Questions to Buddy: Puck Zondervan

During her psychology studies, Puck Zondervan knew that she wanted to help people gain self-insight. As a coach at Buddy , she helps her coachees to put together their personal puzzle. So that they get more job satisfaction and become more productive.

What makes a coach a good coach?
A good coach is modest and tries to be an extension of a coachee. You help people to sort out their thoughts, feelings and behaviors. Tries to bring the subconscious to the surface. In the end, everything is already in the coachee’s head, a good coach knows how to bring this out and get structure in it. For me, there is nothing more beautiful than holding up a mirror to someone and seeing the pieces of the puzzle fall into place. So that the person can then actively work with it.

How do you do that?

At Buddy you are really a sparring partner. A buddy with whom you can discuss your problems so that you can take a step further. A great philosophy for coaching, which suits me well. Because of my open and interested attitude, I quickly put people at ease, so that they dare to expose themselves. Then I dare to confront them with conflicting statements or behaviors. And I ask sharp questions. The best days are when you have really been able to help someone further. That gratitude, that’s what gives me energy.

“A good coach is modest and tries to be an extension of a coachee. You help people to sort out their thoughts, feelings and behaviors. Tries to bring the subconscious to the surface”.

Do you have a tip that people can use themselves?

Schedule regular moments of reflection for yourself. For example, reflect on the past week every Friday: what have been pleasant days and what have been less pleasant days? Why is that? If you find yourself smiling because you’ve been working on a really cool project, it’s definitely worth finding out what you liked about it. Try to pursue those elements more often.

What didn’t you know when you just started (and do you know now)?

When I had just finished my studies, I didn’t realize how much a work environment and a culture have an impact on your job satisfaction. I experienced this first-hand at a company that suits me less. Since then, I always pay close attention to this before I make a switch myself. But as a coach, it also helps me to help my coachees better. I hope to be able to encourage employees to fulfill their role better, in line with their talents. When you succeed, you have more job satisfaction, you get into the flow faster and you are more productive. This helps with the health and vitality of organizations. But if the fit between employee and work culture is not right, it also becomes more difficult to make full use of and develop your talents.

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