Coaching
Coaching is a space for personal development and is more than just a good conversation. It is an individual, clearly structured process that helps you gain clarity, make conscious decisions, and feel confident in your role. Effective coaching has a lasting impact: it encourages reflection, enhances your ability to take action, and fosters a safe environment for personal growth.
What makes coaching at Ameliorate special
Our coaching draws on many theoretical principles that provide orientation and depth:
NLP (neuro-linguistic programming)
Language influences our thoughts and actions. In coaching, we use targeted communication to remove blockages and enable new perspectives.
- Which inner beliefs would you like to change?
- Where does your own language hold you back
- Which decisions do you make based on a reaction?
Gestalt therapy
Gestalt therapy views a person as a whole. By applying its principles, we help clients through entrenched patterns and find their own solutions.
- What are you not looking at right now?
- What part do you play in this situation?
- Where are you repeating old patterns even though you want to start something new?
Systemic and solution-oriented short-term interventions
We focus on your strengths instead of analyzing problems. Because development happens through small, effective steps.
- What is your next small step?
- What is already working well that you could reinforce?
Marshall Goldsmith's
Stakeholder-Centered Coaching
Those who think systemically actively involve important people in the development process. This makes change not only visible, but also sustainable.
- Who could help shape your development?
- How do you intentionally involve your environment?
Coaching starts where you are
and changes as you allow it to!
Before coaching begins, we have an introductory meeting that lasts between 15 and 45 minutes. You decide how much time you need to determine whether we are a good fit. I usually know after 15 minutes.
In this introductory meeting, we typically discuss your coaching goals, your career to date, and the process. And yes—sometimes I get bombarded with questions too, which is perfectly fine. But after that, coaching is all about you!
This document will help you prepare your thoughts for the introductory meeting:
Here you will also find a selection of articles and videos that give you a good insight into what coaching is and how it can work:
When to Coach and When Not to Coach – an exciting article (3 minutes reading time) for anyone who is not yet familiar with the discipline of coaching.
Also recommended: How To Get The Most Out Of Your Next Coaching Session and How Coaching Really Works (And How To Make The Most Of It)
Marshall Goldsmith, one of the best-known business coaches in the US and bestselling author of numerous books on leadership and professional development.
Article by Melissa: Since she is often asked in the first session, "What is the difference between coaching and mentoring?", she has written an article on this topic: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/superpowering-through-coaching-mentoring-melissa-laura-schlimm/
Video Tip: Everybody needs a coach - if you prefer visual stimuli, this video shows you how coaching can help.
Nach dem Kennenlerngespräch entscheidest du, ob du dir eine Zusammenarbeit mit Ameliorate vorstellen kannst.
Tip from Melissa:
If you are considering coaching, remember that success depends on your commitment. The conversations with your coach are small, targeted impulses – "homeopathic needle pricks" – but they can only work if you let them work. This means giving them space, investing time, being willing to do the work, and allowing change to happen.
Melissa and Coaching - a clear stance
To help us get to know you better, Melissa gives you an insight into her view on coaching.
For her, coaching is a professional development space. A place where people can grow professionally: structured, practical, and always with a clear goal in mind. It is a meeting of equals. The focus is on focus, powerful questions, and the deep conviction that you already have the answers within you. My job is to help you make them visible.
At first glance, this may sound a bit esoteric, which I can understand. That's why you'll find some insights and materials on this page that show how structured, pragmatic, and effective coaching at Ameliorate and with me is. In the end, it's often "just" a well-conducted, clear reflection discussion with a lasting effect.
So here's an exercise I suggest you try: reflect on our conversations. I'll provide you with a suitable template for this:
Melissa‘s Background
I have been working as a coach with top management, middle management, and people in key positions for 15 years. Before that, I was involved in human resources development myself and know the challenges from the inside: difficult managers, demotivated teams, underrepresented talents. This experience continues to shape my work today—close to the issues, with a lot of practical experience and, at the same time, a fresh perspective.
What Melissa brings to the table:
- Almost 20 years of professional experience in HR, leadership, and transformation
- Industry experience in telecommunications, automotive, energy, consulting, and more.
- Management experience with reporting lines to the executive board level
- International professional experience with stays abroad and working in different cultures (focus: Europe, Arab and North African regions)
- Bachelor of Law, certified 3-year coaching training in NLP (Practitioner, Master, and Trainer)
- Working languages: German, English, French, Spanish
- Certifications in psychometric tools (DISG, PI, CQ).
When you work with Melissa, you don't bring your "broken car" in for repair; rather, you ensure that your system runs smoothly in the long term. Coaching is not a sign of weakness, but an expression of personal responsibility. It's not about being flawless or acting, but about acting effectively and authentically.
From time to time, you will set out this collaboration in an agreement with her. In it, you will define together how your coaching will proceed—and use this document as a guide for your discussions.
Coaching is the space where you...
...organize your thoughts without having to justify yourself or pretend...can uncover unrecognized weaknesses
...develop new perspectives and ideas that were previously hidden from you
...gain clarity about yourself, your environment, and your impact
...discover scope for action and the courage to use it
Customers often want to know how such a coaching process typically works, and one variant certainly looks like this:
Melissa emphasizes that coaching is a process driven by you and not a fixed schedule. You will benefit most if you are open to it and willing to try new things.
Melissa's suggestions and further thoughts:
- We walk through the forest, on the beach, or in the vineyards instead of meeting in the office.
- We book a round of llamas during our coaching session to experience the unexpected challenges live in a different context.
- We use psychometric assessments to gather input and generate perspectives.
- We arrange supervision, and I participate in your team meeting, for example.
- We include an online webinar from Ameliorate Campus
I particularly enjoy working with people who take themselves seriously: founders, executives who are full of drive, and young talents who feel the urge to get things done. In other words, people who not only want to be successful, but also want to follow their path in a reflective, value-oriented, and sustainable way.
From time to time, instead of a sixth coaching session, we decide to review our journey together. I then create a coaching report that only you receive and see. Its sole purpose is to enable you to understand the changes you have undergone, even years later. The clients who receive such a report from me think it's great, and you decide whether you want it to be part of your journey.
If you are looking for coaching that is more than just a good conversation, you have come to the right place. You can use this link to arrange an introductory meeting, and I look forward to our first encounter.
Formal informationen about coaching with Ameliorate:
- The coaching session lasts 90 minutes.
- Advance payment is required for the session to take place.
- After getting to know each other, you decide whether you want to work with me and send me your billing information by email, whereupon you will receive a quote based on the activities we discussed during our introductory meeting.
- Once you confirm the collaboration, you will receive a link where you can book the sessions.
The process for companies is slightly different and can be requested directly via this link:
Who is coaching for?
Leaders
Teams
Individuals undergoing change
Talents within an organization
Who do we coach?
Ameliorate coaches work with executives, teams, and individuals. They help when something changes, when you want to develop, or when a decision needs to be made. There are many reasons for coaching, but they all share one desire: you want to gain clarity and achieve something.
Are you new to leadership?
If you are taking on a new role and want to lead consciously, coaching can help. It strengthens your position, clarifies your values, and helps you strike a good balance between closeness and leadership.
Are you in the midst of change?
When uncertainty or pressure increases, such as during restructuring or personal upheavals, coaching can help. You will find support, remain calm, and resolve conflicts constructively.
Are you facing a change?
Perhaps you feel that you want to make a change in your career, but don't yet know how. Coaching allows you to reflect on yourself in order to understand what motivates you or what is holding you back.
Are you taking on more responsibilty?
If you are responsible for people or important issues and want to use your influence in a more targeted way, coaching can support you. You will learn to lead with clarity, courage, and structure.
Why "coaching preparation" is your first step:
The coaching process does not begin with the first appointment. It starts as soon as you are ready to engage with it. Coaching preparation helps you:
- rethink your situation,
- set initial goals,
- clarify expectations,
- and get in the right frame of mind for coaching.
This conscious start makes every coaching session more profound and effective. Use the document, because it is the beginning of greater clarity, self-leadership, and success in coaching.
Coaching at Ameliorate means:
- It is structured and well-founded, as it uses methods from NLP, systemic coaching, and Gestalt approaches.
- It is empathetic and honest, as it allows space for feelings, clarity, and confrontation.
- It is practical and future-oriented because it focuses on your reality, not just theories.
Voices from coaching
Anonymous but genuine voices from a project in Germany.
Addressing issues directly has brought about a change in our team that was long overdue.
I can see how my change is being received by the team—not with big words, but with my new attitude.
It helps me immensely to talk to you as a neutral person and to reflect on myself.
Our last two conversations were a real trigger. I have started to take responsibility in a different way.
Supporting your further development
Individual development takes many forms. Different formats are useful depending on your needs, goals, or role.
PERSONALITY ASSESSMENT
Ameliorate GmbH is a registered partner of Wiley. Melissa is a certified DiSC trainer and uses these assessments both in individual coaching and in teamwork. You can download a sample profile using the button. If you have any questions, please contact Ameliorate directly.
*DiSC stands for "Dominant, Initiative, Steady, and Conscientious." These are the names given to the defined styles or priorities. Every person has a unique mix of these styles—usually one to three of them stand out. None of the styles is better or worse; rather, their differences are what make them valuable. Those who know their own patterns and understand others can use this diversity to improve communication, increase understanding within the team, and strengthen collaboration.
SUPERVISION
Supervision is a reflective process. It helps you cope with professional challenges. The aim of supervision is to question your own actions, gain new perspectives, and develop effective solutions for complex situations. Supervision takes place in a safe space where you can discuss your challenges with a neutral, experienced person and develop practical tools.
Typical topics in supervision include:
Role clarification: Understanding and defining your own leadership role.
Communication: Improving interaction with teams, colleagues, and superiors.
Conflict management: Dealing with tensions or difficult relationships.
Decision-making: Reflecting on decision-making processes and strategies.
Stress management: Dealing with stress and promoting your own resilience.
COACHING
Coaching is an individual, goal-oriented support process. It helps you achieve your professional and/or personal goals and fully realize your potential. The focus is on self-reflection, personal development, and working out solutions. Coaching is particularly suitable for topics such as career planning, leadership skills, conflict management, decision-making, and dealing with change. It offers space for growth and sustainable personal development.
Typical characteristics of coaching:
Goal orientation: The coachee (the person being coached) defines clear goals that are worked on in the coaching process.
Resource activation: The coach helps to identify existing strengths and skills and to use them in a targeted manner.
Solution orientation: The coach provides support in developing concrete steps to overcome challenges.
Neutrality: The coach acts as a trustworthy, neutral companion. They do not judge or dictate.
MENTORING
Are you looking to exchange ideas with experienced people? Mentoring is a conversation in which a role model imparts knowledge and gives you ideas. This helps you to become better known, develop yourself, and find your place. I particularly support HR managers, people & culture experts, and female founders who are thinking about their tasks and want to strengthen or strategically expand them.
The "Mentoring Goal Trio" helps you to rethink three important areas of your development:
Person: Who do you want to be? What do you want to live more consciously, show, or change?
Skills: Which skills do you want to develop specifically, and what
can you learn from others?
Career: Where do you want to go, and what do you need in terms of visibility, contacts, or clarity to get there?
A look in the mirror: Who are you when no one is watching?
Individuality is something special. And when individuals come together as a team, there are certain special characteristics within a group. How these characteristics are handled is reflected in the team's success. This makes it all the more important to be aware of your own abilities and to accept the abilities of others.
So, the first step is to get to know yourself, explore your own abilities, recognize behaviors, question your beliefs, and develop leadership skills.
Who am I?
This seemingly philosophical question has a practical purpose here. It is intended to help you become aware of the personal preferences that accompany you through life.
Do you like to give direct instructions and ensure that decisions are made quickly?
Do you generate ideas primarily in a group setting?
When in a group, do you tend to listen or lead the discussion?
Do you love to bury your nose in books to gather facts and data and define your approaches?
Psychometric assessments (DiSG) can be used to test your personality. This provides you with a helpful basis for furthering your development and professionalizing your own behavior.
Ameliorate offers you targeted coaching for this purpose. Workshops and supervision are also helpful tools. The aim is to better understand your own perspectives in order to ensure a confident demeanor when dealing with others.
How can I check whether this is suitable for me?
The following reflection does not replace a scientifically based and tested test. However, if you answer honestly and later take the official DiSG assessment, you may be surprised at how accurate the reflection already is.
After completing and submitting the form, you will receive access to the animal quiz, which is based on the DiSG concept. Register here:
Achieve personal success with Ameliorate
Melissa Schlimm offers executive coaching that goes far beyond the standard. She sees coaching as an individual and goal-oriented process that enables executives to develop their potential, overcome challenges, and improve their leadership impact in the long term.
Coaching expertise for lasting leadership success
Melissa has around 15 years of experience as a coach in various industries. She is certified in psychometric tools such as DiSG, Predictive Index (PI), and Cultural Intelligence (CQ) and draws on a wide range of methods. Her coaching is always solution-oriented. With her support, executives develop concrete strategies to:
- Resolve conflicts constructively
- Actively shaping change, and
- lead their teams successfully.
Melissa accompanies her coachees in a neutral and empathetic manner, giving them space for self-reflection and personal growth. She attaches great importance to activating her clients' existing strengths and resources and using them sustainably. This not only makes managers more effective in their current roles, but also helps them develop further for future challenges.
A standard phrase from Melissa: "You define your self-worth!""
What the video is about:
Your perceived value often depends on your environment—the place, the people around you, or your existing skills. If you feel undervalued, you are probably not in the right place. Recognize your own value and find out where and by whom you are truly appreciated.
Ask yourself: Where are you right now and who are the people around you?