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Career & Life Coaching

Career Life CoachingCareer Coaching:  Appropriate for individuals who are undergoing or plan to undergo transitions in their professional life.  Explore alternative career paths or grow and develop professionally in the career you already have.
 
We assist in identifying career options, assessment, resume development, job search planning, networking, interviewing and negotiating skills.
 
"As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world...as in being able to remake ourselves." 
Mahatma Gandhi
 
Life Coaching:   Life Coaching is for individuals with a desire to make some changes in their lives.  We offer assistance with establishing goals, balance, interpersonal communications, and planning for life transitions.  

Every day we make choices.  These choices may range from profound to trivial and each one has an effect that makes our lives more fulfilling or less fulfilling, more balanced or less balanced, and make the process of living more effective or less effective.  Life coaching helps you learn how to make choices that create an effective, balanced and fulfilling life.  We believe that you know the answers to every question or challenge you may have in your life, even if those answers appear to be obscured, concealed or hidden inside.  
                                   
  • Our skills are about knowing the right questions and having the right tools and techniques to empower you to find those answers within yourself.  
  • We help you identify your vision and purpose and establish goals and plans to achieve them.  We keep you motivated, challenged and on-track. 
  • As your coach, we can help you discover what your own personal best might be. 
  • We help you connect your head and your heart in a way that transforms your passion for your dreams into actions for your life.  
 
We are highly trained coaches and academics with business and life skills to superbly coach on many aspects of life.  We work with clients who want help with:
  • Establishing a clear Vision and Life Purpose 
  • Career Planning and Career Transition
  • Spirituality, Self-Esteem and Personal Growth
  • Motivation and Time Management 
  • Entrepreneurial and Business Development
  • Health, Aging, Lifestyle and Self-Care 
  • Family and Parenting
  • Preparing for Retirement 
 
"You may never know what results come from your action.  But if you do nothing, there will be no results."
Gandhi
 
For Newly Appointed Leaders:  Experience shows that using a coach in the first 6 months increases the executive's confidence and the organization's confidence in them.
 
We provide an impartial outside perspective to enable clients to develop business and personal strategies, set priorities and create a positive image.
 
 

The First 180 Days

June 13, 2011 3:46 PM
The First 180 Days – Transition Coaching for High Potential Resources
By Linda C. Walsh, Certified Executive Coach and Professional Certified
Coach (PCC) (published in HR.com, 2004)
 
Congratulations!  You’ve just landed a plum job!  You see exciting challenges and significant responsibilities ahead and your new boss revels in your brilliance!  Right! 
 
In this honeymoon period, expectations are high for the organization and for the newly appointed leader.  However, these expectations won’t be met if the individual doesn’t have a well-planned strategy for taking charge of their new role.  Executives need to create their own company orientation to the job, the culture and the people.
 
"When someone assumes a new or different leadership role today, there is about a 40% chance of demonstrating disappointing performance, voluntarily leaving the position, or being terminated within twelve to eighteen months according to Betof and Harrison -1997. (J. Johnson, Learning Strategies for Newly Appointed Leaders, Jossey-Bass © 2001)
 
A survey of why newly appointed leaders fail conducted by Manchester Consulting shows that executives often derail because they don’t manage relationships well: 
  • 82 percent fail to build partnerships and teamwork with subordinates and peers
  • 58 percent are confused or unclear about what is expected of them; and
  • 50 percent lack the required internal political savvy”
There are significant financial implications when an employee derails during the transition period.  Hiring, development, retention and if necessary, termination costs can escalate to well over $100,000 for just one vice president.
 
A coach can help to accelerate high performance in the initial months of taking a new job. Our experience has shown that using a coach in the first 3  months increases the executive’s confidence and the organization’s confidence in them.  A coach provides an impartial outside perspective that "cuts through political issues, raises sensitivities and difficult questions, and generally has little or no personal agenda in the transition. A Coach helps the new executive explore alternatives, define the future state and establish an agenda for each stakeholder.”  D. Ulrich, Coaching CEO Transitions, Coaching for Leadership.  
 
Some Executive Coaches specialize in executive and high potential transitions.  Whether the client is promoted internally, changing careers or moving to a new organization, coaches provide practical and customized support to enable them to develop a business and personal plan to move forward with confidence. 
 
This may include defining and articulating the future and developing a point of view about how they will interact with key stakeholders:  what are their goals, what do they want from each stakeholder; how will they work to accomplish goals; what issues should the executive tackle first; who should they spend time with and for how long?   
 
Communicating is very critical at this early stage as well.  The coach can help the client prepare clear communication statements about their goals and purpose to use with a number of stakeholders including employees, customers, suppliers, investors and board of directors.  At a personal level, the newly appointed leader has to deal with how the job will affect lifestyle – scheduling private time, health and fitness routines and family time. 
 
Here are a few brief case studies of our client experiences and how a transitional coaching program can help:
 
A newly appointed leader transitioned within a small but high profile organization.  She felt overwhelmed with pent up client demands as a result of the job being vacant for some time during the executive search.  The client engaged a coach to help identify a plan to address both immediate and longer term strategic and personal goals.  Through coaching, the client was able to articulate a clear strategy to board members at the executive’s first board meeting.  A plan was developed to lead her team and work effectively with clients and colleagues.  A positive image and relationship was struck between the client and her boss.  As a result, the client created a solid and positive foundation to move forward with confidence. 
 
A finance executive and high potential resource wanted to broaden career options and transition to a role in general management. Over a series of coaching sessions, the client identified alternatives and specific achievement goals to make this transition.  The client and coach identified barriers and potential courses of action to move forward.  Over time, the client transitioned to a broader strategic role with a new company.  After his appointment, the coach worked with the executive to develop a 90 day plan to launch into the new role displaying confidence and high performance abilities.
 
A newly promoted Academic became CEO of another academic institution in a new city.  Moving from the #2 position to the top job was a wonderful challenge yet daunting at the same time.  The client was coached on how to make the transition from the former position to the new one in a highly positive way.  Significant work was done on creating a personal vision and road-map for the first year in the new city, community and organization.  The client was also moving a spouse and children so there were additional transition requirements around work/life balance issues.  Through coaching, the client was able to articulate a vision for the school, her leadership team and the board of directors presenting a confident and articulate leader with a strong vision for the future.
 
Linda Walsh is an accredited Executive Coach, and President of Evolution Centre for Leadership, a Leadership Development & Executive Coaching company with associates across Canada and in the U.S.  She can be reached at: 416 481-3377 or 1-800-315-9137 or linda@evolutionconsulting.ca  www.evolutionconsulting.ca.

10 Ways to Manage Your Career

June 13, 2011 3:44 PM
  1. Establish positive work relationships with those around you.  It's up to you to take the initiative.
  2. Know your organization's goals and strategies so you can help to achieve them.
  3. Build a network of constructive, successful people in your workplace and communicate with them frequently.
  4. Build your relationship with your boss based upon genuine mutual interests, abilities and goals.
  5. Establish a reputation for reliability by completing assignments well and on time.
  6. Record and communicate your contributions and achievements.  They are the building blocks of your career.
  7. Recognize the contributions of others.
  8. Never present a problem without suggesting a constructive solution.
  9. Continue to build and maintain your career contact network.
  10. Continue your personal and professional growth.  Never be without a goal.
 
Evolution Centre for Leadership
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