My Clients

Tiia Ilves

R-Kioski tegevjuht

Marek Helm

Endine Maksu- ja Tolliameti juht

Toomas is an active listener, and he asks very few questions during our sessions. But through his guiding questions, he can lead his clients to topics that they hadn’t considered before.

I liked working with Toomas — despite his significant leadership experience, he doesn’t give direct advice. Instead, he trusts his clients to find a suitable solution on their own. Meanwhile, he maintains a practical outlook, focuses on long-term goals, and encourages his clients to bring them to life.

For me, the role of a coach is to help analyze ideas as a neutral bystander. Toomas and I created a good, trusting relationship, which is the most important factor in having a coach.

I approached coaching with very selfish expectations — that is, to find easy solutions to my specific leadership problems. Toomas guided me through these problems to see the real issues, to better understand them, and to solve them. One could say that he helped me restock my professional tool box.

After completing two coaching courses myself, I thought I should try to understand what coaching is like from the other side — that is, can it really work in real life?! My expectations were therefore not very high, neither for myself nor for my coach. But I was very positively surprised. The sessions reinforced that it is a great opportunity for any high-end executive. Coaching gave me a set block of time to pay attention and focus my thoughts on one topic only: the problem. Coaching gave me, as a CEO, an opportunity to handle a problem with an outsider and a very experienced advisor. Coaching encouraged me approach the problem with an open mind. Coaching gave me new insight, confidence, and the certainty that I would return again. And thanks to coaching, two big problems have found a final solution.

Thanks to coaching, I improved my knowledge and skills to a level that will allow me to be a successful leader — not only in my own eyes, but also from the perspective of my team and colleagues.

Every manager finds at one point that they are alone in some of their decisions. Even though he or she has a team, a board, and a council who can offer support from above and below, there are a lot of important decisions in which everybody will look at the manager and expect him or her to know what to do. It’s those moments of immense responsibility that are isolating and in which I have received the most help from coaching. This is why I know I will want to use coaching services again. Don’t expect the coach to know better than you do, or to tell you exactly what to do. A good coach will help you test yourself. He will help you gain assurance in your thoughts, or will guide your thoughts in a way that you can turn back to the original problem with a fresh perspective.

We as humans have set behavioral and communication patterns. We are bound to repeat uncomfortable situations, moments, or feelings. This discomfort is irritating and creates questions. For me, a coach is a guide who will help me recognize a pattern — i.e. a problem — and support me in finding a solution.

For me, using a coach is like discussing things with an intelligent mirror. You hear yourself talking and attempting to answer relevant questions. Then, your thoughts clear up and you begin to understand the beginning of a solution. It is often the case that a manager has nobody to talk to, and an impartial, experienced, and confidential bystander is exactly what is needed. I would encourage everyone, including those who think they don’t need it, to try coaching.

My expectation in a coach was to find a person with whom I could discuss my daily professional challenges and priorities. Throughout my discussions with Toomas, I could better organize myself and my work and set long-term goals and plans. I could come to an understanding on how to solve different challenges at work.

What I didn’t get was detailed answers for each of my professional challenges. It was more a way of thinking and useful tips about how to think. The biggest benefit from our work together was a possibility to discuss, and through discussion, to grow as a manager.