|
|
The Brazen Careerist
By Penelope Trunk •
Published in Bankrate.com and The Ithica Journal
October 2003
Career
coach can help sharpen edge
A good way to insulate yourself from a bad economy is
to deal with your weaknesses so your employer doesn't have to. This advice
applies to everyone -- from those hoping for a big promotion to those
just hoping to interview for a job.
Weaknesses are hard to beat, so if you're really serious about making
a personal change, I recommend a career coach. But be careful, because
a good coach is hard to find. I learned to find good coaches by enduring
bad ones. I also learned that when you find a good one, you can change
in ways that will surprise you.
The first career coach I ever hired was someone who my boss recommended.
He gave me the guy's phone number and I called.
The coach's voicemail message closed with, "Have a wonderful and
life-changing day!"
I told my boss I could not work with someone who was so positive about
change that he was a psycho.
My boss said, "This guy is renowned for working with famous businesswomen."
(My boss dropped the name of a woman who worked with this coach. I am
not going to tell you this woman's name because you know her, and to this
day I still question her judgment.) But the name-dropping worked. I wanted
to be famous. So I agreed to meet with the guy.
He told me that most women he worked with needed to learn to be more assertive.
He said, "I can tell you would be responsive to that sort of training,
because you're wearing a skirt." Then he winked at me. So for my
first lesson in assertiveness, I fired him.
My second coach was someone my boss read about in a newsletter. This coach
told me I needed to appear grounded and stable as a leader. Her vision
hit a nerve: I had catapulted up the corporate ladder, and some days I
wondered what I was doing there. I thought I was wondering privately,
but the coach showed me how my demeanor gave it away.
"You walk like you're on air," she told me. "Your bounce
belies giddiness and your swinging arms look impetuous."
She showed me how to walk so that I looked grounded and stable. The most
interesting thing she taught me was that if I could change how I walk,
I would change how I felt. I wouldn't have believed that until someone
forced me to try it.
Later I saw a coach speaking at an entrepreneur's conference. I hired
her to help me handle board meetings. I learned not to smile so much.
She pointed out that women smile a lot and men don't, and it makes men
nervous. To soften the blow, she smiled at me. She told me my sweater
was cut a little low, which made me happy since I never thought of myself
as a woman with cleavage. But for the most part, her thing was public
speaking, and I am definitely better at keeping an audience's attention
because of her coaching.
So here's my advice on choosing a coach: Interview a few, because each
coach has a different approach, and not all will be right for you. To
get a sense of the coach, ask, "What are you best at doing with your
clients?" If you like the answer, do a short trial session. If you
ask someone what he or she is best at and you don't get a straight answer,
it's because he or she is not good at anything, so hang up.
Recommendations from a respected friend or co-worker are a good bet. But,
as you can see from my experience, a recommendation isn't foolproof. I
have had good luck going to a bookstore and perusing the careers section
for books by coaches. If you like a book, you will probably like the coach
who wrote it.
Many coaches speak at conferences, so go listen to a few if you're on
the prowl. If you absolutely cannot get up off
your sofa, then get a recommendation from the career coach hotline: (800)
887-7214.
Enlisting the help of a coach may seem like a high-risk move -- after
all, a bad coach is really bad. But you also take a risk by not getting
help to address your weaknesses.
Get Started Now!
1. Call TCC for your confidential consultation
2. Be coached by three prescreened Life Coaches
3. Choose your ideal Life Coach
4. Turn your activity
into a more balanced and enjoyable life
It's Easy:
1. Call us for your Free, No Obligation,
Confidential Consultation to learn more and decide about coaching for
yourself at: 800-887-7214 (toll free in the US and Canada) or 239-415-1777.
(We answer the phone by the fourth ring.)
2. Request that we call you for your Free
Consultation by clicking here,
3. Contact us by e-mail
by clicking here
4. Or learn more about coaching and TCC
before acting!
(after all, we made a lot of promises and life coaching and TCC might
be new to you)
You are invited to select the starting point that
best suits your level of knowledge
your life
goals faster...
the return on your investment dollars...
your
life more ...
your free time...
the person you want to be...
The Privacy and Confidential promise of The Coach
Connection.
Everything you do with TCC will be private and confidential.
In addition, what goes on between your TCC Coach and you is so confidential
and private that the only way anyone will know about it is if you tell him
or her. TCC guards your privacy and confidentiality to the extreme.
|
 |
