Discussion
My company provided a period with Ezra which is an online coaching app. Honestly, I went in very sceptical and only did it as it was provided.
I found it far more useful than I thought it would be. The coach I had was excellent, allowed me the time and space to discuss and work through anything I wanted to. It certainly helped me identify some blind spots I had not just from a professional perspective but personally as well.
(I was sceptical as I do a lot of coaching myself and my previous experience within my own company of receiving coaching was very poor, but that was down to the quality of coaching not the activity itself. Certainly a case of me not seeing the value in the process and being a bit stubborn!)
I found it far more useful than I thought it would be. The coach I had was excellent, allowed me the time and space to discuss and work through anything I wanted to. It certainly helped me identify some blind spots I had not just from a professional perspective but personally as well.
(I was sceptical as I do a lot of coaching myself and my previous experience within my own company of receiving coaching was very poor, but that was down to the quality of coaching not the activity itself. Certainly a case of me not seeing the value in the process and being a bit stubborn!)
StevieBee said:
YHM
Hi StevieBee... can you GMM (Give Me Mail) too please? 
Additionally, would be interested to hear more experiences with this sort of thing. I am sceptical of course as this is my nature, some of these coaching programmes are rather expensive and my un-educated perception conjures phrases like "hot air", "wishy washy" and "nebulous". But I'd be very happy to be put right by someone who has experienced it and has benefited from it. They say to look at it as an investment in your self, in your career... but it is hard for me to do that from the outside looking in.
C5_Steve said:
Certainly a case of me not seeing the value in the process and being a bit stubborn!)
I've never paid for career coaching but have been on a number of leadership/self development courses over the last 10 years+ through either competive entry or via work. Been able admit your own short comings to a complete stranger I have found to be one of the most important self development tools. But if only really works if the confider and confidant are totally candid, I am not sure if a paid for confidant could really be as honest as they could be given the obvious employer/employee relationship, after all no turkeys will vote for Xmas.I have found that having a 5 year career goal is really helpful, and there are loads of theories on how to focus/develop your goals. I'm not sure, though I particularly find Supers life theory of hitting 'maintenance' by 45-50 to be comforting. Partly because that is my next personal planning phase, and for once in my life, I'm not actually sure what my next target should be!!! So Super is probably right once you hit a certain age. Your ambitions probably flattens, and acceptance creeps in.....
But theories are there to be disproven, generative Ai really does have the potential to make everyone 'super human', but how do you operationalise it is going to be challenge for the next decade. I suspect anyone who has a realistic idea about maximising the benefits of Ai in the professional work space is going to do very well in their career
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gangzoom said:
I've never paid for career coaching but have been on a number of leadership/self development courses over the last 10 years+ through either competive entry or via work. Been able admit your own short comings to a complete stranger I have found to be one of the most important self development tools. But if only really works if the confider and confidant are totally candid, I am not sure if a paid for confidant could really be as honest as they could be given the obvious employer/employee relationship, after all no turkeys will vote for Xmas.
I have found that having a 5 year career goal is really helpful, and there are loads of theories on how to focus/develop your goals. I'm not sure, though I particularly find Supers life theory of hitting 'maintenance' by 45-50 to be comforting. Partly because that is my next personal planning phase, and for once in my life, I'm not actually sure what my next target should be!!! So Super is probably right once you hit a certain age. Your ambitions probably flattens, and acceptance creeps in.....
[Img]https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5acaea392487fdb8c2b4cb90/82dfe128-eaa8-4fbe-9d0c-7731a61d5d5c/Donald+Super+Life+Career+Rainbow[/thumb]
But theories are there to be disproven, generative Ai really does have the potential to make everyone 'super human', but how do you operationalise it is going to be challenge for the next decade. I suspect anyone who has a realistic idea about maximising the benefits of Ai in the professional work space is going to do very well in their career.
[Img]https://designerapp.officeapps.live.com/designerapp/document.ashx?path=/eff5efc2-9bf6-470c-a692-b6e641ac8bf2/DallEGeneratedImages/dalle-5028a997-1ce9-4ff3-ab81-dee9aa3c3f600251688364795875542000.jpg&dcHint=FranceCentral&fileToken=09edd205-42be-40cc-8ac3-4cc1cb71ac53[/thumb]
Totally agree with (what I think you're saying) about the objectivity of the coach and that's why I feel an independent (paid for or not) person who has a professional background in actual coaching does add value and can assist in your development of your own plans and goals. A lot of companies will send you off on "development" this and "be your best self" that but they're rarely individual, usual run by facilitators who have no professional training in the subject matter unfortunately and so it's just a cascade of information not tailored to you or your needs as an individual. I have found that having a 5 year career goal is really helpful, and there are loads of theories on how to focus/develop your goals. I'm not sure, though I particularly find Supers life theory of hitting 'maintenance' by 45-50 to be comforting. Partly because that is my next personal planning phase, and for once in my life, I'm not actually sure what my next target should be!!! So Super is probably right once you hit a certain age. Your ambitions probably flattens, and acceptance creeps in.....
[Img]https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5acaea392487fdb8c2b4cb90/82dfe128-eaa8-4fbe-9d0c-7731a61d5d5c/Donald+Super+Life+Career+Rainbow[/thumb]
But theories are there to be disproven, generative Ai really does have the potential to make everyone 'super human', but how do you operationalise it is going to be challenge for the next decade. I suspect anyone who has a realistic idea about maximising the benefits of Ai in the professional work space is going to do very well in their career
.[Img]https://designerapp.officeapps.live.com/designerapp/document.ashx?path=/eff5efc2-9bf6-470c-a692-b6e641ac8bf2/DallEGeneratedImages/dalle-5028a997-1ce9-4ff3-ab81-dee9aa3c3f600251688364795875542000.jpg&dcHint=FranceCentral&fileToken=09edd205-42be-40cc-8ac3-4cc1cb71ac53[/thumb]
The biggest benefit to me was to have an independent sounding board really. We all have people we talk to in our lives about different issues, some of us will be lucky enough to have someone who will always be direct and impartial with us when giving advice or listening to problems but we go to those people for exactly that usually; advice. Coaching should be more about developing your own skills to solve your own problems and put in place goals and metrics yourself to drive your own performance in whatever it is you want to improve in or get better at. The biggest plus point of it is it should be self-driven and therefore have the highest chance of success as it's self-set.
The balance of cost v reward is really an individual choice though. Would I look to do it again on my own dime? Possibly if the circumstances dictated it and I had a clear goal in mind of what I wanted to achieve. I wouldn't just do it for the sake of it though or without having already defined some outcomes myself before looking into it.
VR99 said:
Lurking on/watching this thread with interest, never seen the value of a career coach previously but think it could be helpful, new ideas etc
It's common to confuse Coaching with Counselling. The two are very different and serve different purposes though one often follows the other.Counselling looks the past to address issues of the present.
Coaching is about looking ahead, creating pathways to targets.
It can be of value dealing with things like change, multiple good opportunities, stagnation, work-place culture issues and the like. It's particularly useful at senior management and executive levels but can also be of benefit to those seeking to ascend to that level.
A good coach won't themselves give you new ideas but they will enable you with the capacity to develop those ideas yourself.
It's not for everyone and not everyone needs it but for those that do, it can be useful and sometimes transformative.
C5_Steve said:
Would I look to do it again on my own dime?
My penny pinching up bringing means for longterm individual reflection I was lucky enough to have had some great mentors without who I know I wouldn't be who I am now. Sadly for the last 2 years or so I've lost touch with my mentors, mainly because they are off busy flying around the world after a life time of hardwork, and I've had my own time squeezed due to increasing work demands.This thread gives me a good reminder I need to look into this again, reverse mentoring is something I've not tried but actually may be something I'm willing to pay for someone to explain/demonstrate it to me.
gangzoom said:
C5_Steve said:
Would I look to do it again on my own dime?
My penny pinching up bringing means for longterm individual reflection I was lucky enough to have had some great mentors without who I know I wouldn't be who I am now. Sadly for the last 2 years or so I've lost touch with my mentors, mainly because they are off busy flying around the world after a life time of hardwork, and I've had my own time squeezed due to increasing work demands.This thread gives me a good reminder I need to look into this again, reverse mentoring is something I've not tried but actually may be something I'm willing to pay for someone to explain/demonstrate it to me.
Usually you'd seek out a mentor for a specific reason based on their experience, so for example reverse mentoring would usually be for you to better understand an area you manage or just a junior from within your own organisation to help you understand the impact of changes, or the issues currently present at a grass roots level.
For your "normal" vanilla mentoring, you'd usually have a mentor who has something you want. So perhaps experience in where you want to be, experience of navigating the challenges you currently face or perhaps someone with the same or opposite approach to problems as you. The point is they will be teaching you something base on their own experience.
With a professional coach they don't have know your world or have any experience of it, they are there to help you solve your own problems. It's actually quite normal for them to specifically not agree or disagree with you at any point nor offer any real solutions (unless you specifically ask). A good coach will understand your goals at the start, be they long term or short term, then ask you the appropriate questions to get you thinking yourself and provide useful resources where appropriate for you to draw on.
It is very much like counselling, in so much as you often do 80% plus of the talking and your coach will probe where needed, repeat back to clarify and then help you construct smart objectives based on what you've said you want to achieve.
The whole reason I was put of doing it myself is that I'd been forced down the mentor route before in my organisation and generally everyone I'd come across offering to do it was too interested in their own voice and opinion which I generally thought was wrong
This left me jaded to the experience but going with a professional coach through an external company was very, very different. Some further valuable insights there.
Just to echo, while mentors can offer you perspectives based on their personal experiences, coaches are responsible for helping you define specific goals and giving you the tools and resources you need to overcome the obstacles standing in your way.
https://hbr.org/2024/01/a-guide-to-mentors-sponsor...
There are many similarities between coaching and mentoring since both involve a one-to-one relationship that provides an opportunity for individuals to reflect, learn and develop. However, when comparing coaching with the traditional understanding of mentoring, there are some key differences.
The term ‘mentoring’ originates from Greek mythology. Odysseus entrusted his house and the education of his son to his friend, Mentor, saying to him, ‘tell him all you know.’ In practice, 'mentoring' has come to be used interchangeably with 'coaching'.
In spite of the variety of definitions of mentoring, most appear to agree that it has its origins in the concept of apprenticeship, when an older, more experienced individual passed down his knowledge of how the task was done and how to operate in the commercial world.
Some commonly agreed differences between coaching and mentoring today include mentoring usually being an in-house sport with an experienced colleague supporting a less experienced colleague with their work.
Coaching on the other hand is usually considered supporting an individual to develop holistically and doesn’t require any knowledge of the industry they currently work in.
Just to echo, while mentors can offer you perspectives based on their personal experiences, coaches are responsible for helping you define specific goals and giving you the tools and resources you need to overcome the obstacles standing in your way.
https://hbr.org/2024/01/a-guide-to-mentors-sponsor...
There are many similarities between coaching and mentoring since both involve a one-to-one relationship that provides an opportunity for individuals to reflect, learn and develop. However, when comparing coaching with the traditional understanding of mentoring, there are some key differences.
The term ‘mentoring’ originates from Greek mythology. Odysseus entrusted his house and the education of his son to his friend, Mentor, saying to him, ‘tell him all you know.’ In practice, 'mentoring' has come to be used interchangeably with 'coaching'.
In spite of the variety of definitions of mentoring, most appear to agree that it has its origins in the concept of apprenticeship, when an older, more experienced individual passed down his knowledge of how the task was done and how to operate in the commercial world.
Some commonly agreed differences between coaching and mentoring today include mentoring usually being an in-house sport with an experienced colleague supporting a less experienced colleague with their work.
Coaching on the other hand is usually considered supporting an individual to develop holistically and doesn’t require any knowledge of the industry they currently work in.
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