Interview with Catalyst 14 Partner Boaz Safier

In this month’s interview with a Catalyst 14 Partner, Vanessa Rogers interviews Boaz Safier about his views and experiences of coaching.

Can you introduce yourself for us, Boaz?

I have been coaching for over ten years. Initially as an internal coach in a Big Four accountancy firm, and more recently in my own practice. It’s a joy and privilege to do the work I do: I get to join others in the exploration of what is important for them, and witness the impact our conversations have. I specialise in working with individuals at transition points, such as stepping up in leadership or going into a new role. My work often focusses on building confidence, gaining clarity and navigating work with greater ease.

Outside of work I am often in the garden or the kitchen. Any sign of sunshine rarely fails to draw me to the garden – I love seeing the changes in seasons and I find gardening meditative. And a new recipe or the lure of having friends or family for dinner can keep me experimenting in the kitchen for hours.

What do you remember as your first experience of coaching?

I have been fortunate in my career to have had a number of coaches and mentors along the way. My first experience of professional coaching came at a point in my career where I felt stuck. I had qualified as a chartered accountant, and although there were elements of my work I enjoyed, I knew it wasn’t what I wanted to focus on longer term. I found a great coach who supported individuals navigating career decisions, and we worked together. I remember the sessions challenged my thinking about work and what was important for me. I enjoyed the whole process and the insights I gained ultimately led me into executive coaching.

Can you remember what made you want to become a coach?

Well, partly it was the experience I had with my coach. I remember thinking: gosh, that’s a wonderful skill to be able to offer to others.

There’s a thread throughout my career of making sense of things. Training as an accountant I enjoyed making sense of financial statements and numerical relationships. I’ve always been fascinated by psychology — understanding its application to me and to others. Coaching naturally took me into making sense of human relationships — those with ourselves and others — and the challenges we face, as well as our hopes and ambitions.

What do you really love about coaching?

There’s lots. At its heart coaching is about learning – we’re inviting people to bring things that are important and real for them with the intention of stretching their thinking, to help them learn and grow. It’s a privilege to support someone through this process and witness the impact it has. The learning also happens both ways. As coaches we’re constantly learning. About ourselves, about others, about coaching and the wider systems in which we live and work.

Thinking about you as a coach then, what would you say some of your key influences have been?

When I started coaching, I was working as an in-house coach. I was fortunate to be surrounded by a wonderful team of coaches, who brought different experiences and unique practices to their work. Working closely together, learning and sharing ideas hugely shaped my practice. There were rich experiences to learn from.

It’s probably no surprise that many years later, I’m still in contact with this team. They are friends and colleagues and we continue to learn and work together.

If you could go back to yourself as a new coach, what would you say to yourself?

There’s a video in our training programmes at Catalyst14 which includes a quote from Carl Jung that I like. The message he gives is “learn all the models, learn all the techniques, but actually when you meet someone, be a human being”. And of course, we are all human beings. So what I would tell myself is: yes, go and read another book, go and do some additional CPD, but don’t think that will suddenly change everything. Bring yourself and trust yourself. Self-work is important in whatever form it takes – be that development programmes, retreats, reflection, mindfulness, or therapy.

Coming back to the present day, how would you describe your coaching now?

I can share how people describe my coaching. They often use phrases such as “a calm space”, “provoking thought”, “focused, pragmatic and human”. They tell me I have a knack of “getting to the heart of the issue” with warmth and depth.

What has been your favourite CPD that you’ve ever done?

That’s a hard one, because I often see myself as a learning junkie. The one thing that’s probably had the biggest impact on my coaching was my Diploma in Transactional Analysis. Although that was completed in a more therapeutic context, I find many of the models and the concepts it explored provide a useful lens for coaching. And linking to the point above, I learnt a huge amount about myself in the process of training.

Transactional Analysis in coaching often features in the CPD sessions that I deliver at Catalyst 14. It’s a theme that has followed me ever since I first came across TA — well over ten years ago now.

If you could give one piece of advice to new coaches who are training, what piece of advice would it be?

Well, of course, as coaches, we don’t often default to giving advice, but I’d say that investing in yourself is important. At the end of the day, you are the instrument. As presence is something that’s critical in coaching, what are you doing for yourself to make sure that you meet individuals in a state that is grounded, present and with ease?

What advice would you give to coaches setting up their own business?

Use your network and have lots of conversations. Hear what others are doing, what they enjoy, what’s challenging, where might there be opportunities for you to collaborate. And continue to invest in your network – this is where things come together.

The other thing is to get clarity over what you enjoy. This might take some experimentation and that is fine. I firmly believe that we do great work when it’s work we enjoy and we usually enjoy it when we’re doing great work.

How do you see your coaching practice evolving in the future?

This is the toughest question, Vanessa. I’ve recently completed a Certificate in Coaching Supervision, so I plan to bring more supervision work into my practice.

Thinking more broadly, and especially with the rise of AI, I am very much focused on what makes us human and the value of that in what we bring to our work. So my intent is to continue to sharpen my ability to harness my intuition, and bring my presence and ease to my work to deeply connect at a human level. The evolution of my coaching has got to be something to do with leveraging the human spark.