Remember how I talked about the partnership of a good coaching relationship in Getting Your Ducks in a Row? Well, here is a great example of that process in action.
Liz, (not her real name, of course) was working for a major ad agency but had been thinking about setting out on her own for a while. She wanted to explore just how feasible it would be for her to start her own business and developing and executing a plan which would get her there.
When I asked her to name her biggest concerns about making this career transition, she answered: “feeling like what I’m setting out to do is impossible to accomplish,” and “becoming my own worst critic.” These fearful feelings are deep-seated and very personal, but they’re also common to nearly everyone who wants to take the leap and start their own business!
So we set out to overcome these concerns. When I asked Liz to tell me what successfully surmounting these challenges would look like, she answered, “Dismantling the feeling of impossibility and creating a schedule to focus on working for myself, as my own boss.”
Then I asked Liz, “If someone else were handling this process, what would you be worried about?” She concerns that there could be a lack of attention to detail around expressing the ‘soul’ of the business and that things wouldn’t be done the she want them done.
See how very revealing a few well positioned questions can be? Liz was able to see that fear and perfectionism were holding her back. Sometimes, you’re too close to your own thinking to see how it may be holding you back.
We continued this kind of exploration during our work together and the tipping point came a month or so later when Liz shared, “I have learned that no matter how much I want my world to change at my current company, it’s never going to happen. I am wasting my time, creative spirit and future freedom… For the past couple of weeks, I have been promised more ‘high level’ involvement, but the one area where I am at my strongest—positioning and strategy for brands—I have been locked out. The company doesn’t see my full potential, and I am it’s time to invest my time and energy elsewhere.”
If you’re struggling to find focus and clarity as you walk your own path to success you may just need a little help navigating your career forest so you can see the trees of opportunity that await! A tree thinning event for top career advancers is on the horizon in early January. Keep an eye out for the details – coming soon.
As a certified professional coach, radio show host and workshop leader, Dawn helps sales, marketing, advertising and creative entrepreneurs to accelerate their career so they’ll love their life!
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Tags: career planning, changing careers, how to start your own business, how to successfully start your own ad agency, rio of coaching
