Tuusula, October 20th 2016
A warm welcome to my blog and the new website of CrossNomads.com! I am hoping to make this an interactive place where we can share some insights, best practices and much more concerning one of the most valuable assets we have: people. This blog has a clear purpose: to discuss the most recent ideas from fast evolving coaching research and practice.
For those who do not know me yet: I was born and raised up in Middle-Finland as a child of an academic and entrepreneurial family. My interests in international topics were evoked already in my childhood and later on my curiosity led me to studies during which I conducted several international university courses abroad. Further, I worked abroad and across borders.
After many years in executive positions in international hotel industry and business travel sector I became a coach. However, many questions remained open. Learning the basics of coaching did not answer the questions ‘Why does coaching work?’ or ‘How does the international context impact coaching?’ Therefore I started systemically to educate myself as a coach (change management & work psychology, ICF accredited coach training programs and much more). Finally, my path led me to the University of Vaasa, Finland, to the department of management, where I have recently submitted my article-based PhD on ‘Coaching of international managers: organizational and individual perspectives’ for evaluation. My PhD journey took me to many interesting conferences and introduced me to great people. I was more than happy to be supervised by one of the gurus of the HRM field, professor Vesa Suutari, and to my own surprise, beyond my practical role as an executive coach, I become an academic writer and lecturer. Today, I am passionate about coaching and want to contribute to the development of professional coaching!
In coming blogs entries I’ll tell you about some recent developments in coaching and related areas of interest. I also promise to tell you stories of interesting encounters with remarkable people from all over the world.
Hope very much that you’ll find the blog entries both entertaining and helpful!
Yours sincerely,
Raija
