So how did I decided to become an executive coach and what process lead me to pursuing this dream?
While on sabbatical, I read Dan Miller’s 48 days to the work you love book and worked through the process he has framed. This book was the most impactful one towards moving towards becoming an executive coach. His point was to decide what kind of life you want than plan your work around that. The key is self-awareness. The more you understand yourself, the more you can move forward with boldness and confidence. According to Dan, “in all of my years of coaching, I have never seen a person who has a clear pan and goals for the future who is also depressed.”
This process had you read a section and then answer reflective questions. It forced you to explore your career and more importantly what has it meant to you. In addition, Dan was able to weave in scripture and a faith component that was important to me. It was a movement in your mindset from waiting on your future to appear to thinking about what that future should be and creating it.
Some questions that helped me ponder and maybe they will help you ponder as well.
If nothing in your career or life changed in the next 5 years would that be ok?
The answer for me was no. I recognized that I was on a sabbatical and that I would come back to pursue my next goal and dream.
As you think about your work life so far, what has been the greatest value or worth?
For me, the following came to mind, achieving goals, being self confident, knowing how to start something, dreaming big, inspiring others, leading, be outside the norm, earning money to pay for our sabbatical.
Were the changes in your work a result of circumstance or something you did?
Looking back, all of the jobs that I left were part of a calculated risk that I took to pursue something different. I have resigned from four different successful careers to pursue bigger dreams. The hardest one was when I left the security of a family business at Harrison College without knowing exactly what the next step would be.
Do you currently have a job, a career or a vocation?
When I was working at Hamilton Beach, I had a job. It was a great job where I got to work with interesting people and create new products. At Harrison College, I had a career. That career was changing lives one student at a time through education. With TACK, I have a vocation as I feel called to coach others.
These are just few of the insightful questions that he asked. Additionally, the data listed below caused me to evaluate my career direction and where I wanted to intentional lead a purposeful life.
Key Facts (per 48 Days to the work your love)
- Over next 4 years, 50% of the workforce will be contract labor
- 50% of jobs in the next 6 years have not yet been created
- Coaching and Mentoring is a $2.4 billion business and growing at 18% each year
- Small business are adding 2 million new jobs annually
- Security is your ability to produce
- Most personal coaches charge a monthly retainer between $500 to $2,000 a month per client
- 60% of American homes are housing some kind of business
- Put your dream and a detailed plan of action into creating – 97% of people you meet don’t write goals down – Difference between a dream and a goal is that a goal is a dream with a time frame and action attached
- 50 years ago it took a lifetime for technology to make your job irrelevant. Today it is between 4 or 5 years.
- The average person has 10.8 jobs from the age of 18 to 42 with the average length being 2.2 years.
In addition, these books below influenced my thinking about becoming a coach and my career direction.
Additional books that have influenced my thinking
- Personal Coaching for results – Lou Tice – TPI and Lou have been instrumental as a mentor to me in learning goal setting, visualization and affirmation techniques
- 20,000 days and counting – Robert Smith – You are at the half way point in life – how do you plan for the next half
- 7 Habits of Highly Effective People – Stephen Covey – Fundamental book that really helped shape my professional career
- Visioneering – Andy Stanly – Have a vision and don’t be scared of it, be patient
- Co-Active Coaching – Changing business, transforming lives
- Surrender – Fr Larry Richards – The life changing power of doing God’s will
- Day job to dream job – Good practical advice 1-Companies to use for a variety of things (ie-billing, editing, building your team) 2-Importance of having a product
- Suitcase entrepreneur – Natalie Sissen – Detailed on seo / sem
- Becoming an exceptional executive coach – Good framework to take successful business leaders to the next level of success
- Christian coaching – Gary R Collins – Nuts and bolts of coaching
- Life on the Margin – Figure our your “nut” – what do you need on a monthly basis to live
- Act Now – Peter Winiarski – Crafting and Achieving goals
- Life on Fire – Kim Dinan – A step by step guide to living your dreams
- Becoming a professional life coach – Step by step and details of the day to day of becoming a life coach