Career coachs reflections on 2 great things - Hire Imaging

Career coach’s reflections on 2 great things - Hire Imaging I am lucky to do what I love for a living. It’s been an evolving career path, because in practice, I was helping people with their careers long before I put out my shingle as a Certified Career Management Coach. Best ever = doing what you love and sharpening your skills I always loved coaching and writing in the career realmâ€"back to my college days where I freelanced as a resume writer to help pay expenses. And later when I would dispense advice on career issues posed to me by people nearly every dayâ€"because they knew it was my area of expertise. And I did know what I was talking about. But something pretty wonderful happened when I took that first step to obtain my Certified Career Management Coach (CCMC) credentials. I do have a point here. I had (and am still) been an avid learner in my field. I kept a pulse on career topics and issues, the economy, the market. But now I was fine-tuning my skills as a career coachâ€"which is my craft. Sharpening my skills. The skills from the coach certification program I use to this day, many years later.  I’ll share one of my favorite techniques learned in my training, because it’s useful in everyday communications, management, relationship buildingâ€"so many areas of life. It’s the 5 C’s of Coaching.   I believe it was a pivotal turning point for my practice; it’s been absolutely monumental in its impact on how I work with clients â€" and our dual success stories. Here they are; I’ll substitute “person” for “client”. Tweak the rest as needed to fit your life: 1)           CONNECT. Act professional, confident and aware. Stress confidentiality, both in conversation and in formal documentation. Show listening skills by asking questions or summarizing what you’ve heard. Be invisible; listen wholly to that person. Don’t talk about yourself. Assume you can learn something new from that person. 2)           CLARIFY. Did something happen that prompted that person to contact you? Ask them to tell you about it. Repeat what they said, “So you’ve come to ___ so that __?” Ask big clarity questions like “What do you need to feel successful?” and “What do you REALLY want to happen?” Don’t settle for “I don’t know” answers. Dig deeper with open-ended questions like “If there were no obstacles in your way, what would you do?” Clarify their belief system if you sense resistance. “What ‘tapes’ or self-talk might be playing in your head that aren’t supporting you in your goal?” Clarify that person’s commitment level to change. “Beyond talking with me, what else have you done?” Once the purpose is clear, clarify other pieces of the puzzle to clarify that commitment. “What skills are present or what new skills are needed?” 3)           COLLABORATE: This is where you collaborate on progress; explore options, strategies and action plans. One of the most powerful questions (of many) is “What do you need to do next?” Others are “What will your Plan B look like?” and “What resources or support do you need from me in this area?” 4)           CHEERLEAD: Empower is the gist here. The person may well need encouragementâ€"not patronizing. Powerful questions are “I’ve seen you weather even bigger storms in the past … what are a couple of small steps you could take that would give you some progress and boost your emotional reserves?” Or “I want to be sensitive to your situation … what’s the one thing I shouldn’t say to you today?” 5)           CHALLENGE: Move this person toward action, surrounding his/her belief about what is possible, to be accountable. Some good questions: “From where I’m sitting, it sounds like you don’t believe you can achieve that goal. Tell me more.” Or “What do you want me to say when you haven’t followed through on your action steps from last week?” Or “What are 3 things you’d be willing to commit to doing between now and our next time?” Of course this is abbreviated. Like any craft, I’ve tweaked, practiced, and practiced some more. But in a nutshell, using this approach in coaching has empowered me to quite simply, better help the people who reach out to me. Whatever you do, I believe this approach can help you. If you’re a career explorer and thinking about career coach certification, check out The Academies and their next Certified Career Management Coach program (starts Wednesday, November 9th). Yes, doing what you love is a gift. Lapping up training or knowledge to perfect your related talents is heaven! Photo: krossbow