Both practical and challenging, I find that the Breakthrough process workshop helps people to really begin to grapple with what it means to think beyond their usual mental boundaries. It illustrates a proccess that helps overcoming some of the limits that normally frame the perspective of what can be possibly achieved and realized.
I also find that Alain conducts his business at a very high level of professionalism and competency. Alain is an experienced and savvy businessman and coach who has the uncanny ability to identify core issues quickly and then develop and implement an action plan to address them. His lively personality and sense of humor make his clients comfortable and quickly able to trust his expertise. I have absolutely no reservations in recommending Alain Cardon and MetaSysteme. Marisa Faccio, Italy.
Having heard a presentation by Alain Cardon from Metasysteme at the ICF European Coaching Conference 2008 in Geneva I decided to take part in one of the Metasysteme workshops delivered in English. As a result of this determination I found myself in Bucharest, Romania in September 2008 participating in Alain’s two day long Breakthrough Process Workshop. Together with an Italian colleague we shared an intensive learning experience with a vibrant, warm, and well informed Romanian coaching community. The coaches in this emerging economy radiated both dedication for the coaching profession and ambition to develop towards excellence.
The Breakthrough Process Workshop represented uncompromised system thinking, rigor of process and a consistent coaching approach towards learning. Alain’s passion for coaching combined with his warm, shy heart, made the workshop a unique and insightful learning experience on exploring the possibilities of our unleashed potential and then systematically doing something concrete to reach it.” Lilian Öhman, Executive Coach, Finland.
We initiated our work with Alain Cardon three years ago (2003) in order to boost our executive team's efficiency. The group was composed of strong professionals with high working standards in their respective areas. Relationships were good between them but they were not really challenging each other. Operational issues were overwhelming strategical discussions. As a consequence, it was obvious that as our executive meetings were not driving sufficient value and our output as a team was not superior to the sum of individuals. Worse, we could sense that this inefficiency was repeated at various levels of the organization in a very systematic (and systemic)pattern.
Our first team developement working session with Alain was a shock as it led us to a clear understanding of how our team dynamics were driving the wrong organizational behaviour. We visualized new attitudes and behaviors that would make a difference. To support the implementation of these attitudes, Alain proposed a set of basic team operating processes.
Other sessions followed with a series of similar team development and team coaching programs on different levels of the organization which truly made a difference in the company. Our culture has dramatically changed: individuals now take personal responsability for each team's performance (versus what used to be upward delegation to the boss); commitment to results and peers has dramaticallly increased; meetings are focused on decision making (versus information overflow); open feedback and demand for the best from colleagues is natural and well accepted.
Fortunately, this philosophy has become contagious in the organization. Weaker teams feel the pressure as differences with their colleagues become more obvious. I was and remain impressed at the immediate and very concrete impact that has resulted from this work with Alain Cardon. The cultural change is very visible and appreciated by all managers in the company. Most would like to repeat the experience to continue to push for team performance. Marc Lafeuille CEO Bayer Healthcare France
"I have been member of the Metacoach supervision group in Brussels for almost half a year now, and I must say it is one of my most intensive learning experiences in a long time. Not only can I reflect on my coaching style and receive professional feedback from experienced colleagues, I also have the opportunity to enrich my coaching practice with ideas, interventions, techniques, attitudes from very different approaches. The team dynamics are also carefully supervised, so I now have an additional model on how to coach teams easily and effortlessly." Kirsten Dierolf, PCC, Frankfurt, Germany
Workshop "breakthrough approach": I've practised the "breakthrough"-approach several times with different types of clients. Each time it was refreshing to have both: a solid basis by working with figures and a clearly economical perspective as well as visionary thinking. During the workshops we tested this specific approach with our own business figures and it was good to have this personal experience in mind.
Workshop "diagnostics": Alain shows his varity of working with industrial and PME-clients by offering a diagnostic questionairy, that opened my eyes. I learned how to collect hints on different "cultures", both on team or organisational level. This diagnostic background speeds up understanding what's going on in a group of managers and executives and enables coaches to interact more precicely.
English Supervision in Paris: Besides Alain's remarkeable energy and presence in each session what impresses me most is how he succeeds to "marry opposites": He gives a living example how to be in one time relaxed and dynamic, work for results and leave all the space to the client to find her/his own way, be focused and flexible. Rather than techniques and methods what Alain teaches most is the attitude of coaching for teams and individuals. Christina Quirin, Consulting & Training, Hamburg (Germany)
I very much appreciate the course support (Toolbox I-IV). On my opinion, it is the essence of principles and techniques needed for coaching. I intend to read it once per month or two months, to refresh and to "discover" more useful tools, better integrated with my practice. Carmen Copindean
On a personal matter, the effect was even more important and I learnt what active listening means and how much it can bring. Though I perceived i have excellent relationships with my friends and family, I can still say that it took them to a higher level. Congratulations once again. Walid Abboud, Sensiblu, A&D Pharma, Mediplus...
Raccomanderei a chiunque di seguire un corso di coaching; suggerirei a coloro i quali non hanno paura di mettersi in gioco di formarsi con Alain Cardon, senza dubbio uno dei professionisti più trasparenti, preparati e rispettati. Se davvero si investe per imparare qualcosa, qualsiasi cosa, vale la pena andare dal migliore. Alain Cardon,nel suo campo, è il migliore. Edoardo Ghignone
Several times, I have had the opportunity to work with Alain Cardon particularly on principles of "situational management", during "delegated meetings" and in implementing "breakthrough processes". Each time, both as a manager and as a participating client, I have recorded a clear improvement in team performance, in its management processes and in its capacity to focus on common goals.
Alain Cardon and his coach network have an approch that mirrors what they propose to achieve: effectiveness, delegation, circularity, individual and team perfomance. Their "systemic" approach have them work more on what can be observed in teams rather that on the principles verbalized by their managers... To conclude, the experience, the authority and the method that Alain Cardon proposes are as many powerful tools at the service of any organization that aims for more delegation, co-decision and effectiveness. Alain Pourcelot - Marketing Director ADIDAS France
On a personal matter, the effect was even more important and I learnt what active listening means and how much it can bring. Though I perceived i have excellent relationships with my friends and family, I can still say that it took them to a higher level. Congratulations once again. Walid Abboud, Sensiblu, A&D Pharma, Mediplus...
I have started the 2012 Fundamentals workshop in September and I was completely surprised. I expected an academic approach, a pretentious and somewhat intellectual - easy for me to navigate- training. It was anything but that. The information was there and it was extremely valuable and well organized but what I took out of the workshop was much, much more than learning about coaching.
The practice you have to do during in between the sessions completely changed my understanding of human beings, the way we interact, what we need, how we move and my relationship with time. The systemic approach is so powerful that even with the little experience we all had as coaches, I could see changes in myself and in my colleagues that I have never thought possible. Also, acquiring a client perspective and being able to discuss it freely with someone that had the same training as you is very useful for me now when presenting my services. It was a personal and collective journey of growth.
Alain encouraged us to practice while inviting us to renounce all that was not simple and emerging: all the intellectual pretense, the psychological analysis, the savior behavior that usually defines people in the business of helping others... He encouraged us to become minimalist and create a space or void where the client can evolve towards his or her desired outcomes. I started doing that in my life.
I started practicing immediately (I completed the workshop in December 2012 and I had my first team workshop on January 12th 2013) with a new confidence that I can face any difficulty that might arise. It was amazing to me to see emerge out of the process of my own clients things that were presented in the training. I was actually well prepared for this, and this gave me confidence to try new things, new clients, be creative and practice even more - as much out of curiosity to see what else will prove correct from what Alain taught as from anything else. The systemic dimension always comes out in these sessions and being taught how to use it to my client's benefit gives me confidence.
My passion is for team development, so I continued to take the specialized workshops (Delegative Processes, Diagnostics etc) and each has given me another perspective on the approach to teams and people that I can immediately implement in my practice.
Compared to what typical training I have attended in any field (usually informative and theoretical), Alain's approach encourages to explore the craft, be creative, invent new things, use your personality and your energy to be the best that you can be. It is not rigid (although it has clear structure) and it is liberating. Silviana Badea