An interview with Elisabet Engellau*, Adjunct Clinical Professor of Management and Leadership Coaching Director at INSEAD since 2000.
Interview by Martine Van den Poel**, December 2024
On the occasion of Elisabet Engellau’s retirement as Adjunct Professor and Coaching Director in the Challenge of Leadership (COL) Program and multiple other programs, we took the opportunity to speak with her about her decades-long contribution to the fields of leadership and coaching informed by the psychodynamic method.
Close to 25 Years of Teaching and Coaching in Leadership Development
Where did it all begin?
My teaching journey began 50 years ago in Boston, where I served as a teaching fellow in the Department of Germanic Studies at Harvard, lecturing on Swedish culture. I later moved to McGill University, where I taught about innovation and adaptive organizations. Fast forward to the mid-nineties in Paris. At that time, coaching had emerged as a vital new avenue for leadership development, an orientation I became interested in. As a natural extension of that interest, I completed in 1998 a certification program in Leadership Development and Coaching at the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL) – a pioneer in the field. CCL was also the first organization to emphasize the importance of feedback through their 360-degree metric instrument, ‘Benchmarks.’
In parallel, during the mid-nineties, my husband, Manfred Kets de Vries, developed the Leadership in Organizations (LIO—later called Challenges of Leadership—COL) program at INSEAD, making it one of the first executive programs in leadership development among business schools worldwide. This program also incorporated a process of 360-degree feedback. At the time, Manfred and I created numerous case studies and videos featuring prominent leadership figures such as Percy Barnevik from ABB and Richard Branson from Virgin, which served as pedagogical material.
In 2000, I introduced our first group coaching module in the Advanced Management Program (AMP), then directed by Ludo Van der Heyden. Over the next two decades, INSEAD’s Leadership faculty, together with our team of global coaches, integrated the leadership group coaching methodology into all of its General Management and Leadership Programmes, as well as a number of Customized Programmes and the Executive MBA. More recently, this methodology was incorporated by Prof. Derek Deasy, who introduced the Personal Leadership Development Programme (PLDP) into the flagship MBA Programme. In this way, the leadership group coaching process has become a significant competitive differentiator for INSEAD, providing exceptional personal value to the executives and MBA students involved.
How was the leadership and coaching landscape when you started, and how has it evolved for individuals, teams, and organizations?
In the early 2000s, the coaching landscape was shaped by events such as the Enron scandal in 2002 and the burst of the internet bubble. Organizations were grappling with executives who had failed in their leadership roles. At that time, coaching to ‘help’ these executives deal with dysfunctional behavior carried a negative connotation, perceived more as a remedial measure rather than a constructive and developmental process, as it is rightly viewed today.
The Inception of Our Unique Group Coaching Method
How would you describe or define INSEAD’s unique coaching approach and its impact?
Our group coaching methodology was a significant game changer, and INSEAD was the first institution to develop and implement it. Apart from this group orientation to coaching, another major differentiator of our approach is the psychodynamic perspective, which aids executives in understanding their developmental history—from childhood to adulthood—and how it influences their current leadership challenges. They come to realize that behavior that may have been effective at one point in their life history has outlived its effectiveness. Additionally, to have them deal with their “blind spots,” we utilize various instruments, such as the Global Leadership Mirror, Personality Audit, and Leadership Archetype Questionnaire, providing executives with insights into how
they are perceived by others, their team dynamics, and their personality traits.
How would you describe the ‘Alchemy’ or ‘Magic’ of these various group coaching elements coming together?
The mutual commitment of team members to confidentiality fosters trust and encourages open sharing of leadership challenges. A playful introduction, where each participant shares their life story through a self-portrait, serves as a cornerstone of our approach, based on the belief that early life experiences shape current leadership styles. When participants share their 360-degree feedback, it facilitates a process of reflection, free association, and constructive feedback among group members, creating a nuanced balance of challenge and support. Basically, all these factors together create tipping points for change.
The process culminates in a concrete action plan for each participant, where group members continue to support one another and share progress in follow-up modules. This journey is an exploration of the Self and the Self in relation to Others. In specific company settings, where top teams collaborate through these modules, the process not only aids individual insights and action plans but also addresses team dynamics, positively influencing the overall company culture and helping people to be aligned towards the goals of the organization.
Unwrapping the Obstacles & Challenges for Senior Executives
Having coached thousands of senior executives, what have you found to be the most important obstacles holding them back, or the key challenges faced by them?
Obstacles and challenges represent different concepts. An obstacle is something that holds you back, often indicating being stuck in behavioral patterns. Through group coaching, participants develop greater awareness and an invitation to change. A challenge, on the other hand, is future-oriented and serves as a motivator to tackle still new challenges. We particularly observe this in leadership transitions, where new paradigms, skills, and mindsets must be developed. The entire journey is an enlightening process, both professionally and personally.
Executives often arrive with specific professional challenges—such as improving communication, delegating more effectively, or adopting a more strategic mindset—and leave indeed with a commitment to enhance their relationships with peers, their team, and their boss but also with a desire to deepen their relationships with their life partners and children.
We often hear: ‘People don’t really change.’ How do you react?
Change is indeed difficult and always a significant challenge. However, the methodology we employ serves as a motivator for change, inviting self-exploration and reflection while providing the necessary support to act on these insights.
Developing into an Effective Coach
How does one become a good coach?
The most essential talent of a good coach is the ability to listen attentively. Asking insightful questions encourages the coachee to engage in self-reflection. Establishing trust is crucial so that individuals feel safe enough to open up. It is essential to establish a working alliance. Additionally, understanding how organizations operate is a valuable asset, as is being aware of the diverse cultural backgrounds of the executives being coached.
In working with top teams, a robust diagnostic process is vital for effective coaching and leadership development. This involves understanding major issues, the organizational culture, historical context, future challenges, team conflicts, competition, and the relationships between the executive committee and the board.
Reflecting on the Past & Imagining the Future
Looking back, how have you changed in this longstanding learning process of teaching and coaching?
My drive has always stemmed from a genuine interest in people and a desire to understand psychodynamic theories and their manifestation in individuals. I have been fascinated by people’s life stories, a passion that was nurtured by the tales shared by my two grandmothers during my childhood. Being the eldest and my father’s favorite, I found myself in a triangular dynamic where I often competed with my mother. However, she taught me to set high ethical and intellectual standards, while my father, a remarkable people person, served as both an inspiration and a learning model for me.
Looking forward, how do you think the leadership and coaching space will develop over the next decade?
Leadership is a team sport. Team and group coaching will become increasingly mainstream, complementing individual coaching. We will see advancements in feedback instruments that assess team functioning and dynamics. To enhance the board’s impact on the executive committee, there will need to be greater internal cohesion within boards, making team coaching for boards more crucial.
A Quote That Guides You in Your Work? In Your Life?
I adhere to the golden rule: Treat others as you wish to be treated. It’s all about respect and care.
*Elisabet Engellau, Adjunct Clinical Professor of management and Leadership Coaching Director since 2000. Co-Founder Kets de Vries Institute since 2010. Board member United World College, Dilijan since 2014.
**Martine Van den Poel, Director and Assistant Dean for Executive Education (1990-2000), Associate Dean for External Relations (2001-2003), Coaching Director and Senior Executive Coach (2003-2020) at INSEAD