tgc coaching services
tgc coaching services
Connecting Knowledge to Aspirations

A mini intro

Your P.E.P. Coach, Yvonne Hau (Thackray)
yvonne@tgccoach.com

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P.E.P Coaching Specialisms

  • Reconnecting and aligning strategy between organizations, roles, and personal leadership

  • Immediate workplace conflicts

  • Vision creation and accountability

  • Professional & Personal Development

  • Grounding creativity, experience and knowledge into tangible products

  • Self-Confidence & resilience

  • Network & stakeholder management

  • Transitions

Credentials

  • Accredited Executive Coach (Association of Professional Executive Coaches and Supervisors)

  • Founder of the good coach

  • UCL Social Anthropology (MSc) and Surrey University Civil Engineering (MEng)

  • Former Advisian (previously Evan & Pecks Ltd. (HK)) consultant

  • Past Board Member, Accreditor and Volunteer for various coaching bodies

Additional certifications:

4-D Consultant and Coach (How NASA builds Teams). Theory U Practitioner. VIA Character Strengths. Certified Cultural Transformation tools, Barrett Values Centre. Certified Professional Coach, Erickson Coaching International. Peer coach supervision in place; former APAC, AC & ICF member.

My background

I’m a P.E.P. (Professional, Executive and Personal) coach and peer supervisor, and a practitioner researcher and editor, who has combined my passions through all these roles over the past decade. I’m currently living in Hong Kong, previously London, and work with clients locally and internationally, with a keen interest in leadership (professional and personal), transitions (career) and knowledge management (Intuition and tacit knowledge).

Before becoming a coach, I worked as a practicing civil engineer in a number of different roles in both the consultancy and construction field. I also worked as a research engineer, and published articles, for both University of Surrey and Thames Water Utilities on the sustainability of the wastewater infrastructure. Integrating all of my experiences, including my engineering and research background, has shaped how I coach and its provided me with a rather rigorous and creative coaching approach.


my mindset

With almost a decade of experience in coaching, I’ve created my practice by listening to my passions, drawing on my experiences and following my innate curiosity. Following my instincts in coaching, I wanted to find that independent variable which connected us all together - experiences and wisdom irregardless of one’s age - and for me, this is ‘time’: more specifically our relationship to time in terms of who we are, how we want to be, and what we want to do within it.

Why? For me, coaching is a multidisciplinary subject that asks us to draw from learning across the spectrum of knowledge that explores life in all its various forms. For example, from anthropology we are understanding how time came into being, from philosophy we are understanding the meaning of time, from psychology we are understanding the ways time can shape our experiences, and from physics we are understanding how we each relate to time. The later, I believe, is a useful starting point to begin our working relationship, and build rapport and respect essential in coaching.

According to Albert Einstein’s theory of special relativity, which was presented by Professor Brian Cox during his Universal World Tour (2019), it has been proven, within its known boundaries, that when we assume that light moves at its constant speed limit through empty space, and space (in all its dimensions) is woven together with time to make up the fabric of space (space-time), then something unique happens when your speed relative to other objects is closer to the speed of light. Time passes slower for you than for the people you left behind. You won't notice this effect until you return to those stationary people. This means time isn’t an absolute-fixed quantity, but instead relative. This is why, “Our time is personal to us – this is what Einstein had discovered. There is no such thing as absolute time, but we don’t notice this in everyday life […because we’re all travelling at different speeds]”.

Appreciating that we hold all these perspectives and relationship to time, this allows for rhizomatic learning as I hold that space for you in finding your ways forward.


why coaching is of Value, today

Accepting that time is personal to each of us, we will each respond to the changes in the external environment differently. Today, we are spurred by capitalism, social activism, and the advent of the digital age with rapid hardware and software advancements. We are more connected than ever typically at the expense of our privacy, and altogether they are shaping and influencing our social system, the economy as well as our identity and approach to having a ‘portfolio’ career. We will transport our expertise and skills between projects because organisations expect its employees to work together in a just-in-time mode. This often does not leave much time for consolidating and upgrading one's knowledge and skills, which is a concern amongst the experienced professionals, and a threshold that is set too high for those entering the market. Also, those who want to be successful should have in abundance a signature character strength that helps them to thrive in our current times of risk and uncertainty.

Furthermore, we often need to choose between freedom and security when selecting our careers over our working life. This is further exacerbated as Jaron Lanier states, “The information economy that we are currently building does not really embrace capitalism, but rather a new form of feudalism. We are not creating enough opportunity for enough people online. The wide adoption of transformative connecting technology should create a middle class wealth boom … but instead we’ve seen recession, unemployment, and austerity[1].” Transitioning from the age of capitalism with this new ‘form of information feudalism’ combined with a longer life expectancy, we hope to have or, perhaps even expected, to live a more fulfilling life. Instead, what we are currently used to seeing, and expressed well by Richard Sennett, “the conditions of time in the new capitalism have created a conflict between character and experience, the experience of disjointed time threatening the ability of people to form their characters into sustained narratives.[2]”  That is why I believe coaching has emerged, as it is one of the many tools that can help individuals and teams to hopefully better mange change and transitions in a normally complex and chaotic environment that’s aligned with their aspirations.

Coaches can see within the other person these strengths that others sometimes are not able to see because they’re too busy with their own things. Being able to give both the space-time for someone else to share something that most people wouldn’t notice through a conversation is what clients need, sometimes even crave for, to re-balance everything that’s competing on their time. That’s why I continue doing coaching.

[1] Lanier, Jaron (2013), Who owns the future
[2] Sennett, R (1998) The Corrosion of Character.

 
 
 

My Coaching Approach

 
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I work with clients at various levels (students, front line staff, junior/mid/senior managers, C-suite) and across various industries from construction to financial services, fitness and fragrance and flavour industry, from education to professional services, tech start-ups and not-for-profits.

In the professional space, I support my clients to reflect, review and strategically organize their thoughts which then enables them to make more considered decisions in their operational and leadership roles.

Recent client examples: Givaudan (APAC), Credit Suisse, Levi Strauss (HK) Ltd, BETATYPE, Little Miss Macarons, INSEAD, WiFA, PACTA inc., Forward3D (APAC & RU), Swire Hotels, Ignite Innovation, 121 Fitness HK, Pfizer, CISCO, Expedia Inc., Foursquare, EarthWatch Ltd. (HK).

In the educational space, I provide career coaching to all students, and specialize in dissertation coaching to mature Master students completing their dissertation. I provide them with the space to consider the rigor of their argument, guide them through the structuring process, and most importantly, to be comfortable with writing in an academic style.

I have worked with students from University College London (UK), Birkbeck University of London (UK), INSEAD (Singapore and France), University of Science and Technology (Hong Kong), Waterloo University (Canada) and CityU (Hong Kong).

A specialist in the field of coaching, I define coaching as, “providing that quality of attention that enables another person to have the confidence and clarity to reach and humbly manage their potential now and in the future”. I have developed a reputation for being prepared, patient and thorough, a sharp listener and a good strategist for the way the conversation, or process, needs to be designed to ensure buy in.

I believe coaching is one of the few places where someone else outside their immediate circle believes that another person has potential. Many people might perceive this as a form of narcissism; for the minority it’s an alternative way of valuing and building on their strengths, while maintaining integrity and continuing to be competitive in an ever-competitive market.


Who I work best with

Professionals who are confident, humble and have an empowering mindset. They already know what it takes to get where they are - that is why they are leaders in their various fields and roles. Yet, they are still keen to develop themselves on a professional and personal level and have that neutral space to reflect, review and strategically organize their thoughts which then enables them to make more considered decisions.


My Coaching APPROach

Every challenge brought to coaching is multifaceted and complex. Knowing whether I’m the right coach in those moments, my client and I are negotiating my permission to coach them and their readyness to participate on something which is often vulnerable to them. The client wants to check what technical expertise I’ll be bringing to the conversation, and once they have the evidence they need that I’m working with them from a seemingly robust knowledge base, our rapport deepens.

Universally, all coaching has a similar structure, though the approach/steps will vary according to the mindset and attitude of my clients, who are motivated to self-direct their own learning.

  • An intention/goal: It’s okay to have a big goal and revise after Day 1 as clarity continues to emerge of what it is you really want to achieve through coaching.

  • Exploration of the current challenges: It’s okay to explore past experiences and how they may be impacting on how you behave and perform today.

  • Awareness of blocks affecting progress: It’s okay to have blindspots and then acknowledge what’s in your control so that you can take charge of and make changes.

  • Identifying possibilities: It’s okay to take time out and have that space to discover different strategies to handle your challenges using your available resources.

  • Taking action: It’s okay to decide on a different action to the one you thought you might take during coaching because you’re equipped to make even better decisions and take the appropriate action in the moment.

  • Feedback and celebration: It’s okay to reflect on what’s worked, what needs improvement, and celebrate your own successes of progress.

Fundamentally my approach to coaching is about having nurturing dialogic conversations, which is underpinned with the following and supported by my broad coaching education:

  • Listening to the verbal (choice of words, sentence construction, tones, narrative) and non-verbal clues.

  • Providing a safe, confidential and trusting space for the clients to talk through their challenges.

  • Asking challenging, provocative yet respectful, questions by listening to what’s been said explicitly and non-explicitly.

  • Sharing connections (similarities and differences/conflicts), frameworks, experiences, and case studies that offers alternative perspectives to enable further development.

  • Responding thoughtfully and with empathy to what’s been said, and without judgement (to the best of my abilities).

  • Developing rapport and trust in the relationship, and showing vulnerability when appropriate.

  • Pacing my clients at a speed, which is most comfortable and appropriate to them.

  • Holding each client accountable to their actions alongside their goals and aspirations. 

  • Moving my clients through different states of experiences which overall enables them to make better decisions that’s aligned to their potentials and aspirations.

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 Coaching investment

I offer a simple and transparent investment plan for all the available coaching services.

For corporate clients, different terms and conditions will apply at the hourly rate of $3200.

For clients personally paying for the coaching, the following will apply.


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5 hours - Private clients - HK$7,500

4 hours - Masters Students - HK$3200 /(US$410)
(Dissertation services only)

Duration: 2 months

As we begin our coaching partnership following your first free session to check for initial fit and articulate the purpose of your coaching, we’d begin with

  • 5 hours of coaching to be completed over a 2 month period.

  • Each session can be tailored according to your needs: 30mins, 60mins, 90 mins or 120mins.

  • Sessions can be conducted in person, or over zoom.

  • Coaching conversations in between sessions via WhatsApp/email (optional)


After completing the initial package, the following investment options will be available:

Standard Packages

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1 hour

Private clients - HK$1,500

Masters Students - HK$ 1200 /(US$ 155)

Duration: Per session

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5 hours

Private clients - HK$7,150

Masters Students - HK$5800 /(US$ 750)
(Dissertation services only)

Duration: 2 months

 

Longer term Packages

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10 hours

Private clients - $13,500

Masters Students - HK10,800 /(US$1385)
(Dissertation services only)

includes 10% discount

Duration: 3 to 4 months

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15 hours

Private clients - HK$18,000

Masters Students - HK$14,400 /(US$ 1850)
(Dissertation services only)

includes 20% discount

Duration: 5 to 6 months


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My Testimonies

I went to Yvonne for the first time last Summer. Recommended by a friend of mine as I was struggling with some issues at work and found myself at a bit of a standstill. After meeting with Yvonne for the first time, we clicked immediately and she understood me. She helped me when I was going through a very tough time at work, helped me gain clarity and gave me the tools I needed to stay strong during that time. She taught me to gain better perspective about my situation, and build the confidence to stand up for myself and focus on what was important for me - which I wouldn’t have been able to do without her support and guidance. Fast forward to now, I am in a much stronger place and am about to embark into a new and exciting career!
— Marketing Manager, HK
I am incredibly thankful for the thesis writing experience with Yvonne. I had approached her at the point when I was seriously questioning myself and my ability to write anything, and the journey under her guidance turned to be deep, insightful, and joyful. Yvonne has a very supportive and calm personality, at the same time very structured and goal-oriented, and full of enthusiasm! She helped me structure my writing schedule, coached me through the clouds of data collected at the field research stage, and crystallized my thinking. The most precious for me was Yvonne’s ability to create the holding environment and nurture the writer in me, being the strict critic and at the same time encouraging mentor! I am proud of the work that I have done, and I couldn’t have been at this point without Yvonne!
— Global Sport, Russia
Yvonne’s coaching abilities are impressive. Her main talent consists of gently guiding coachees and helping them discover their dormant skills and insights. I personally tremendously benefited from teaming up with Yvonne - she coached me towards completing a demanding Executive Master’s thesis on the role of everyday creativity in career transitions. The thesis topic was multi-faceted - thanks to Yvonne’s expertise, I was able to finish it on time and bring to the surface knowledge I wasn’t aware I possessed. I wholeheartedly recommend Yvonne as a coach.
— Project Manager & Entrepreneur, Europe
Yvonne is just AMAZING! She is a talent yet humble human being. I always look forward to my conversations with Yvonne. She is someone that you can sit down and get completely present with yourself, and have someone be there to LISTEN to everything your thinking and feeling. Helps me to find out what the challenges are and provide suggestions with her bright ideas. Yvonne helped me prioritize what was important in my life and professionally. She has guided me through a number of big changes so far. When I am confused, she shows me the different ways. It was truly my pressure to meet you in life and I would like to thank you for the coaching you have given me.
— Community Manager, HK
I’ve known Yvonne for several years because I was previously one her industrial supervisors for her EngD studies. When we hooked up again earlier this year I was down and in need of a change. Yvonne offered me some coaching which I gladly accepted. I quickly went from feeling down and not knowing what I wanted from my career any more to feeling invigorated. Yvonne has helped me to re-discover what is important to me, where my strengths lie and her coaching helped me realise that I am doing the right job but I just needed a life change. Thanks to Yvonne’s gentle questioning, suggestions and support in just a few months I have gained a new qualification and my family and I have re-located. I would never have achieved this without Yvonne’s help and support and I would have no hesitation in recommending her to friends or colleagues. I really looked forward to my sessions with Yvonne, she is a gifted coach.
— Senior Asset Manager, UK
Insightful and perceptive is what comes to mind when I think of Yvonne as a coach. I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Yvonne for more than five years, and have worked with her in various capacities over this time, including her coaching me when I was transitioning from my corporate role to launching and growing my tech startup. What was immediately apparent to me from the onset, is how easily and genuinely she creates a sense of trust. She balances her insightfulness and curiosity with keeping me accountable, and does so in a good-natured way. I recommend Yvonne as a coach to anyone who wants to be challenged, wants to learn and have fun while doing so.
— Entrepreneur, Europe & Canada
Yvonne’s business name is ‘ The Good Coach’ and she is exactly that, a very good coach. When I met with Yvonne there were a couple of things running around in my mind that I needed to think, talk through and make clear decisions about. With great acuity and patience , she listened, asked pertinent questions and helped me to clarify and articulate my thinking and ultimately to make a decision that would have a serious impact on my business. What made this experience great was the feeling that I was having a discussion without feeling drilled or that there was an agenda – a great attribute for a coach. She paced me perfectly, and was able to refer and reflect back on points made earlier in the discussion. I left the session energised and with very clear actions on what I needed to do next. A wonderful experience.
— Business Coach, UK
When I think of Yvonne, the first word that comes to my mind is “Inspirational”. Not just she helped me landed a job at a high profile company, the coaching that she offer can also benefit your life, making you become a better person.
— Software Engineer, USA
Yvonne loves coaching, she loves ideas, she cares about professionalism and standards, she’s curious and questioning and challenging in a delightful way. I got to know her through in-depth discussions with colleagues at APECS and then 1:1 and find her to be a refreshing presence. She sees things from a variety of perspectives and brings a combination of experience and theory that make her contributions creative and practical at the same time. She has a remarkable ability to engage with people whatever their views and is patient, generous and forgiving in ways that are impressive to me.
— Executive Coach, UK
Incredibly helpful. My thesis involved a technical econometrical analysis of large, complex, and often incomplete datasets. I was initially skeptical that Yvonne could help given that her own academic interests lay in a different field. I was delighted to be proven wrong. She was very upfront in saying that she could have no input on the technical aspects, however she was quickly able to understand the gist of my arguments and see where ideas and conclusions weren’t fully supported and where critical assumptions were unstated and missing. Her discussion on the role of the literature review and its role in framing the why and the how of the thesis was invaluable. I had totally underestimated the importance of proper structuring and flow. Her coaching and guidance definitely helped fulfill a long-held dream of achieving a MSc distinction.
— Software Engineer, UK
My dissertation (in executive coaching field) without Yvonne would have lacked depth! She was asking me the right questions at the right time. I followed her wise suggestions i.e. to interview the well-known and respected people from the industry to gain an insight into their interesting perspectives - her idea was brilliant! Yvonne made a great contribution to my undergraduate project. Very much appreciated.
— Business analyst, UK
Yvonne is a delightful, very warm person with a great heart. Yvonne has a great passion for life-long learning and supporting others. Through her coaching skills she supports others on their learning and execution paths. I highly recommend Yvonne as your coach.
— Partner, Brazil
Yvonne possesses a keen sense of that which lies beneath the surface. Her insightful questions and active listening skills facilitated the discovery of some competing commitments I had that were holding me back from reaching my goals. I will definitely work with Yvonne again!
— Consultant, USA
Thank you so much Dear Yvonne for all your fantastic support. You and myself started during a demanding period in my life. A lot of formal and organizational stuff has just ended, I really struggled to see a light at the end of the tunnel at that time. Through your calming and confident style, you helped me a lot to get back my focus and motivation. I thank you so much for that. You have been incredibly fast in responding and you have been extremely sharp in identifying gaps and lot of weaknesses. Through your help I learned a lot and I enjoyed the journey with you. This has been a once in a lifetime experience, I am glad about. THANK YOU!
— Consultant, Europe & Singapore
Having coaching sessions with Yvonne has been a wonderous exploration. Yvonne has the talent to create a space in which I rapidly felt the courage to uncover mindsets leading to very meaningful insights. The quality of her listening, witty questioning, wisdom and caring approach definitely contributes to engage with your authentic self. I loved being accompanied by her and highly recommend her coaching.
— Coordinator, Canada
Yvonne made me find my voice. That’s one thing I remember when she patiently coached me and mapped out my so-called life. Yvonne is patient and thoughtful, and her questions led me to discover what I wanted out of my job (ergo, life) and it helped me immensely as I was struggling to define what my purpose was in our company. Her colorful mind maps gave me direction and help me set goals for myself resulting in a much happier and satisfied Ria. It’s been almost 2 years since I had that coffee with her, with her colorful pens and easy-to-talk-to demeanor and I still refer back to that conversation we had when I feel I am losing my way. Thanks, Yvonne. You are a great listener, coach and friend. I wish you the best.
— Director, HK & USA
Yvonne has been my coach since Jan 2010. She has been of great value for my self and professional development. Under her coaching, I am able to focus on key development areas and have noticeable changes in mindset & behaviors. Adhering to the coaching methodology, she asks insightful questions that spark the self-awareness and motivation for change; she is also resourceful to give good suggestions as needed.
— Senior Director HR, HK
I thoroughly enjoy being coached by Yvonne. The first word comes to mind about Yvonne’s sessions is professionalism. She has certain poise and calming energy that always put me at ease. I feel relaxed and safe and willing and eager to tap into the more creative and resourceful part of me. Her care really shows and her solution-focused approach always make me feel time well-spent with her. And it surely doesn’t hurt to get the scanned copies of her colorful notes full of pictures and diagrams after my sessions in my inbox. :-) I recommend Yvonne’s highly creative and effective coaching service!
— Translator & Entrepreneur, China
Yvonne possesses qualities found only in the best professional coaches. She continually impresses with her attention to detail and unflappable spirit, and at every meeting surprises with a host of new qualities. These include, at last count, her keen listening ability, calm spirit, and laser-like focus. She is a team player with a strong spirit of adventure. She expresses her opinions in no uncertain terms. And her caring approach shines through in every conversation.
— Executive Coach and Trainer, HK