The road of a trainer began on a soccer field

�He wanted to become a professional goal keeper in soccer�

The initial passion for training and coaching manifested in his early age of 13. At that time, he was asked by the trainer of the local soccer club to train the new young goalkeepers of 7 to 10 years of age.

This passion got further nourishment with the courses followed at Teacher’s Training College in Tilburg, the Netherlands at the age of 17 and afterwards at the seminars in coaching at the Association for Coaching in Aarle Rixtel in the Netherlands at the age of 23.

The passion for consultancy grew gradually, parallel to his growing knowledge and experience in organizational development.

He wanted to become a professional goalkeeper in soccer when he was a child, getting quite closer to fulfill his dream.

“But I am still grateful to the goalkeeper trainer at a test training of Feyenoord Rotterdam, one of the leading professional clubs in the Netherlands. He told me that I would only become an average professional goalkeeper in the Netherlands. As Í cannot live with the word 'average', I let loose of my dream. That decision made space for developing into what I am doing now, and I don't have any regrets!”, John Bax reveals.

A day in the life of a trainer

He finds the life of a trainer as great in sense of working in the field and developing organizations as well as people with organizations, which always stirs the energy within. On the other hand, he is aware of the disadvantage of being a “lonely job”, for which a trainer means practically to put 3 to 5 days a week.

“During these 3,5 to 4 days a week, you get up early in the morning, travel during peak hours, and when you have arrived at the location, you arrange the room and set your mind to welcome the participants at nine or ten o'clock. Mostly you train ‘till five or six o'clock in the evening, then you say goodbye to the participants, you clear the room, you travel home during peak hours while reflecting on your training, you arrive home, you eat, and you start preparing the training for the next day. In the best scenario you meet your colleagues once a week, but mostly you meet each other not more than once every two weeks”.

Nevertheless, the trainers have to earn their annual target in only 38 productive weeks, which means a scarce social life.

In the remaining 14 weeks, a trainer enjoys the utmost freedom, more than other people, a time off he uses to follow some courses or to enjoy a long holiday.

�I do this every day and I�m still learning�

He trains, coaches and advises leaders, managers, boards and management teams in how to develop themselves in making their organizations grow, by facilitating the growth of their human resources. “I do this every day. And I’m still learning”. Over the past 19 years he’s developed certain beliefs. The utmost success of an organization is driven by people and this belief made him more open to beliefs which promote the contrary.

As manager, he adopts a coaching and delegation approach, although his style has repeatedly put him into a daily fight with his inner need to be in control.

“I really believe that managers should be lazy and make employees work. On the other hand I also know that these management styles are not always effective. Style flexibility is maybe one of the most important management competences”, John Bax says.

The present crisis situation for some companies, he believes, requires crisis management and the art of a good manager, especially in the midst of crisis, stays, keeping the employees motivated, in spite of these top down (and sometimes unpleasant) decisions.

Photo: Tryact HRD team

Taking responsibility, accepting accountability

As a consequence of his work, he is often in contact with HR managers. Working in Romania, he is impressed about their knowledge, their ideas and also in the young participants in trainings about their eagerness to learn and willingness to work hard.

“On the other hand I am confronted with a continuous value conflict concerning my personal values 'taking responsibility' and 'accepting accountability' and the behavior of quite some Romanians in Bucharest”, Bax added.

He outlines this conflict which he founds essential, especially that the level of self awareness comes from self-reflection and introspection, and the power to admit one's own share in one's own success and failure.

“I really believe that Bucharest would benefit highly of it in various areas and on various levels”, John Bax continued.

The main change he hopes Romanian to make is to change from mechanical procedural way of doing things to a more result-focused way using the combination of best practice and creativity.

“On the question about improvement of performances depending on cultural or organizational features, I would like to say that it hardly ever depends on only one or the other”, he said.

Passions and hobbies

Apart from the passion for his profession, John Bax seems to have a variety of hobbies, from dancing and playing drums, to sports and nights out with his friends. He also likes to speak and write, linked to his profession. So he plans that writing books and speaking on stage to become a big part of his near future.

For his scarce getaways, he chooses sunny locations with lively streetlife.

“I visited many capitals in the world and met a lot of interesting people in the streets. Their stories are like poetry to me. And maybe, when I am tired and want to rest, I will buy a small house in Paphos in Cypres”, he says.