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Career coaching and development of identity
We feel coaching or counseling on career and personal development have many things in common, especially for Xi people, who are currently exploring the meaning of their intelligences in past, present en future. Old convictions about personal qualities, values and competences can quite effectively block personal development and fruitful career choices.
We use various tools like Career values, Competences, Overexcitabilities, Learning Styles, Temperament, Life Style (Human Synergistics), Team roles (Belbin), Core Qualities (Ofman) to trigger discussion and broaden perspectives.
But most of all, these instruments make visible whether the clients convictions about him- or herself are still valid, or beyond their expiry date.
The added value of the coach is the ability to question these convictions effectively.
The result is often a shedding of old ‘envelopes’ that hinder the expression of the clients identity and power.
We don’t help clients to find new jobs, or start their own business, although we do comment on personal presentation. Our aim is to help them to help themselves, and most often that aim is reached.
Visual thinking
Our clients are quite often not aware of their uncommon abilities for visual thinking, and experience difficulties to get their ideas across to colleagues or boss.
The work of Ronald Davis and Temple Grandin introduced us to it. It proves to be very practical to explain clients the concept of visual thinking, and of the Mind's Eye.
We combine it with the ideas of Linda Silverman about Visual Spatial learning, and many clients have been thrilled by her concept. ‘Upside-down Brilliance’ is very informative.
It explains why linear language often falls short to convey the rich imagery. Especially when accelerated by the excellence of a very bright mind, which is not aware of his or her audience being less bright, although they have academic degrees.
Dabrowski, Jacobsen, Gardner...
We use Dabrowski’s Overexcitabilities as a tool for making unusual needs and its expression visible. We call it eXtra receptivity (Dutch: eXtra ontvankelijk, Xo), a more attractive quality than being Overexcitable.
We use the concepts of ‘Intensity, Complexity and Drive’, as coined by Mary Elaine Jacobsen in her book ‘the Gifted Adult’.
We use the concept of Multiple Intelligences (MI) by Howard Gardner, and our idea of Xi naturally extends to all his intelligences. Many of our clients have very high Interpersonal intelligence and use it for their adaptation strategies. Many others discover their strong Bodily-kinesthetic intelligence and feel relieved that it can be extra intelligent to use hands instead of head.
... and Kuipers & van Kempen
We also develop instruments ourselves and have e.g. explored the connection between temperament and perception of giftedness, or the expression of gifted males who do not want to conform to patriarchic value systems.
We have coined the term 'Xidentity' to bring relevant facets of the identity of XIPersons together in a systematic model. Xidentity is explained on a separate webpage.
All instruments are geared to offer our clients a reference to their own experiences of being different, while showing both advantages and possible difficulties when encountering a majority who is more or less normal.
The publication of our book: 'Verleid jezelf tot excellentie, gereedschap voor extra intelligente mensen' (Charm yourself into excellence, tools for extra intelligent people) proves to be another instrument that helps people to help themselves, or that allows them to come to us already much more prepared and aware of their rediscovered possibilities.
Our presentations on various subjects of the book offer the participants a quick introduction to the subject plus the possibility of exchange with like-minded members of the audience.
Clients and product diversity
Our added value for the client is in helping to increase self-knowledge, self-confidence and to bring about an updated sense of direction for personal and career development. When the working environment is also involved and willing, we find ways to explain the peculiarities of Xi, and suggest approaches for optimal profit of our clients abilities.
Clients find us through our websites, or a reference in newspaper articles, or hearsay.
About half of our clients come by their own initiative and pay our fee themselves. The other half comes with the consent of their employers, who pay for ‘Career Maintenance’ or Coaching. In those cases we meet often before and/or after with the client and his/her manager.
Our clients come from all kinds of professions: secretary, IT-consultant, forensic accountant, lawyer, research worker, medical specialist, producer, top executive, teacher, interim manager, process engineer, marketeer etcetera.
About 60% of our clients is male, 40% female. Age varies from 23 to 58.
In 2006 we have started a Saturday afternoon workshop called ‘Soort zoekt soort’ (Birds of a feather flock together). About ten people explore together their own Xi and Xo (Extra Receptiveness). Many participants are willing to acknowledge their own giftedness for the first time by the end of the workshop. It is heart-warming to see how fast and intense a group of ‘XIPersons’ is able to explore new territory together.
We are committed to continue spreading the word about adult Xi and giftedness, because it helps the people involved to overcome prejudice and feelings of shame, due to outdated or limiting information and emotional blocks.