SOAR!                                                  JULY 2010

Making the invisible, visible

Got willpower? Good. Got planning skills? Great. But you’ll need more than these to make a major career shift. You’ll literally have to turn yourself inside out.

Why? Transformational change is not something that happens in a

step by step linear fashion, no matter how much you try.  It just doesn’t.

To make a big career change requires a deep learning process, pushing the boundaries of who you are and revealing your blind spots. Deep learning changes how we think and how we behave.

This kind of learning is a combination of self-reflection and practice through trial and error. You have to actually dip your toes (or maybe your whole body) in a new field to see if it is really what you want.

And, in a sense, you have to turn yourself inside out — being curious and suspending judgment — to discover just what you’re capable of.

Although turning yourself inside out is an uncomfortable process, it also involves making your whole self

visible, to yourself and to others.

I love helping people discover their hidden strengths and special  gifts. Because until you reveal them and bring them to the outside, we can’t use our gifts in a new career.

As I’ve discovered through quite a few personal and career transitions, “One doesn’t discover new lands without consenting to lose sight of the shore for a very long time.” – Andre Gide, French novelist.

The path I took to being a coach was not something I planned out. It was the result of many work and life experiences coming together in a way that made sense of my values, my strengths, and the kind of work I want to do at this stage of my life.

So if you’re ready for some mental and emotional gymnastics, give me a call.

(416) 691-7123

lee@acoachforallseasons.com

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Copyright 2010 A Coach for All Seasons

Lee Weisser, MEd, ACC

lee@acoachforallseasons.com

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How is this possible?

See my article.
the-art-of-unlearning-and-relearning

What do you think?

Drawing on the work of David Rock, Bruce Tulgan, Daniel Goleman and others, I created a model called ABC – for Alliance, Brain Development and Context – that outlines how to help young leaders mature so they can move into leadership positions.

Here is the slide deck (minus the case study).
developing-young-leaders

What do you think? Do we all have to learn about life the hard way, or are there things that can help us mature more quickly?

The web has opened up the idea of who is an expert, and even who is available for advice.

If you’re thinking about a career transition, it makes sense to let the whole world know what you’re looking for. (Of course, first you have to define what it is that you want. If you need help with that, I’m available.)

That means contacting everyone you know with a brief description of the career move you’re looking for. And don’t forget to ask how you can help them — to reap the rewards of networking you must focus on what you can give, not what you can get.

So, who do you know? I’ll bet there are a whole lot of people who you don’t think of on a regular basis but might be able and ready to help you. Take a large sheet of paper and draw a circle in the middle — that’s you. Then draw lines out from the circle for each area of your life. These could include school, current work, sports groups, recreational groups, online communities, extended family — you get the idea. There are no bad contacts. You never know where your next lead will come from. And, it’s just polite to give everyone equal courtesy when you contact them or meet new people for the first time.

So take advantage of who you know and who they know. You never ‘know’ where it might lead!

www.acoachforallseasons.com

Is there anything important that you can learn from your current job? Absolutely!

Try asking yourself these questions:

What new skill are you using that you have developed because of the job?

What makes you comfortable or uncomfortable about the work environment?

How are you doing working with others? Can you make your voice heard as part of a team? Can you listen to other points of view and really try to understand them?

What’s one part of your day that you really love or really hate?

No matter what work you’re doing, whether paid or unpaid, ideal or not, you have many opportunities to learn about yourself while you contribute to the organization.

Maybe you’ve developed a new procedure that saves the company time and/or money.

Perhaps you have a special gift for teaching others.

Maybe you’ve created a new way for the company to communicate with its stakeholders.

So, just because the job lacks the ideal qualities you are looking for, it still can provide you with a wealth of information about yourself and valuable ways to contribute.

How are you contributing to your workplace?

The signs of Spring

If you’ve recently graduated from college or university and want to start your career, you’re in Spring. But with so many options in front of you, you may be overwhelmed by all the choices. How do you know what will be right for you?

A quote that I have loved for years says, “Every day become a little more of who you are meant to become. This is your work.” (Ian Percy)

How do you find out who you are meant to become? Every experience you have is a signpost to this discovery. But often we don’t see these signposts for what they are.

Using others as sounding boards can help you gain objectivity and a new perpsective on who you are. The gift of coaching is speaking your thoughts out loud to someone who receives them without judgement.

Your path is unique. Through coaching conversations you can discover your own route to career happiness.

What would you like to converse about?