Who is Maaike Taconis?
About me
My background is international and diverse. After graduating in Chemistry (MSc), I have worked in several industries: from a business analyst in the chemical industry to a manager at a (big four) management consultancy firm. I have worked in the U.S.A., Australia, Germany, Great Britain, and Belgium. Currently, I live and work in Delft, the Netherlands.
As healthcare consultant I have been involved in many change projects within healthcare. An important reason for me to improve my coaching skills, is that I have realised the importance of ‘the personal side’ of organisational change and how crucial it is to involve employees when successfully implementing change. I developed a special interest in this relatively small part of my consultancy practice.
As it was specifically this aspect of my work that fascinated me, I decided to increase my expertise by undertaking an MA in Coaching and Mentoring Practice at Oxford Brookes University. My scientific foundation forms the basis of my coaching models and mode of practice. My coaching philosophy is based on psychological theories, such as existentialism and person-centred psychology, and on adult learning theories, such as experiential learning, transformative learning, and andragogy (the art and science of helping adults learn). Additionally, I base my philosophy on theories of adult development across the lifespan as shaped in developmental coaching.