Jan Valdinger

Profile

Jan coaches senior executives of different nationalities on a one-to-one basis, helping them to discover and realise their full potential, for the benefit of their organisations, their colleagues, their families and themselves.

He has held Chief Executive positions on several continents, representing major groups while building and managing profitable businesses. He has had wide exposure to differing cultures, and the chance to work alongside people with diverse backgrounds and expectations.

Jan’s previous roles in the law, investment banking and industry provided him with detailed experience in the execution of high profile transactions, strategic planning, business development, marketing, recruitment and personnel development. He has had first-hand experience of many issues which his clients now face. It qualifies him to advise; yet his prime goal is to help his clients to develop their own self awareness and to explore their options and solutions for themselves.

Testimonials

His clients testify to the value of his coaching. They report looking at things afresh, changing habits of a lifetime, improving relationships, planning more strategically, facing conflict, managing more efficiently, rising better to challenges; indeed achieving beyond expectations, whilst finding greater fulfillment and contentment.

Coaching Qualifications

Jan is an Accredited Executive Coach – Advanced Level, from the Academy of Executive Coaching of the UK, which is recognised by the ICF and EMCC.

Career Background

He started his career as a City of London solicitor with the firm now known as Clifford Chance; and then became a corporate financier with London investment bank, Morgan Grenfell. His management experience started with Standard Chartered Merchant Bank, where Jan became a Bank Board member. This included 8 years leading its multicultured investment banking businesses, first in India and later in Hong Kong, overseeing offices in Japan and South Korea.

He then had first hand industrial experience in the UK as Director of Corporate Services for the leading international engineering TI group. He also spent time as a partner in a firm of London solicitors which became absorbed into Eversheds.

In 1994 he moved to Prague and spent eight years as Chief Executive of PPF Investment Company, a leading Czech financial group. He was a member of the Supervisory Board of Ceska Pojistovna, the largest Czech insurance company. He is currently Chairman of the Advisory Board of Cabernet Finance in Czech and Slovak Republics, M&A specialists and part of the global network.

He established the Czech and Slovak coaching activities of The Change Partnership in 2004.

Coaching Approach

Jan subscribes to the philosophy that coachees need to explore deeply their own thoughts, emotions and what influences them; and most importantly the space to seek their own answers to the questions a coach will pose. He acts as a sounding board for his client’s ideas and choices. He challenges their assumptions, and helps clients to reach levels where they might have feared to tread.

He is ready to adapt to an mentoring/advisory role, making the distinction between that role and coaching clear to the client when doing so. Especially in the early days of a coaching contract, he will offer a helping hand, and does not stand back while the coachee struggles to find answers if the “ship would sink in the process.”

Each client sets the agenda following a comprehensive self assessment process, supported usually with a 360 and sometimes a psychometric review.

Commonly Found Topics

These include

• maximising the use of strengths; recognising then neutralising limiting behaviours;
• taking on a new role; gaining acceptance;
• development of personal leadership presence;
• listening and influencing;
• facing challenges and conflict;
• using assertion not aggression;
• delegating more effectively and effective management of meetings;
• time: finding it, using it;
• wise corporate political awareness.

Most clients have local colleagues to manage, peers to work alongside, and “bosses” headquartered abroad to whom they report. Jan sees that people are often good at managing upwards, alongside or downwards – but rarely at all three. Coaching makes the difference.

Industry Sectors

Coaching topics tend to be common to all walks of life, and Jan is comfortable coaching in any sector, whether public or private. His recent clients’ industries have ranged from the Power Sector, Engineering, Human Resources businesses, Real Estate and IT/Communications. The banking and the financial services industry is also well familiar to him, as is the field of professional services.

Educational and professional qualifications

• LLB, University of Newcastle upon Tyne
• College of Law
• Solicitor (England and Wales)
• Academy of Executive Coaching

European Mentoring & Coaching Council (EMCC), Czech Coaching Association (CAKO). Immediate past Chairman HR Committee, American Chamber of Commerce.

Nationality

Jan is a dual national, UK and Czech, although his mother tongue and principal coaching language is English. He has sound conversational Czech and French, and some knowledge of other languages.