Career Changes: Getting Unstuck

Clients in career transition often get “stuck” on closure of their last work activity before being able to consider the next adventure. They anguish over the loss of an implied system of mutual loyalty between employer and employee in today’s world of work. In fact, their need for loyalty can be personally continued by conscious transfer to the “excellence of the work” they do.

This loyalty develops and is nurtured during the assessment phase of transition. By taking an inventory of strengths — separating the “best at’s” from the “can do’s,” reviewing what especially worked well on the last job, identifying moments of passion and successful accomplishment, in short discovering the “magic” that makes each of us unique and differentiates our contribution — we shape our vision of the work situations we need to connect with in the marketplace.

Now none of this means much unless somebody has a work situation needing this unique magic! As we start talking to friends and colleagues we get questioned in many ways: ”What are we up to? What are we looking for? What are we going to do next? What we need to do then is describe this vision of a work situation, without regard to whether the connect is as an employee or contractor, or whether the work is full time, a time-constrained project, or part time.

Conclusion

First find the fit of your magic to the marketplace need. Let the client/customer direct how to put the deal together. That’s how clients have successfully navigated a path to “finding their way to work” coming out of past recessions, and it’s how it will happen again in 2010.

Related Best Practices

Author

The author of this article is Frank Cohee.

Frank Cohee is an accomplished coach and facilitator of individual client discovery. His highly-interactive process nurtures clients to connect their strategic goals with the realities of market needs. Focused and realistic implementation plans result. During the past 20 years Frank has assisted over 700 managers and executives as they have evolved their vocational careers.

As a particular area of coaching interest, Frank has designed and presented innovative entrepreneurial seminars over 60 times to in-excess of 600 attendees. He’s followed up with many of these clients to assist with marketing and fiscal strategic plans for their new business activities.

Prior to founding his consulting company in 1990, Process Improvement Associates, he spent 25 years in senior leadership roles with Northwest companies. These included seven years as President and COO of an innovative manufacturing company. These prior life activities provide a solid foundation of experience to integrate into his client career coaching work.

Frank holds a BS degree in Electrical Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and an MBA from Harvard University with distinction.