Adelina Stefan is a Professional Certified Coach & Intercultural Facilitator specialized in Career Development, with deep expertise in international HR recruitment and selection and Training and Development. Having worked for 10+ years across cultures, Adelina seeks to catalyze individuals’ potential, helping them create and implement their unique career blueprint and, at the same time, achieve a healthy work-life balance. She specializes in working with ex-pats and mid-to senior-level executives dealing with challenging work environments that can affect both their performance and well-being. She supports organizations in building a corporate coaching culture by highlighting individuals’ maximum potential and engagement to become dedicated and highly successful employees. Her practice includes Career, Life, Executive, and Agile Coaching for individuals and developing and implementing corporate Human Resources practices for improving intercultural relations.
Who is Adelina?
I am a Professional Coach & Cultural Expert passionate about catalyzing potential and growth in individuals and organizations to create a positive change. A dual citizen of Greece and Romania (born in Romania, having lived and studied in Greece), I started my career 11 years ago as a Consultant in Greece, working in the travel industry with people of different nationalities and cultures.
I moved to Switzerland in 2015 to join my partner (currently husband), and we live in Zurich together with our 2.5 years old daughter and Birman cat.
As a passionate advocate of the entrepreneurial spirit, a life-long learner, and an ex-pat, I was always interested in sharing my experience with other international people and facing similar challenges as ex-pats, dealing with the cultural shock while trying to make a seamless career transition, using their unique skills and talent.
Though I didn’t know what I took to build a successful business in coaching in Switzerland, the journey itself was inspiring and motivating. I could engage with people with a diverse background and deepen my expertise in HR practices in recruitment and training, and development while pursuing my MBA and a MA in Business Administration at the same time.
The result was publishing two academic books with the support of my mentors and building a great network of professionals across the globe.
Though I had many opportunities in academia and contributed to academic research, I felt that the direct impact on catalyzing an individual’s potential and creating a positive change through coaching was stronger and more aligned with what really matters to me. This happened after I moved to Switzerland and I started my coaching practice here. When my daughter was born, I wanted more flexibility and more quality time with my family while doing what I love and empowering people to do what they love.
My practice includes Expat Career & Personal Agility Coaching for individuals and Executive Coaching for building cultural intelligence and improving cross-cultural relations across the globe.
When I’m not coaching my clients, I love cycling, hiking, and traveling with my little family.
What is it that you do for your clients?
I help ex-pats and professionals integrate successfully into their new culture to communicate with more impact, gain more clarity, purpose, and fulfillment, and achieve sustainable career success.
I inspire ambitious professionals to develop their talent and pursue their passions while navigating a foreign territory to create alignment around what really matters and maintain a healthy work-life balance.
I work with mid-senior level executives dealing with challenging work environments that can affect their performance and well-being, feel disconnected, unsure about their next career step with low confidence, feel stuck or lack a work-life balance, and are overwhelmed by their priorities.
Using my HR expertise, I support individuals in creating an effective and eye-catching resume and master the interview process to secure the job they want and do what they love.
As a Personal Agility Recognized Ambassador (PARA), I enable individuals to create alignment around what really matters in their work and life. Personal Agility System, created by Peter Stevens and co-created by Maria Matarelli, applies the “agile concepts” of organizing and simplifying processes into individuals’ lives.
For instance, in a personal context, spouses and partners can coach each other to set and achieve goals together, while for people in transition, Personal Agility seems to have amazing in achieving what really matters through a career and increase self-esteem.
Through my corporate services, I support organizations in transforming obstacles into opportunities by unlocking leaders’ potential to maximize their overall work performance and organization. In a business context, Personal Agility can enable managers and their staff to achieve high alignment and transparency about goals, forecasts, and milestones achieved.
What is your big goal? Where do you see yourself in 10 years from now?
I will definitely continue with my existing ex-pat community supporting people in transition as they are getting amazing results.
I have just launched my career strategy course where I share agile strategies and techniques to help people find a job in the Swiss market, teaching them how to develop their professional brand, prepare their application and enhance the interview skills.
I am also working on a new team and group coaching program to bring a positive change in people’s life. Being part of an agile community, I have exciting ideas and new collaborations on the horizon and with my team. Stay tuned to learn more soon!
Your top 3 tips within your expertise?
Though it’s quite difficult to narrow down the success factors as every situation is unique and it depends on a certain context, 3 tips to a rewarding career and fulfilled life:
1. Know yourself and your purpose. Knowing your own strengths and talents is crucial in achieving success. When you choose to focus on your purpose, you will no longer be distracted by comparison. You are in competition with your previous self! Choose to grow as you pursue your purpose.
2. Focus on positive facts. Many people around me, including my clients, describe me as a very positive person with a lot of energy to get things done. When we experience challenges or obstacles, negativity will come easily in our minds. No matter how difficult a situation can be, remember that this is something temporary and focus on your positive attributes as those are the key elements towards success. It’s ok if you couldn’t achieve everything you planned for today. And start transforming your negative statements into positive ones. Think about what you could do differently tomorrow to focus on what really matters to you.
3. Celebrate small wins. As John Gordon said, "Big opportunities come from doing the small things with a big dose of passion, love, purpose, and excellence." I often hear from my clients that they haven’t accomplished anything special in their career, apart from getting the job done. We often tend to focus on the outcome without paying attention to any significant steps along our way that contributed to that achievement, but big goals don’t happen immediately. By celebrating what you got done, even if it was planned or not, you will acknowledge whether you are on the right way towards your vision and, at the same time, increase your self-confidence.
