Who We Are

Helmut Milcke

Growing up in Munich during World war II, I learnt about mankind, that, besides the actual family (which was basically Mum, Grandma, my brothers and by hearsay a father), there are friends and enemies.

At the end of the ugly war and immediately afterwards it was the enemy, coloured American soldiers, who gave us kids huge gifts, a chewing gum or a piece of chocolate, and they laughed and played with us. They didn't know German and we didn't know a single word of English, yet we communicated easily. Whenever Mum got to know about it, we were punished, as we were not supposed to get near to the enemy. Later on we received care-packets from the US and were so surprised - and ever so thankful that an 'enemy' did such a thing to us.

Beginning my professional career as consultant engineer in the timber engineering trade, in the 1960s, I travelled and worked all over Europe, crossing the "iron curtain" frequently. It was a time of frequent culture shocks and often a challenge to decide whether or not to identify myself as a German national.

My genuine interest in contributing towards making the world a better place led me later to Nepal, setting up and commissioning the only plywood factory in the country, by means of a bottom-up approach using methods suited to the local conditions.

25 years of life and work in Asia and Africa sharpened my senses. My awareness of different people and cultures increased, enabling a deeper understanding of mankind, of what we have in common and where we are different, how we express joy or sadness, fear or anger, what we tolerate and who treasures which taboos. And when we use the same language and terminology - even simple words such as family, house, joy or hunger - what do these actually mean to us? These are exciting questions for me, and they are always present, whether in a business meeting in Cairo, a training seminar in Bangalore or at a conference in Dallas.

My eagerness to observe and listen carefully, my genuine interest in people, became my second nature and thus I turned my personal interests into a profession - coaching. And after having completed my training at the American Coach University in April 2001, I started my coaching practice and now belong to this rare group of people who are able to combine personal and professional interests in a lifelong learning process.

Formal Education and Training

Dipl. Ing. (FH) - Holzingenieurwesen University of Rosenheim, Germany
Professional training in personal and business coaching - Coach University, USA
Member - International Coach Federation, USA and Germany

Languages

German, English
Basic knowledge in French, Hindi, Arabic

Personal

German, Married, with three grown children