Wonder what your corporate career might look like 5, 10, 15 years from now?

If you wonder what a corporate career might look like 10 years from now, pick up a copy of The 2020 Workplace for a glimpse of what may come to be.  The book highlights a few valuable insights.  For example, what are the motivating factors for each of 4 generations (babyboomers through those who haven't yet joined the workforce).  What are their expectations?  What skills will you need?  How will you find work and get hired?

The two authors, Jeanne C. Meister and Karie Willyerd, do an outstanding job highlighting and summarizing key points in an easy to read manner.  Biggest skillset you will be expected to know inside and out?  Knowledge and use of technology.  What will be most valued by companies?  Besides being smart and capable in your field, having a wide and deep network/community. 

Have you already read the book?  Would love to have you share what you think!

Tags: 2020 workplace, career, coach, corporate, personal journey coaching, success, tips
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freedom

Having just celebrated Independence Day, I want to give a shout out of appreciation to all of our service people who protect our country and freedom, and their families who likewise make sacrifices on all of our behalves. 

With that freedom, we have the opportunity to pursue our dreams and careers while they stand watch, rain, shine, in the heat of the dessert and cold of the winter. 

Thank you.

Tags: appreciation, career, coach, freedom, military, personal journey coaching, service people
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Success Tips for second half of year

Here we are already at the end of the second quarter, which is a great time to step back and reflect on the past 6 months, and put some thought into what you’d like to accomplish during the second half of the year. 

Areas to consider are:

·         Your professional goals.  Are you are target with what you will be benchmarked against during your performance review?  What can you do to deserve an ‘exceeds’ or ‘far exceeds expectations’?

·         What additional structures could bring you closer to your longer term goals?  For example having lunch with someone whom you admire in your work place?  A former colleague with whom you’d like to stay in touch?  Attend one professional event a month/quarter to expand your network?

·         Skills.  What one or two additional skills would increase your marketability (including inside your current company)?  How can you best learn this skill?  For example from observing a mentor?  Building your leadership skills through volunteering?  Subscribing to a trade magazine?  Reading books on the subject?  Taking classes?

What will make you feel really great/proud/successful when you wrap up 2010? 

Now that you have that goal/intention, what strategy(ies) will get you there?  What are the steps to each strategy, that when written out will make it easy to follow through?

Mid-year is a great time to draw a line in the sand and not beat yourself up for what you haven’t yet accomplished, rather to reignite your passion and focus on what will bring you the greatest results and personal fulfillment.

To increase the probability of achieving these goals, make a promise to someone that you will achieve them, and identify what you will sacrifice if you don’t.  These two steps can work wonders for keeping you motivated!  

Which 1-2 strategies will make the difference for you? Are you willing to invest in your future and implement them?  Feel free to reach out if coaching would be the impetus to shift from considering the concept to implementation.

Would love to hear if you’d like to share.

To your success,

Gwyneth Anne

Tags: career, coach, goals, personal journey coaching, planning, skills, structures, success, tips
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Part 2–Becoming a Coach: Consider what it means to own a business

Part 2 – Are You Thinking of Becoming a Coach: Consider what it means to own a business

Looking at your current skills and background are also important (in addition to getting trained in coaching skills).  If you’ve always been in a job working for someone else, I highly recommend reading Michael Gerber’s book ‘E-Myth Revisited’.  In that book he talks about three areas of owning a business (the ‘technician’, ‘manager’ and ‘entrepreneur’ roles), and has the reader think about different aspects of owning a business that they may not have otherwise considered.  He also highlights the value of systematizing for consistency and for creating value for to ultimately being able to sell your business down the road. 

While there are some ‘in house’ coaches (meaning they work for a specific organization), most  coaches own their own businesses or partner with a few other coaches to form a company.  As a sole proprietor (meaning you own your own business), you will need to do a few things, including:

·         Determine if you need to have a business license (usually at the city level)

·         Perhaps file a fictitious business name (also known as a ‘dba’ meaning ‘doing business as’)

·         Set up your financial and record keeping systems

·         Learn how to market your business (generate prospects)

·         Close the business (have clients hire you for your services)

·         Purchase liability/E&O (errors & omissions) insurance

·         Create a Coach Agreement and business documents

·         Have a legal advisor review your business documents

·         Of course have a business phone line, computer, internet connection, etc.

And many other things. It can be helpful to conduct information interviews with successful coaches to learn ‘what a day in the life of’ is really like. 

Finally, hire a coach and experience the power of what it’s like to be coached!  How can you utlimately sell something you haven’t actually experienced?!

If you’re serious about coaching, email today to schedule a consultation at gaf@personaljourneycoaching.com.

Tags: career, coach, coaching business, own a business, personal journey coaching
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Thinking of becoming a life coach?

People often request to have an information interview me when they are considering becoming a life coach, since I’ve been in the business officially since 2002. They are wondering which training program I’d recommend, what it’s like to build a coaching business and for a glimpse of ‘a day in the life of’ a coach.

While these are great questions, I answer them by asking them some in return.  For example:

Regarding coach training programs, as Stephen Covey says, ‘begin with the end in mind.  Consider reflecting on:

·         Who would you like to coach?  (who would be your target market)

·         What would they want to be coached/help around?  (What would your target market ‘buy’?)

·         What skills do you need to develop, in addition to coaching skills?  Perhaps sales and marketing? 

·         Where do you live?  Would you want to attend training in person, or virtually (over phone / internet)?

·         Do you ultimately want to become certified?  If so, by the school or an organization such as IAC or ICF? 

·         What else do you want?  Such as an ongoing community with the school?  Ongoing training? 

How you answer these questions can play a large part in which training program would be best for you.  For example if you want to coach executives, a corporate training program would most likely be best for you.  If you are currently a therapist and want to add a coaching branch, another school would be better suited that is designed exactly for therapist-turn-coach students. 

Some schools (using ‘schools’ interchangeably with ‘coach training programs’) offer their programs in chunks, meaning you can take one class, then take a month off, then take another class, etc.  Others are set for a fixed 12 month period.  Some schools include the certification process as part of their program.  Others have it separate and may charge additional fees.  Some include mentor coaching, others expect you to hire your own. 

Most coach training programs offer a complimentary tele-class that would give you a taste of their program, philosophy and culture.  I strongly encourage you to take them up on their offer, to help determine which would be the best fit for your long term goals.

For a list of International Coach Federation’s (ICF) accredited coach training programs, and learn more about their credentialing process, visit http://coachfederation.org and click on ‘research and education’. 

International Association of Coaches (IAC) http://certifiedcoach.org is another credentialing organization. I don’t believe they offer or accredit any training programs, but do offer credentialing.

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out by emailing me at gaf@personaljourneycoaching.com.

Tags: become a coach, career, coach, coach training, mentor coaching, personal journey coaching
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How do you define success?

Tags: career, coach, coaching, personal journey coaching, success
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Happy Spring!

Can you believe it's already Spring?  We often think of Spring Cleaning.  What are 3 things that you are currently putting up with / 'tolerating' if you only took a few minutes to take care of would feel great? 

Challenge: Take care of one a day for the next 3 days.  If you find your self on a roll, jot down a list of all of your 'tolerations' and check off one a day until the list is fully checked off.

Tags: career, career tips, coach, coaching, personal journey coaching, success, tolerations
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What is one thing…

What is the one thing you can do to move closer to your goals / vision of success *right now*?

Tags: action, career, coach, personal journey coaching, success tips
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How do you define success?

Tags: career, character, coach, personal journey coaching, success, success tips
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Welcome!

Hello and welcome to the Personal Journey Coaching!
Career tips and questions to ponder will be posted on this blog.

Please share your thoughts and questions. Having a conversation around what’s most important to you will be interesting and valuable.

What’s most on your mind around your career right now?

To your success, Gwyneth Anne

Tags: career, coach, personal journey coaching
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