Veronika Jungwirth, MC
Senior coach and trainer for solution-focused leadership & communication,
Master in Coaching,
CSM, PSM, PSPO
My professional career has been – let’s say – varied. I was somehow quite excellent and happy everywhere – but nowhere really in the right place. I watched in awe at the straightforward career paths of some of my classmates, who seemed to know exactly where to find their home in the professional world, while I meandered through the professional world like a serpentine.
Today, I know where I belong. I have arrived. And every single serpentine has led me here.
Reform pedagogy as a coaching root
From 1994 to 1997, I trained as a primary school teacher at the Federal Pedagogical Academy in Vienna. Even then, I was particularly interested in the subject of reform pedagogy. I took part in two study trips to Holland, where I was able to experience the practice of reform education first-hand for a while.
Serpentine 1: The principle that Maria Montessori called “Help me to do it myself!” has accompanied me wherever I go ever since.
The teacher
From 1997 to 2000, I taught at an elementary school in Vienna, first as an accompanying teacher for children with a non-German mother tongue and then as a first-grade teacher.
Serpentine 2: As divisive as some cultural or age differences can be, I can connect with everyone through appreciation and recognition.
Serpentine 3: I am no longer helpful if I make other people’s problems my own. Only when I trust that everyone has the competence to solve their problems can I provide support.
First entrepreneurial steps
In addition to teaching, I trained as a colour, style and image consultant in 1997/98 and tried my hand at self-employment in this field for the first time. Initially, it was for private individuals who wanted to perfect their style, and later, it was for people looking for a job and needing confidence for their job interviews. Finally, I trained entire sales teams in financial services companies on “The right appearance at customer meetings”.
Serpentine 4: First impressions count. Clothes don’t just make the man; they also contribute significantly to your sense of well-being. Self-confidence can, therefore, be supported from the outside.
Serpentine 5: Independence is great! Nobody tells you what to do. Self-employment is exhausting! Nobody tells you what to do.
Leadership and sales
From 2000 to 2001, I participated as a trainee in a 12-month intensive training program for future sales managers at UNIQA (an Austrian insurance company). In addition to extensive management and sales seminars, I gained my first experience in the field by advising customers.
Serpentine 6: The customer knows his situation best. They know precisely what they need! And I don’t know any better! Long-term customer relationships thrive on mutual respect and appreciation.
Change management
From 2001 to 2004, I worked as a point-of-sales trainer for UNIQA’s independent exclusive sales partners in Vienna. This period also saw UNIQA takeover of AXA Austria, a change management process that I could accompany in Vienna in the form of the practical and personal integration of the general agencies. It was not an easy task, but it was invaluable and very intensive.
Serpentine 7: Everyone is right from their point of view! If I try to understand and accept other points of view, I can find a common path.
Insurance saleswoman
In 2003, I completed my training as a “certified insurance saleswoman” at the Bildungswerk der österreichischen Versicherungswirtschaft (BÖV) and thus my next professional training.
From 2004 to 2006, I moved to one of the insurance agencies I worked for until then to finance my studies (described below). The base of customers was still mainly those from the trainee program three years before.
Serpentine 8: The image of people and relationships seems to work in the long term!
Studies
From 2004 to 2006, I studied at the PEF Private University for Management in Vienna, taking the “Master in Coaching and Solution-Focused Management” course. This decision was life-changing for me! Günter Lueger, Hans-Peter Korn, Peter Heimerl, Ruth Krumböck, Ferdinand Wolf, Mathias Varga von Kibed, Gunther Schmidt, Peter Szabo, Steve de Shazer and many more have strongly influenced me and my professional career since then.
Serpentine 9: The solution-focused approach gives my life a new direction.
Coaching, training, moderation
I have been working as a coach for various clients since 2006. I have coached the long-term unemployed for ibis acam, facilitated workshops and team-building sessions for Pioneer Investments Austria, conducted teacher training courses on solution-focused communication with parents and pupils for the University College of Education in Lower Austria and gradually developed into an executive coach and trainer for solution-focused leadership communication.
Serpentine 10: Different customer groups speak different languages. Some of these languages are more familiar to me than others. I don’t have to speak every industry language.
Solution Management Center
From 2008 to 2015, I worked with Günter Lueger, my highly esteemed university course director, mentor and friend, regularly and with increasing intensity. For his institute, the Solution Management Center in Vienna, I handled customer projects, developed concepts, acquired contracts and repeatedly took on course and seminar management, which enabled me to participate in numerous seminars free of charge (e.g. Gunter Schmidt “Systemic Solution-Focused Consulting for Difficult Cases”, Evan George “Team Coaching – A Solution Focused Approach”, Peter Szabo “The High School of Coaching”, “Multiscaling”, Resilience course and many more).
Serpentine 11: Being a coach requires a lot of tools – I was able to try out and learn a lot here.
Viktor Frankl
2009, I completed a 6-day training course on “Meaning and value orientation in the business and the working world” with Paul M. Ostberg.
Serpentine 12: Viktor Frankl’s theory of meaning becomes another fixed component of my thoughts and actions. It is the basis for every form of intrinsic motivation.
Pedagogical leaders
In 2012, with Günter Lueger, I was invited to join Wiener Kinderfreunde – the second-largest kindergarten operator in Vienna after the City of Vienna itself. We were asked to offer solution-focused individual coaching sessions for the kindergarten managers. This assignment resulted in a series of further steps: I was allowed to add some solution-focused content to the curriculum of the head teacher training course, and I am still allowed to hold many seminars there today. In the meantime, I am also a proud part of the director training program at St. Nikolausstiftung (the third-largest provider of kindergartens in Vienna). I created and developed a morning and evening course for kindergarten leaders and initiated and promoted the introduction of potential-focused pedagogy in kindergartens.
Serpentine 13: Kindergarten management – back in education and yet in a completely new field. I am proud and happy to be able to make a small yet valuable contribution to this crucial area of education.
Agile world
I met Ralph in 2012. He took me to the Agile Coach Camp in Germany, where I had my first contact with the Agile community. I was very nervous at first. What should I do for a whole weekend with all these software types? But I quickly recognized strong parallels between the agile mindset and the solution focus! I soaked up new knowledge like a dry sponge. Whenever I was willing to contribute solution-focused content to the discussions, the participants met me with great curiosity and open ears.
Serpentine 14: WOW! So, I fit into another world that I never thought I would. I feel I am in good hands, helpful and welcome in the Agile community. The mindsets are the same, and solution-focused coaching can improve software development. Who would have thought that?
Solution focus and agile
Ralph thought so. From then on, we worked intensively on linking the two worlds. We submitted our contributions to numerous conferences and have always been invited. We are naturally delighted and honoured by this – and it proves that our theory is correct: We can make a valuable contribution.
Serpentine 15: We are building a good reputation in the community and are welcome speakers on conference stages.
Thank you!
2015 was a year of significant changes for me. I slowly and gratefully retired from working with Günter Lueger. Over the years, he taught me a lot and supported and encouraged me enormously, professionally and privately.
Serpentine 16: If you want to take on something new, you sometimes have to let go of the old – an old saying with so much meaning for me.
Book publication and company foundation
I founded sinnvollFÜHREN GmbH with Ralph. We want to actively support agile, educational, and sales leaders with solution-focused content.
Our first joint book was published: “Agile Teams lösungsfokussiert coachen”. It is more than the interplay of agile and solution-focused. Instead, it is a composition of practical attitudes and approaches – perhaps even the sinnvollFÜHREN concept. Who knows for sure?
Serpentine 17: Realizing that all my serpentines were necessary to achieve this industry-specific multilingualism helped me immensely. Today I like serpentines. I can’t wait to see where the next one will take me!
Language
I train more often in German than in English. Solution-focused communication thrives on the conscious use of language. Although my high-quality standards in this respect can now be met to some extent by my knowledge of English, I still feel more confident in my mother tongue.
Incidentally, I have a sound knowledge of industry-specific languages in education, sales, insurance, and, increasingly, the agile IT landscape.
Veronika Jungwirth – My strengths
I’ve finally passed the “magic 40” mark – a wonderful feeling. I’m in the middle of life, the kids are becoming more independent every day, I no longer need to prove anything to anyone, and I know precisely what I can do (and what I can’t do).
I can inspire people and am very enthusiastic when I like an idea. I want to be creative and am constantly developing new models (coconut model, solution pyramid), ideas and tools (The Done Book, the Merci Round, practice sheet for the SFR conversation by Günter Lueger) for solution-focused leadership communication – mostly together with Ralph. Furthermore, I enjoy writing and poetry from time to time (Hokuspokus Lösungsfokus, Zilli Zöpfchen und die Kokosnuss).
I am patient, ambitious, and very strict with my quality standards. I check what fits in with our concept from my point of view and what does not. In training sessions, I prefer a well-thought-out timetable and adapt it flexibly to the current needs of the participants – always with a focus on the learning or development goal we want to achieve.
Ralph Miarka introduces Veronika Jungwirth (German)
Veronika Jungwirth describes the coconut model (German)
Publications (German)
