Will I lose my job?  “Stood down”, what does it mean anyway?  Am I in the right job?

These uncertain times can certainly bring up the concern of job security, but also presents an opportunity to truly check in with yourself and to consider “Is this the career path I always wanted?” or “Is my work a true expression of who I am?”

Why is this the best time to find out?

(a)  This could be the wake-up call you have needed to commit to your passion, to look for  greater fulfillment in a role where your strengths are appreciated, or an environment that “just-feels-right”.  It’s important for you know exactly how to do this, with the right guidance, personalised tools, and perhaps the right coach.

(b) The stress of uncertainty compounds over time.  Instead of waiting for conditions to change, why not alleviate your stress by getting clear about your purpose, your capability, and craft a plan to get you where you want to be.  When you move from confusion to clarity, stress naturally disappears.

It’s time to gain clarity of purpose and of your future.

This crisis has hit hard and very quickly.  It has thrown all normality as we know out the window and has left us disrupted and agitated. People wonder what is going to become of all this, of their jobs and of their way of life.  The stress of this sustained crisis is likely to affect many people for months to come.

In these times, it’s important to know that anxiety and grief are natural states, however without intervention, your wellness can go from bad to worse.  According to medical research conducted by Harvard University, chronic stress can keep us in fight or flight mode, and can diminish our performance and capacity to think effectively by up to 50%.  Unless we take charge of our career related stress and wellness, the impact of this crisis could have grave financial and human consequences.

Fortunately, we have a few specialist coaches with a dual focus and expertise in the areas of career change and wellness.  They encourage and guide clients along a two-pronged process which releases stress and anxiety and helps to clear the mind of clutter and negative patterns – clearing the path with a plan to align identity, strengths, and purposeful careers.

Who can help you make a successful career change?

Shahran Masood, a Performance Coach | Career Change Specialist | Resilience Coach on the team, says “with clarity of mind and greater self-awareness you’re well on your way to call on your strengths and express yourself honestly in work, business and life”.  Shahran will support you in the alignment of your (new) identity and with your career development plan. While receiving consistent coaching and being held accountable, good habits will form, your confidence will grow – as you bridge the gap from where you are, to when you want to be.

For full details and pricing go to our Contact Us page to make your request or call Sandy or Shahran on 1300137706 for confidential discussion.

The post Job Security?? But weren’t you thinking about a career change anyway? appeared first on Life Coaching Melbourne.

Spending time at home has given you time to think. Are you thinking about undertaking further study, or setting up a new business? Now is a good time to start your plan and make the most of new opportunities.

The Government has recently announced new funding for on-line training to help people re-skill or advance their careers, as a result of disruptions from COVID-19. These discounted six-month courses are expected to start in May, and will be offered by TAFEs, Universities and private providers in priority areas. Loan schemes will also apply.

https://ministers.dese.gov.au/tehan/higher-education-relief-package

Our experienced coaches are ready to help you to take the first steps towards making a change, identify your career goals, your skills, strengths and interest and select the most suitable training course.  Your coach is also there to provide guidance and encouragement so that you gain confidence in your decision-making.

You can go to our Testimonials page to learn more about the results you can gain or can pick up the phone and call 1300137706 to speak to an Holistic Career and Life Coach today.

Contact us now and lets work on this together!

The post The ‘new normal’ awaits, are you ready? appeared first on Life Coaching Melbourne.

What’s the impact on your potential?

We have a very tall eucalyptus tree in our front yard. It must be well over 10 metres tall. We’ve watched this tree grow over the past 10 or so years from a sapling that was given to me by a friend who used to have it in a pot in her backyard. She didn’t have the space to plant it in the ground and it was very pot bound. She knew it would never reach its potential in the pot and so she asked me to plant it in the ground. It is now definitely in a place it can reach its potential.

Are you pot bound?

I wonder how many of us allow ourselves to stay pot bound? In an organisational context, are we in jobs that we’re good at, but that no longer stretch us? Are we allowed to spread both our roots and our branches? If not, what’s our pot made of? Is it organisational constraints, a lack of encouragement and support, have you developed your capability in your current role to an extent that others don’t want to lose you from that role (i.e. the plant looks great where it is, and they want to keep it there, even if it’s not best for the plant)? Could it be your own confidence, mindset and belief systems, or something else? How do you know when you’ve moved beyond your comfort zone and actually become pot bound? And what impact is this having on your potential?

Are you manifesting your potential?

John Whitmore, in ‘What is Performance?’ (Coaching for Performance) suggests that on average, we only manifest about 40% of our potential in the workplace. Does this mean we aren’t able to even fill our pots, or are we actually pot bound? I would suggest that often we’re probably pot bound, either by our own beliefs or by organisational structures, processes and lack of support. Perhaps we just need nutrients and more sunlight, or perhaps we actually need to increase the size of our pot, or even be planted in the ground. If this is the case, how do know we’ve reached this point?

How do I know it’s time to replant?

I think the first sign is that of being aware of wanting to move out of your comfort zone. You may have a sense that you’re capable of more, even if you do enjoy your current role. You may feel bored, or unchallenged, you may have a sense of your increased capability and confidence, or you may feel that you are no longer a good fit with the company or team you’re working in. Finally, you may just feel restricted by the status quo.

Moving to a bigger pot

If this is the case, it may be time to look for a bigger pot. First become aware of what your pot is made of and then have a look at what a better fit would look like. What would allow you room to grow both your roots and branches? If you’re not sure how, consider coaching. This is a great way to tap into your potential and to explore a pot or patch of land that will allow you to reach your potential.

Laurenne Di Salvo is an Accredited Coach (ICF), Corporate Trainer and Learning & Development Consultant. She enables individuals and groups to take the next step in their development through evidenced based coaching practices and learning programs.

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Have you ever found yourself doing things that you are competent at, but that you don’t particularly enjoy? While you may not actively dislike the tasks, they certainly don’t energise you and perhaps they even leave you feeling bored. Maybe you’ve thought about moving into a new area of work because you already have the skills. It feels like the practical, sensible choice, but your heart’s just not in it.

We sometimes explore these situations with clients with the thought starter “just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.”

This can apply at work, in making career decisions and in your personal life. The nett result of ignoring ‘just because you can, doesn’t mean you should’ is that you often feel frustrated, dissatisfied or even bored.

Why is this a problem?

If you spend a lot of time doing things just because you can, there’s no time and space to do the thing things that you really enjoy, the things that keep you in flow, that light you up and energise you. You may experience the satisfaction of a job well done, but this is different from the satisfaction you feel when doing something you believe really represents you properly, that you feel proud to have completed well.

A different approach

What if you took a different approach and tapped into those things you really enjoy, rather than those things that you believe you ‘should’ do. One way to do this is to identify and draw on your ‘signature strengths’ rather than on your ‘learned strengths’.

To identify your signature strengths, think about what gets you into flow. You know, that state where you get completely absorbed in a task and lose track of time. You often know you’re using your signature strengths when you feel energised, engaged and motivated.  Ask yourself, does this idea/work/activity energise me? Do you feel ‘in flow’ when doing it or thinking about it? If not, you may be using a ‘learned strength’. This is one you’ve developed based on need, rather than one that comes naturally to you.

Say you can absolutely do detail oriented work. You can even do it quite well if you put my mind to it. However, you don’t enjoy it and feel quite drained of energy when you spend too much time on these tasks. This doesn’t mean you should not do work of this nature. In fact, it’s really important that you can do this, as we all need to do detail oriented work at times. However, it would be ill advised to work in a role where close attention to detail and routine were key aspects of the job, as this doesn’t draw on your signature strengths. That is, just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.

What’s the benefit?

Why does this even matter? Well, the research suggests that when we draw on our signature strengths we’re happier and more productive.  This has certainly been true for me. So, if you’re looking to move into a new role, think about what would best allow you to use your signature strengths. If you intend to stay put, think about how you could recraft your role a little to allow greater use of your strengths. What projects could you get involved in? How could you do your existing role a little differently?

How often are you in a ‘just because I can, doesn’t mean I should’ situation? So, what can you do differently?

Ask yourself, how can I learn about my signature strengths and how to apply them?

Not sure what your signature strengths are or how to apply them? Not sure how to apply your strengths at work to allow you to do the best job you can? Not sure what you would like to be doing? Book your Discovery and Strategy Session today

The post Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should appeared first on Life Coaching Melbourne.

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I was working with one of my favourite clients, she is a well established business woman, energetic, focused and highly driven.  We were working on her business, she was growing but it was lacking foundation and visibility.

In one of our sessions we looked at her client base and some of her clients had not paid her for work she had completed. Even though she had contacted them on several occasions she still did not receive payment, it sounded like my client had not set her boundaries (and policies) clearly enough.

It prompted me to ask her some challenging questions and once we dove into this topic a little bit deeper we uncovered something quite interesting.

It turned out she was (without being aware of it) under-valuing herself and her services on a regular basis. She was telling me that when she submitted her quotes for jobs and the client would say “oh this is a bit expensive” she would quite often drop her price. This type of behaviour was not only present in business but in other areas of her life as well.

You see me client wants to be liked by everybody…. the reality is not everyone will like you.

We adjusted her strategy, implemented some steps that would give her confidence when having to address the payment or pricing issue in the future.

Soon after, my client contacted me to tell me about one of her clients she had recently quoted, the client rang her and said “your quote seems a bit pricey”, her response this time was different instead of reducing the price she stepped him through the value they would be receiving. She concluded the conversation with “I will leave it with you and let me know when you have made your decision”.

Within two hours she received a call back that she had won the job.

This is one of many stories, if you don’t believe in yourself enough or your product or service then how will your clients?  If this question and story triggers some discomfort within you it is time to explore your belief systems and re-invent your communication from a new and stronger position.

Sarita,  Business Mindset and Strategy Coach

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As you start a business your focus will likely will be on acquiring clients and building your database to help covert future clients.   It can be quite easy to go off on tangent when someone comes to you for your input.  You get excited about a new client and immediately swing into action to serve them, right?  But sometimes, if you haven’t done your homework or established a method for qualifying people before you swing into you action you could potentially find your service offering isn’t the solution they really need.  This can lead to negative feedback or worse.

Here are my 5 tips on how to fish with the right net so you acquire the most suitable clients as you start out.

1. Define and be willing to broadcast in your marketing material who are the kind of  clients you want to work with. Be clear on what is your area of expertise and what problems will you help them solve.  And equally important, do they align with your values?
2. Do your homework, before seeing a client check them out, get as much background as you can
3. Who are the right networking groups for you and sort them in different categories, like learning, collaboration, referral business etc.  Create your A, B and C lists of groups you can gain referrals and equally importantly, can refer business to
4. Define who can you collaborate with within the A list groups. Sometimes it’s a great idea to think outside the obvious
5. Strive to do things better every day so you can serve your clients better

When you follow these simply tips you may well find your return on your time invested in networking and client acquisition is greatly rewarded.

Sarita,
Business Mindset and Strategy Coach

The post Are you fishing with the right net? appeared first on Life Coaching Melbourne.

A key component in our personal development and wellbeing is increasing self-awareness around our core values. When talking about values, we’re talking about what’s most important to us in life and this will be different for everyone. In fact, it will be different for each of us at different stages in our lives as our priorities, situation and relationships shift and evolve.

When was the last time you thought about your values?

I wonder, when was the last time you really thought about your values. If I asked you, “what are your top five values?” could you answer me? If you couldn’t, that would actually be quite standard and I also think quite fair.  After all, we’ve got a lot going on. Yet, knowing our values and importantly, ensuring our actions are aligned with our values is an important element of wellbeing.

When we’re out of alignment

Have you ever noticed how you feel when a situation, or someone’s behaviour (maybe even your own) doesn’t match with your values? You may feel out of alignment, or like things aren’t quite right. You may even feel anxious, angry, or you may feel conflicted. You may notice these feelings reflected in your thoughts, or even in your body. Notice, where does this sit for you?

Generally, a misalignment in values and actions doesn’t bring out the best in us. Notice what happens to your communication skills and coping skills. Generally, they take a step backwards.

In contrast, when our values and actions are aligned, this can light us up and give us energy. We may feel a greater sense of wellbeing and purpose.

How do you tap into your values and ensure they’re aligned with your actions?

Step 1: Identify your core values 
There are many exercises available to help you tap into your core values. I often use one based on a tool produced by The Coaching Tools Company. You can download their tool here.

Step 2: Understand how these values show up in your life
Think about:

• How you express your values
• Which of your behaviours are consistent with your values?
• Which aren’t?
• What you would say if someone said “How do you demonstrate [insert value here] in your life?” or “How do other people demonstrate [insert value here]?”

The same value can show up differently for different people

We don’t all demonstrate our values in the same way. The same value can show up quite differently for different people. For instance, let’s take the value ‘creativity’. For one person, this may show up in an artistic sense, for someone else it may be around ways of thinking or their approach, and for yet others, it may be more to do with innovation. It’s therefore important to understand how your values shows up in your life, your actions and behaviours.

Step 3: If necessary, adjust your behaviour to ensure your values and behaviours are aligned.
If you feel out of alignment, think about what behaviours and actions you could change and what the impact would be on you. Use your values as a guide for your behaviours.

A couple of points worth noting:

• Your core values can change over time. They are not fixed.
• Your non-core values are also important – not having a value in your top 5 doesn’t mean it isn’t important to you. It just may not be a ‘must honour’ value.

If you would like some support to help you gain clarity on what your core values are, how understanding your values can guide your personal and professional development, and the impact of aligning your values and actions on your wellbeing, please give me a call.

Warmest regards,

Laurenne Di Salvo

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3 Steps to Leading a Multi-generational Team

Gen Y have not only now entered the workplace, but they have also entered management roles which means that they need to lead, motivate and engage different generations with each bearing their own strengths.  The challenge is as much about understanding the generational differences and communicating and leading accordingly as it is about maintaining cohesion in the team.

There is a new leadership skill needed in town and that is being able to create a melting pot. This means creating an environment where differences are recognized and interact harmoniously to create a common culture.

Gen Y leaders whose team is composed of different generation can facilitate the process by following these 3 steps:

Step 1: Agree on the Common Grounds

This is the core. This is the “agora”, the fire camp, where everyone regroups, has cohesion, belongs and agrees. Part of this is the culture, the values, the mission and the vision as well as the goals.

Members need to understand clearly what they are working towards and what the business will stand for and what it will not tolerate to achieve it.  When this is in place, it is easier to negotiate, limit conflicts and come to an agreement simply by asking “Is this getting us closer to where we want to go? In a way that we can stand by?”

Step 2: Understand Individualities

Yes most generalizations about Gen X and Gen Y are correct, but they remain generalizations that don’t take into account the different type of personalities or background and history of the individual.

Have a coffee chat with your team members, find out what makes them tick. What their values are, their life goals, their pet hates and their strengths. And, maybe above all, how they like to operate.

 Step 3: Enable the Harmony

Now you need to create a harmony between all the differences you have found out in step 2 so you can get the best results as set in step 1.  To do that you need to guide your team through 3 steps, in the following particular order.

• Respect: Each member must respect others’ way of thinking and operating, whether they are from a different generation or have a different personality.  This is the first and most crucial step. Even if other ways don’t always make sense or aren’t always effective, understanding others should not be a prerequisite to respecting others.

• Best Practice:  This is about finding in each different approach what can benefit all to achieve the agreed common goals. Whether it is using technology like Gen Y or creating processes like Gen X. Generate a structure around it, create procedures to document what works best.  Because you already have step 1 in place, which was creating a common ground around results, it is easy to convince each party to follow what makes the most sense in terms of outcome.

• Apply:  Now implement the structures that have been created and see members using each other’s best practices.  Each strength is being recognized and used for the greater benefit of the business.  In any given situation, the first step is always to come from a place of respect. Nothing is all good or all bad about any of the generations.

Adopting the point of view that all Gen Y have the entitlement syndrome and all Gen X or baby boomers have old-fashioned views is not getting us closer to a positive outcome.  Instead, let’s focus on what strengths each has that can benefit everyone else. In other words, let’s focus on the solution rather than the problem.

Still unsure on how to deal with a particular individual? Click on the Contact Us tab and book a time now to discuss and let’s create a strategy adapted to your situation.

Nathalie Gevinti

Life | Leadership | Executive Coach | Workshop Facilitator 

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