He felt underappreciated and he resented having to consider changing jobs, again. He didn’t see his loyalty and commitment leading to more opportunities. He was rarely invited into client meetings yet alone positioned to lead them, and his requests to attend conferences seemed always to be deferred by the next big deadline. He really wanted to stay somewhere long term and grow. How can he break this pattern?
That was the starting point for our leadership coaching sessions. Here’s that client’s journey:
We talked about previous turning points on his career path and how he made those decisions, to then identify new ways for his core values to guide him. Our goal was to empower and ground him on his own terms.
This goal was important to him because he knew he could have a greater impact to his clients and their projects and their communities. He felt he was just stepping into being a mentor for newer employees which he really enjoyed. And he wants to celebrate growth, not keep chasing after it.
Through coaching he learned two key things about himself.
- His technical skill set had pulled his focus toward individual efforts, and while he felt valuable as a great problem solver and customizer, he hadn’t realized how much he had deprioritized collaborations and joint explorations, which he actually enjoyed doing.
- His drive to support others and provide the solutions they need had become reactive and analytical, which meant he wasn’t being proactive, imaginative, creative, and playful when connecting with others; people didn’t know that part of him.
Together we framed an image of a new way for showing up as a professional and a leader and created three specific competencies needed to reach that image. In every session, we created a detailed exercise to practice and develop those competencies in her regular workday, and we would explore her observations and reflections.
He unchained himself from his desk, reached out to colleagues regularly, and found small things to laugh at, including in himself. He focused on connection and being truly, fully present, trusting that solutions will come when needed. He reframed how he asked for what he wanted, and is enjoying flying to client sites and industry conferences, and leading new employee on-boarding. And he’s happy he stayed.
He noticed his symptoms, didn’t dismiss them as “guess I need to change jobs for someone to see me”, identified that coaching was a solution, and made an investment – in himself.
I wish I had learned much earlier in my career journey about problem-solving versus innovating, and about being present versus being the one with answers. So as a coach, these are some of the tools I offer so my clients can thrive.
If you see yourself in this story, with similar symptoms and important goals, and you’ve been trying training programs, podcasts, and books, but haven’t felt momentum, yet alone a transformation, perhaps the solution you’re seeking is – coaching.
Hop on my calendar for a chat to learn more.
