ABSTRACT
Coach certifications and training equip their students to support their clients in handling conflict in values. However, fewer coaches are prepared to have conflicting values with their own clients, and this goes beyond a matter of likes and tastes, to the very axis where the identity of both and client are important. The assignment was part of a 12-month plus long-term coaching engagement. The coaching contract included individual coaching for the general manager and team leaders while also conducting a team coaching process. There was a very tense moment, not when he said this, but when the coach requested a pause, to question this way of addressing them. The tension reached its peak when the team and the coach were working on identifying as a team what their key challenges were. The shift from a personal interaction to opening a group conversation.
