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Success!Ezine
Volume 4 Issue 1 -- January 2006
DrCarolWebster.com
Copyright 2006 All Rights Reserved
Success!Ezine
is a Free newsletter provided to you by
Dr. E. Carol Webster to help you get ahead in life
and enjoy your success.
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E. Carol Webster, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist
in private practice in Fort Lauderdale, FL and author of
Success Management: How to Get to the Top and Keep
Your Sanity Once You Get There and The
Fear of Success: Stop It From Stopping You! |
Feature Article
Crank Up Your Career - Get A Coach This
Year
Dr. E. Carol Webster
Copyright © 2006
Another year of
failed resolutions? You’re not alone. We all have the best
intentions when we set annual career goals, but typically we
enjoy the dreaming part and don’t do much work to actually make
these dreams come true. Sometimes it’s just a matter of staying
focused. Sometimes we have to have a consistent push. Often
these dreams are too nebulous and don’t have visualizable goals.
A coach can help you better identify where’re trying to go in
your career and help you actually take the steps necessary to
get there.
What is a Coach?
A coach is an individual who helps you grow and maximize your
potential. He or she is an objective sounding board who can help
you identify attitudes and behaviors that may be holding you
back, but that are not due to “psychological problems”. Coaching
is not therapy and is not intended to cure emotional distress
created by past or present difficulties. Though you will
certainly feel better once you are succeeding towards the
changes you want to make in your life, the focus in on enhancing
and making better use of your strengths and abilities –
increasing your success skills to propel you forward – not
dwelling on deficits and looking backwards. Your coach may be a
psychologist with advanced education and specialized training in
such matters, but will not be conducting psychotherapy. If this
is what is determined that you really need, that will be
discussed with you so you can receive this type of help.
What Kind of Coach Do I Need?
The type of coach you need depends upon your goals. There are
coaches in practically all walks of life to help you make
personal lifestyle changes such as healthier eating and
exercise, for example, or to help you set career advancement
goals such as getting a higher paying job, promoting your
business, or transitioning to retirement activities you will
enjoy once you stop working. Sometimes it is best for you to
hire a coach who has very specific technical knowledge and
experience, such as in corporate recruitment, practice
development, or business management. The specific information
they can give you may be what you need to take your success to
the next level. Or, sometimes your need is for a coach to make
sure you’re following up with things so that another year does
not come and go with no progress made. Many times you will find
a coach who can provide both and that will be great for you.
But, remember that your needs are fluid as you advance and grow.
You may need one type of coach today and quite another a year from
now.
How Do I Find a Coach?
As with many things in life, you are likely to prefer a coach
that has been recommended to you. The friend, associate, or
professional who knows you and makes a referral is more likely
than a stranger to identify a coach that you will feel
comfortable with. Just be sure to check credentials to make sure
the coach has the background and skills you need, and is truly
an “expert” in the area he or she claims. And don’t
hesitate to move on to someone else if you find that the
chemistry just isn’t right. Most professionals are accustomed to
being interviewed in one form or another and should not be put
off by your need to learn what they have to offer, what it’s
going to cost, whether the coaching will take place by phone, by
e-mail or other telecommunication method, in person, alone or
with others, and so forth. There now are many organizations
representing coaches and providing information and referrals.
Contact them if you can’t get personal recommendations or can't find
the specific type of coach you need on your own.
If another New Year has found you regretting a lack of movement
in your career, do something different this time. You can’t keep
doing the same thing and expect a different result. Make
yourself a priority and contact a coach to crank up your career
this year!
About the Author:
Dr. E. Carol Webster is a clinical psychologist in private practice in Fort
Lauderdale, FL and is author of
Success Management: How to
Get to the Top and Keep Your Sanity Once You Get There
and The Fear of Success:
Stop It From Stopping You!
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Ask Dr. Webster...
Dear Dr. Webster: I can never get myself together after the
holidays. I wake up late, take a long time to get going once I get to work,
and don’t get very much done by the end of the day. I take stuff home but
never look at it, and am not really busy with personal chores because I’m
not doing much of them either. What’s my problem?
--Post-Holiday Goof Off
Dear Post-Holiday Goof Off: Sounds like you still want to be on
vacation. Lots of folks feel that way – particularly if they were busy
shopping, preparing and entertaining during the holidays and did not really
get enough rest and time for themselves. Today’s kids have very hectic
recreational/social schedules and a full week of that alone can wear you out
if you’re a parent or have relatives visiting that you are trying to show a
good time. Not to mention all the snacking and neglect of usual exercise
routines that is to be expected during these times.
But even without all
that, work activities tend to slow down during the holidays and once you’ve
had a few days off, you can begin to enjoy the more relaxed pace and find
yourself resisting the need to rev up and get yourself back into high gear
once you have to get back to work. Some people even experience a little
post-holiday depression when all the nurturing and giving stops. Friends and
family have gone home, all the merriment in your house is gone, and it’s
back to “life and business as usual” – which may point out to you some areas
of emptiness and lack of fulfillment.
Use this lull to look at whether you
have wanted to make some changes in your life but just haven’t gotten around
to doing anything about it. You may be surprised to find that taking some
action will perk you up and give you renewed motivation to face the New Year
and all its challenges. Instead of feeling like you’ve been goofing off,
you’ll have accomplished a great deal and your overall feelings of
productivity and enjoyment about what you’re doing will likely return.
--Dr. Webster
Got a Question?
Ask Dr. Webster
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Success Motivator
I don’t need time. What I need is a deadline.
-- Duke Ellington
Success Tip
Meeting Stew
The single biggest structural problem facing leaders of meetings is the
tendency to throw every type of issue that needs to be discussed into the
same meeting, like a bad stew with too many random ingredients. Desperate to
minimize wasted time, leaders decide that they will have one big staff
meeting, either once a week or every other week. They sit down in a room for
two or three or four hours and hash everything out-sales strategies,
expense policies, potential mergers, employee recognition programs, budgets,
and branding-so that everyone can get back to their “real work.”
Unfortunately, this only ensures that the meeting will be ineffective and
unsatisfying for everyone. Why? Because some people want the meeting to be
informative and quick, an efficient exchange of data and tactical
information. Others think it should be interactive and strategic, providing
key analysis and data to make critical decisions. Others would like to step
back, take a breath, and talk meaningfully about company culture and people.
Others just want to make clear decisions and move on. Who’s right? Everyone.
And that’s the point.
From the book:
Death by Meeting
by Patrick Lencioni
San Francisco, CA:
Jossey-Bass, 2004
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Missed
An Issue?
Here's another chance to read up on topics of interest: |
|
ISSUE |
FEATURE
ARTICLE |
|
December 2005 |
Holiday Gift Giving |
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November 2005 |
Coping With Disaster |
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October 2005 |
Settling For Less |
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Other 2005 Issues |
|
2004 Issues |
|
2003 Issues |
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Success!Ezine
E. Carol Webster, Ph.D.
Clinical Psychology
DrCarolWebster.com
954.797.9766
SuccessEzine@DrCarolWebster.com
Disclaimer: The information in this
newsletter is for informational purposes only and should not be considered a
substitute for obtaining direct professional help. |
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