"You've established yourself well in our company and passed your probationary period with flying colors," Peter Kraft said to the young manager Christof Manner. He looked at his boss, a man in his mid-fifties with mottled gray hair, a wiry figure, elegantly dressed, a marketing man through and through. The interview had gone well, he was comfortable with the company, and he wondered if he dared ask the question. They worked well together, and he sensed that his boss was not only pleased with him, but clearly wanted to promote him. He was 30 now, and getting this job seemed like a stroke of luck. He took heart and said, " Can I ask you a personal question?" Mr. Kraft smiled at him. " Go ahead," he encouraged him. " What tipped the scales in my favor?" Mr. Kraft looked at him a little surprised, then smiled again and said simply, " You were the only one who stuck to the brief. That's when I knew it was something to work with. And that's what we should do now". For Mr Manner it was a clear signal. The conversation was over. He smiled back, you rose, and he went back to his office. Mr. Kraft still called after him: "Please remember the market analysis for X-Base Plus. Need it for the PM meeting tomorrow". "Ok, have it this afternoon, almost done," he said as he walked out.

On the way to his office he reviewed the application. What if a good friend hadn't tipped him off about the coach? Back then, almost a year ago, he was one of those self-employed people who barely made ends meet through work contracts with a few clients. He had got into this situation through part-time jobs during his studies. At the beginning it had been fun and for a student's life it was also okay. But how to make a life out of it? He could still remember the first conversation with the coach. The way he suggested sounded very interesting, and it had worked for his girlfriend. But it was a lot of money, for him anyway. And still, he wanted to try it, because he needed to get out of the current situation. His parents had offered to finance a large part of it, and for the rest, the coach was willing to agree on a contingency fee. That in itself showed him that his coach also saw potential in him.

Coaching had been a whole new experience for him. After the biography, the first step in the whole process, he looked at his life so far in a completely different way. It was much clearer to him than before why things had developed the way they had. And as he went on, he became more and more aware of what he was capable of and all that he had already accomplished. Unfortunately, it had also become all too clear to him how shamelessly his current main client was taking advantage of him and how he was basically doing a full-time job for just €1000.00 a month. And he heard his coach say like an inner voice: " You are worth more. How much revenue is the company making from the clients you've acquired?" Or "With your acquisition strength you are interesting for every marketing and sales oriented company".

He remembered very well how surprised he was to see a profile of himself emerge from the conversations, authentic, powerful, convincing. And he began to see himself differently. But would others do the same? His coach encouraged him to be more self-confident. And the acid test soon came. Well positioned they had gone into the application process. And he was more than surprised how much interest there was in him. And that was despite the fact that the salary demand was many times what he was earning now.

How had it gone? The first interview at the marketing firm where he was now employed had gone well. Mr. Kraft had been very critical of many things, but he was able to give a good answer to everything. That was how he got into the final round. His personnel consultant, through whom the contact had been made, told him on the phone Friday afternoon: "Mr. Manner, you are in the final round. However, the gentlemen from the board want a presentation from you. I have already emailed you the terms of reference. The deadline is Monday 10:00 a.m. I assume that's no problem for you." He quickly said, "Of course not," but he knew he had never done anything like this before, and by Monday! He needed some help. So he called his coach. He calmed him down and said, "Okay, Mr. Manner, let's talk in detail about the assignment first. I'll send you a PowerPoint template to work into, and then we'll discuss how to proceed. It's important that you address all the required points, stick to the slide count requirement, and have the right timing. But we will practice that at the end". They emailed back and forth several times that weekend until the presentation was in place. And the coach had him Skype the presentation several times until it was spot on.

Monday had been the big day. He was a little nervous going into the meeting. There were 10 people sitting there, looking at him expectantly, friendly and one or two a little critically. The HR manager introduced him briefly, and his possible new boss encouraged him to get started. He knew he was the first of the candidates. There would be two more after him. Now it was up to him. It had to work. He thought about what his coach had advised him, began his presentation confidently and with a powerful voice, and finished it, including the interludes, exactly in the prescribed time. Everyone looked at him kindly. He said goodbye and had a good feeling. 'And if it doesn't work out', he thought, 'there will be other chances'. He had learned that in coaching. If you have more than one option, you are freer and more confident in your approach.

And then three days later came the call from the personnel consultant. He had made it. They wanted him. He immediately had to inform his coach, who was happy for him. Just as he was now, when he told him that he had passed the probationary period. It was clear to him: he had found someone who would stand by him when he needed him. That gave him security for his further path.

"And if it doesn't work out, there are still other opportunities.