Everybody gets to a point where they question their career, the current state and where it is heading. Often this is due to something that is missing, but as commonly, it is because it is simply not clear. A lack of clarity and/or conviction can be the trigger to make a change or it can be disheartening; then, when the need to make a change is there, the wherewithal to make the change is not.
Often, a coach is needed to break the inertia; to move on from ‘I don’t know’ or ‘I’m not sure’. You might not feel like it but you are always capable of working through what it is you want and how best to achieve it; you just need a catalyst to help you get there. It may be that your assumptions change en route: actually, you don’t want to move, you want recognition or to improve a relationship, but you will find a path that resonates and that you will commit to.
The process is dependent on challenging questions from your coach; questions that help you differentiate between what you feel you should or ought to do and what really matters. Beyond that, it is led by you. We might look at developing skills and communication or we might explore how your career fits with your broader lifestyle.
Either way, before you have all the answers, you take action and learn more in doing so. This also gives you more momentum, control and confidence, and the positive cycle is repeated.
The sessions with Richard have been inspirational for me at a point in my life when I had lost confidence in my own abilities at work. He encouraged me to identify what really mattered to me in order that I could focus my energies to achieve my long-term goal of career progression. By the end of each session I had clearly identified the next appropriate steps to take and was becoming increasingly confident in my own capabilities once more as key objectives were achieved.Sandra Lazenby, Project Manager, Halifax, 2016
