Career Transition - A Few Things I've Learned #4 & #5

Get Support

The same week that I took my first coaching course, I hired a coach. A lot of us underestimate our need for support, or think that we are weak for needing it. This is simply not true. One of the first things my coach told me was, “Get a group of friends who believe in you as a coach and small business owner. They will be your sounding board.“ A lot of people will test you and cause you to have doubts when you transition. Make sure you have a few close, reliable people to bounce ideas off of as you are exploring and making your decisions.

Understand Transferrable Skills

I am always surprised to hear people say, “But I can’t do that job; I don’t know Powerpoint (or Photoshop or how to write a business plan). When you want to transition, you need to look for more general skills that can be used across disciplines. Things like effective communication, ability to influence, ability to synthesize information, understanding of how to research are all broader transferrable skills, and are present even in what we do outside of work. And, you need to understand what the important skills are in the job(s) you are going for. I never realized how critical my 18 years in sales and marketing would be to getting my own coaching practice up and running.

Career Transition - A Few Things I've Learned #3

Keep the Faith

It’s amazing. Very likely, most of us are high-achieving people. And yet it is so easy to get into the thinking that if we leave our job, we will be a nobody. What I have actually seen, again and again with my clients and with my own transitions, is that our sense of performance and delivery actually transfers from expertise to expertise. With time, you will rise to the same level you enjoyed in your previous job. And if you love your new job more, you will likely rise higher.

Career Transition - A Few Things I've Learned #2

Put Your Hypotheses to the Test – In Increments

There is a term at the coaching program I followed*, “Forward the action, deepen the learning.” If you really want to figure out what’s next, try some things out. I don’t mean taking a course, though that can be a part of it. I mean actually do it. So many people dream of opening a B&B, painting, or becoming a life coach. Yet they do nothing to explore the possibility. They think that once they quit their job, their full-time focus will make it happen. Or, some say they have no idea what they want to do instead of their current job. Again, they don’t take time to expore their interests and impulses. Do you dream of becoming a chef? Cater an event or two for a charity you are involved with. See what you learn. Do you dream of being a ski instructor? Do it part-time for a season. Do you want to become an architect? Try designing your own renovation. Or, just volunteer for an industry group or do a part-time internship to see whether you like the job, or even the industry.

For previous tips, see my earlier blog posts: http://www.clearstrategycoaching.blogspot.com/

Being More Productive

I love reading Tony Schwartz's blogs. Not just because his tools and techniques are great, but because he has a very human approach. He advocates that the myth of the 24-hour a day super hero employee is just that, a myth...

Career Transition - A Few Things I've Learned

Last month I was asked by the Columbia Business School Alumni Office to share my thoughts on career transition. As a coach who has personally transitioned twice, I have learned a few things. This entry is the first of several tips:

While an absolute majority of Columbia Business School alumni work in consulting and finance (65%), more than a third work in other fields. As a coach, cosmetics industry veteran, and multiple career shifter, I have been in the “other” category my entire career and have coached numerous professionals into careers outside of financial services and management consulting.

At various times in my career I found myself deeply appreciating what I had learned at Columbia (during my brand management days) and then wondering how I’d ended up at B-School in the first place (standing with eight fragrance modifications on my outstretched arms while my client and colleagues smelled me). Many business school graduates, either because of heavy student loan burdens, or for reasons of prestige and achievement, pursue careers in Financial Services or Consulting. For some, these careers offer a very satisfying career path. For others who find their interest waning, the transition can be a challenge. How do you make a change when a) You haven’t had the time to cultivate side interests, or don’t even know what they are and b) You don’t see how you will pay the bills in a post-Finance career? Here are a few of my thoughts:

Take the Long View

Good transitions take thought and time. In my experience, it takes two years to learn a new job in a new discipline. We’ve all heard the stories of the investment banker who quits and starts his own vineyard. Yet ask him about the road to success and you will hear about some real white-knuckle moments. The “98% perspiration” needs time. I experienced this first hand as I developed my own coaching practice. My timeline quickly went from one year to two years, and I had to ask myself if I really wanted it.

If you are looking to start a business, stay in your current job, or shift to part-time or consulting until you have traction in the new area. If you are looking for a new job, extend your timeline. You may need to look longer to find a company willing to take a chance on you. Or you may need to volunteer or intern to prove you are serious. Either way, don’t set yourself up for failure by taking the lottery approach.

Ah... There We Go!

For years I've been reading and hearing about happiness and positive psychology. But there was always something that didn't make sense. I mean, where are these people jumping up and down like Tom Cruise on Oprah right after he met Katie Holmes? And, how can so many studies say that people with children are less happy, when in their older years they all seem to say that their greatest happiness was having children?

In last week's New York Times there was an article called, "Beyond Happiness." Finally, something that makes sense. Martin Seligman's new dimensions for measuring happiness come so much closer to something human. He now identifies: positive emotion, engagement, relationships, meaning and accomplishment. I love the last two in particular.

I've heard more that one person say that the time they spent taking care of a dying parent was the most difficult, and the most fulfilling, time in their lives. They had meaning. And as far as the last part, I was fascinated reading the Tiger Mom's article when she said roughly that not pushing her kids meant robbing them of the joy of accomplishment.

In my own work, I focus on helping clients click into the life they are supposed to have, get in the driver's seat, find themselves. The metaphors are varied. But what I don't do is push them to experience each and every day as perfection. It's too much pressure! What's more, creating change, evolving towards greater fulfillment, usually requires a level of discomfort and possibly temporary unhappiness.

So how do you distinguish unhappiness from delayed gratification? When do you know you are due for real change, and not just spinning your wheels? One big one is a purpose statement. When you are 80, what impact do you want your life to have had? If what you are doing now contributes to that in some way, great! If you know that what you are doing isn't feeding that purpose, a change, bit or small, may be in order.

A Job Fit For a Queen

This weekend I wasn't quite glued to the TV, but I did find myself spending a couple of languid hours enjoying the re-runs of the royal wedding.

Like many people, I love the rituals of wedding and royalty. But, giving it some thought this morning I realized that what drew me in was more than that. By all appearances, Kate Middleton is a woman who has found the right career fit. She fully understands her role, her responsibilities, and the culture within the "organization" she has joined. Her performance was flawless on Friday. Her energy felt like the nervous excitement that comes when you know exactly what to do, and are challenged to do it well.

As a coach I have experienced, and seen in clients, the difference between being stiff and awkward, unable to trust your instincts and being "in flow" at work. There is something so wonderful about witnessing a person's transition from the former to the latter. Knowing, and doing, what is right frees up deep energy resources. It makes everything easier and opens us up to enormous possibility.