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FRANK ÁUSTERMANN communication and cooperation. Within the families of executives, too, acceleration leads to a stronger burden on how family members interact and on their relationships altogether.? WHY FOUCAULT? I am convinced that especially in the times of acceleration described, the philosophy of the late Foucault is in a position to stimulate fundamental learning processes with regard to successful interaction in coaching. It goes without saying that it is impossible even to introduce the basic tenets of Foucaults philosophy here. Ihis is why I shall concentrate on a few basic ideas of the French philosopher and historian, which have led to book titles, and in this context mainly on lectures and presentations. According to Foucault, freedom is not a theoretical construct; he rather wants to look at the practice of freedom.’ It is firstly characterized by the care of oneself, secondly by the courage for the truth and thirdly by critique. PRACTICE OF FREEDOM: THE CARE FOR ONESELF.” How do I interact well with others in professional communication such as coaching? To my mind, the best way is to take up Foucault’s impulses by taking care of oneself in the first place. What does this mean in specific terms? Foucault develops the care for oneself by taking recourse to texts by philosophers from antiquity such as Platon, Seneca and Epiktet. These and other philosophers concentrate on the care for oneself. Platon refers to Sokrates, who summarises his mandate as follows: “God has called him to admonish men to care for themselves, not for their riches, not for their honour but for themselves and for their souls.” (Platon, Apologie, 29d-e)" Care for oneself is not a theory cognitively developed from which instructions for action could be derived. On the contrary: Specific practices of self-care invariably and every so often, for a whole lifetime, lead to existential findings. 8 Ibid., 181. Michel Foucault, Die Ethik der Sorge um sich als Praxis der Freiheit, in Michel Foucault, Analytik der Macht, Frankfurt am Main, 2015. 19 Ibid. 4 Tbid., 61. e 118"
