It’s that time of year again. We are starting the year off with the best of intentions for our 2017 resolutions. While it is true that most New Year’s resolutions fail, don’t get discouraged. You are still more likely to make a successful change in your life when you make a formal resolution. The first step in making any life changes is to wish for something meaningful, to recognize a problem, an area to improve on, or an opportunity to pursue. The next is to set a goal which is then further broken down into action steps. But the most important factor in achieving a resolution success is the daily re-commitment to follow the plan. Unfortunately, our bad habits are hard to break and willpower runs out quickly. There are many things in life that call for the DIY approach; however, going DIY may not always produce the best results. Sometimes we need a little extra help, guidance and support to stay the course. Coaches are change agents helping to transform dreams into reality. Coaching is the vehicle transporting people from point A, the starting point, to point B, the desired destination. One coaching specialty area is career coaching. Spending most of our waking hours working means we need to make the most of our investment of time and energy. Similar to an athletic coach training athletes for peak performance, a career coach would help you create a winning game plan and identify the resources you need to reach your full career potential. Make 2017 your year to stick to and achieve your career resolutions, perhaps with the help of a career coach. Here are 10 reasons to work with a career coach: #1: To create your personal brand Building a strong personal brand opens up professional opportunities. A strong professional brand leads to better jobs and getting on the “fast track” to career advancement. Building a personal brand is like planting a garden. It takes time and dedicated effort to grow and expand a garden, and often the help of a professional is required to set the groundwork. #2: To effectively tell your story Whether pursuing a new job or a promotion, telling a compelling story is paramount to inspire trust and confidence in you. Your story needs to clearly define what you offer and how your interests, experience and skills align with the job you want. Each of us has a story to tell than can move others. It is the story of who we are, the choices we make, and the aspirations we have. In order to accelerate your career progression, you need to get comfortable telling your story and cultivating relationships. If this scares you, this would be a good reason to hire someone who can help you craft your story and practice this new skill. #3: To create your strategic career plan A strategic career plan serves as the roadmap guiding professional choices throughout the different career stages. Almost everyone has a dream or an aspiration they hope to achieve in their life. This is also true in the world of work. A solid career action plan would help you define goals and develop attainable milestones to land your dream job, accelerate in your chosen field and find fulfillment in your career. A career coach will guide you through drafting or implementing a career action plan. This may be the best investment you could make in your career. #4: To effectively manage a career transition Change is an inevitable part of life. In our work life, major changes are all too common from any new business initiatives to reorganizations, mergers and acquisitions, downsizing, and changes in leadership. Such times create a lot of uncertainty about job security, work duties and priorities, corporate culture, and new reporting structures. Change presents challenges and opportunities. To weather any professional storms and ride out the rocky waves of transition, we need a plan to make the most of every opportunity. A career coach will help you identify the possibilities, explore the options, and navigate the new path. #5: To get un-stuck At times we all experience feeling “stuck”, “running fast nowhere” or being “spread too thin” and struggling to “keep it all together”. When it feels like you're stuck on the hamster wheel, it may be a sign it’s time to hire a coach to help you identify specific steps to get unstuck. Coaching inspires excitement, curiosity, and ambition and help transition you into the next phase of your career. #6: To enhance employability skills Soft skills are the new hard skills of today's workforce. It's the hard skills that get you the interview, but it’s the soft skills that will get you the job. Employability skills are those intangible soft skills that go beyond credentials, qualifications and experience. They are the building blocks of career advancement and success. The challenge is that mastery requires a high degree of self-awareness and a lot of practice. Coaching will help you gain a deeper insight to cultivate soft skills and improve your personal effectiveness. #7: To gain an unbiased expert perspective Family and friends often have an opinion and advice to offer you, even when it isn’t asked for. Sometimes the well-meaning advice isn’t what you want or need. A core coaching principle is that the client knows best what’s right for them. When you don’t have clarity as to what you want and how to move forward, a career coach, who is not impacted by your decisions, can offer an unbiased point of view on your challenges and progress. You will have a safe sounding board and will get honest feedback on your ideas. The coaching process will help you find solutions more quickly and effectively than you could on your own. #8: To get the results you want Sometimes despite our best efforts, we don’t meet our goals nor achieve the desired outcomes. If you don’t seem to get the results you want at work, hiring a coach can have a huge impact on your career. You may be able to do a fair assessment of the current state of your career, clearly define your goals and put together a detailed action plan all on your own. However, a career coach can motivate you to pursue your goals, help you get past obstacles, create an action plan, and keep you accountable to your commitments. A coach will be dedicated to your success and work tirelessly to challenge you to perform at your best and get the results you deserve. #9: To handle a sticky work situation Conflicts are an unavoidable part of life and the workplace. If you’ve been working long enough, you’ve most likely had to manage a workplace conflict or some sticky work situations. Handling these sensitive workplace issues can be physically and emotionally exhausting. If you don’t have a trusted advisor or mentor, you’d be wise to look for a professional coach to guide you through an existing conflict or workplace challenge. Whatever the situation, a coach will support you as you analyze the facts, consider possible solutions, and develop resolution strategies. #10: To improve your management skills School does not teach you how to manage people. Even management courses like MBA’s don’t teach practical people management skills. Management would be easy if every employee was hard working and had a great attitude. But the reality is that being a people manager is hard work, and it's not for the faint of heart. Career coaches have business expertise, including leadership training, and helping people develop and manage a team. A career coach can share resources to help you develop, both as a manager as well as a leader. Career success is about bringing value to others, making a difference and affecting positive change. Make sure you get expert guidance in advancing the trajectory of your career to make your daily work experience more focused, fulfilling, and successful. Start your 2017 strong: give yourself or someone you acre about the gift of success. Contact me at info@choicefulpath.com.
