Recruiting in China

I introduced a client to my business coach at a networking event last week. My client was surprised that I¡ªalready a business owner and coach myself¡ªwas working with a business coach. I told her, ¡°Doctors need doctors, attorneys need attorneys, and coaches benefit from coaches.¡±

Later, I started thinking about why I decided to work with a coach. I still stand by my rather witty (if I do say so myself) response, but I also realized I actually started down this path over a year ago¡ªlong before I actually hired an coach.

Last year I started taking a hard look at my business and what I wanted to be doing. I convened an ¡°advisory board¡± of trusted friends and colleagues to help me make the shift. I was losing passion for what I had been doing and I needed people to help me be objective. Again, if I do say so myself, this was one of the smartest moves I have ever made. This group of advisors began helping me more clearly define my business direction and my strengths. It became a source of inspiration, feedback, encouragement, and a million ideas.

As a matter of fact, the million ideas were overwhelming me to the point of inertia. It seemed natural that my next step would be working with a business coach. I was at a point where I knew it was time to make the shift in my business, yet the million ideas had me paralyzed. I started working with Gail from NuGrowth Coaching to help me move from inertia to momentum. This proved to be another great decision and wise investment.

Here¡¯s how working with a coach has helped me:

• A coach holds us accountable. Let¡¯s face it; we can all talk ourselves out of doing something we know we need to do because the only people we might disappoint are ourselves.
• A coach asks the hard questions, expects honest answers, gives direct feedback, but never judges.
• A coach focuses 100% on the client. With friends, conversations tend to be about commiserating or sharing the focus. Coaching allows us to be selfish.
• A coach is an excellent source of information and ideas, helping us get past our ¡°D¡¯oh!¡± moments and getting to our great moments.
• A coach is well-versed in the general area of need. In my case, I needed business assistance and my coach has significant experience in business, sales and marketing.
• A coach never tells you what to do. Through very direct questioning, though, a coach will help you reach your own solutions.

Think about your own needs. Are you stuck in your job and just can¡¯t figure out how to move on? Do you love your current employer, but really want to move up the feeding chain? The benefits of career coaching are tremendous and the investment is one you can¡¯t afford NOT to make. To find out if you¡¯re a candidate for career coaching, and for more information on career coaching, go to www.permanent-ink.com and click on Career Coaching. If you have questions or comments you¡¯d like to see addressed in a future blog, e-mail me at permanentink@insight.rr.com.