Howard Donald Hopkins

Hi, I am Howard based in Bangkok and have lived since 2010, originally from Manchester in the UK but now call Thailand my home. I am married, and have a daughter who works and lives in England.

I wanted to share with you my journey to becoming a Coach based in Asia, my experience of being coached and why I decided to become a Coach.

Prior to coming to Asia, I worked in the UK with various corporate giants including Tesco, GSK and the Ceuta Group where I gained invaluable experience and learnings. I am so grateful for the opportunities that I have had throughout my career which has helped shaped me into who I am today.

My nature has always been to help and support my friends and peers. I never felt I had to hold back information or knowledge, and I am always eager to share my experiences and learnings.

But it was only in my late 20’s that I really began to see the true value that a Coaching Culture could provide, not just at an organisational, but also an individual level.

I was fortunate to work in organisations in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s that were starting to adopt the concept of Coaching as a key development process and a mechanism to enhance performance and reduce employment attrition.

My first “real” Coach was an experienced ex-CEO who was truly a breath of fresh air. He listened and listened, and he challenged me with very tough questions, but above all, I always felt he was on my side.

He wanted me to better myself and was there when things went as planned but also when they did not. I knew he was always there for me, regardless of the outcome.

This was a turning point for me and one that I will never forget.

As I developed in my managerial career, I have always been there for team members; listening to them, assisting them, and providing support by sharing experience but ultimately allowing my colleagues to be accountable and responsible for their own actions and success: masters of their own destiny.

I had responsibility for Sales Coaching and developed a simple framework with practical criteria to assist sales people in self-developing and working towards SMART objectives, ultimately ensuring higher performance.

This was starting to give me more of an appetite for Coaching.

Up to this point I had no professional coaching qualification. I was good at listening, asking questions, planning, and allowing people to talk and express what and where they wanted to be. I also had my life experiences that I could refer to and reflect on.

It was around this time that I was reaching a cross roads in terms of my work life balance, I was becoming more frustrated and disillusioned with my corporate life and the increasing pressures it was putting on me and my personal life and values.

So it was now that I decided to engage with a Coach here in Bangkok as I felt I needed support to help me, guide me and to make me accountable for my future.

This proved to be a pivotal point in my life.

With my Coach I explored the options open to me, the true values I had and the balance that I wanted in my life. Subsequently, when reaching a certain age milestone, not 39, I decided to establish my own business and was now at a stage when I needed to do my own thing and to move away from the corporate life.

This has provided me with the balance of life I wanted.

I subsequently decided to undertake the ICF approved ACSTH Leadership Coaching certification in 2019, which I found both insightful and inspiring.

As part of my personal development, I recently completed the ICF Coaching Orientations Framework (COF) certification, which provides additional expertise in both Business, Leadership and Multi-Cultural Coaching and bolsters the cultural understanding, awareness, and adaptability I have developed during my time in Asia.

My Coaching Journey continues as I further develop my ICF accreditations (currently ACC Certified) and coach and mentor individuals, groups, and peers to refine my approach and broaden my capabilities. I have currently provided over 400 hours of professional coaching since my initial accreditation.

For me Coaching is a structured and personalised relationship that supports, challenges, and provides an opportunity for an individual to achieve their aspirations and their desired balance in life.