One of my clients worked in a very male dominated, technical environment. She started her coaching just after her annual review, which was predominately negative, regardless of just being promoted. A number of areas were highlighted where she needed to be perceived to be improving up, including relationships with her superiors. Although she loved the work she did, she was very demoralised and felt inadequate in her new role. She was considering leaving the organisation. Instead she decided to use this challenging position to develop as much where she was both technically and in her professional relationships and then consider moving on. Her goals were to effectively manage her career and to develop herself in her new role.
The first thing she decided was that in the future she wanted to be a consultant and work for herself. She then created a Career Management document with weekly goals including items suggested in her review. She set up her own Brand and is creating her own website. She also decided to start treating her employer as her “Client”, which changed her mindset at work totally. She then started reading books on communication. Within a month, she noticed a significant improvement in the relationships with all the directors she reported to, as well making major contributions at client meetings. By taking control of her career and making progress in each of her goals, she has improved her self-confidence enormously, personally and professionally and is starting to feel comfortable in her new role.
After several months of coaching this client was headhunted and has since started working in a lucrative role working within her desired area of specialisation. She is valued in her new organisation and is well respected within her industry, frequently contributing in national forums and working groups. Aside from the benefits to her career, other aspects of her life have been explored during coaching and have developed in parallel with her career.
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