one of your coachees that highlights the impact of your coaching?

“My experience through coaching has helped me redefine myself. I feel better equipped to deal with professional challenges by applying my personality and values in everything that I do. It has given me a boost of confidence and reignited my passion, allowing me to be the best I can at my workplace.”

                                                                                            *****

“Working with Natasa Iacovides as a personal coach has been a truly transformative experience. Through her guidance, I was able to build my confidence, unlock my potential, and achieve meaningful growth - both personally and professionally. Her supportive and insightful approach made all the difference on my journey at Hermes.”

What do you find most rewarding about your work as a coach?

The moment when the coachee reaches his/her ‘aha’ moment! When I see the relief on their face, the smile and the renewed motivation to move forward!

Our deepest thanks to Natasa for sharing her personal experience of coach training with the AoEC.