Tag Archives: Self Coaching

Invisible Target

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There’s a plastic stand on my desk, just to the left of my monitor, which can hold 5 CDs.

That’s originally what I bought it for.

invisible target

But after my “giving up” session I had no need for this one and was thinking of recycling it too.

Then the thought came to me that my goal of “publishing 6 information products” in the career coaching market would include a number of physical products.

Two of them are shown in this photo:

  • The Goal Creation Maps CD course
  • The IT Career Engineer’s Special Video Report

The third product is not a physical one – it’s a coaching service.

(Oct 2011 Update: The two CD courses above are no longer available for general sale.)

That leaves 3 products.
And wouldn’t you know it, the CD holder can fit in just 3 more CDs!

So, I have my goal visualization tool sitting right on my desk. All I have to do is to ‘see’ that empty space filled up with 3 more CD or DVD cases.

Of course I want these products to be of tremendous benefit and value to my customers and clients (only a minority of customers become coaching clients, which is as it should be.)

Some ideas for future products are:

  1. Procrastination and Career change.
  2. Self-Coaching For Career and Life Change.
  3. The Spiritual Workplace.
  4. Creating Your Dream Career.
  5. Mid-Life Career Change.

Feel free to leave a comment here with your first choice product from the 4 above – or suggest one of your own.

I’ll start work on whatever gets the most votes – with mine being the casting vote in event of a tie.

Please comment before end of 23 Feb 2008.

- Mark McClure

[Updated - Comments on this post have been closed as of 30 March 2008.]

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Successful Career Change Using Goals, Coaching and Mentoring – Q & A

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There was one question submitted on the topic of successful career change using goals, coaching and mentoring:
http://markmccluretoday.com/question-and-answer-time

1-Fred Friedman wrote:

Q1-Isn’t career change just running away from problems you’ll meet again anyway?

A1- Let me start by reminding you that there are no such things as problems – only opportunities.
Sorry for that helpless Dilbert-esque outburst – but this was a somewhat annoying ditty much loved by various managers I knew in the corporate world. I have indeed been assimilated lol!

For what it’s worth, in my experience I believe that problems / opportunities will be around for at least as long as we draw breath on this earth. That is the nature of reality, existence, survival, evolution, corporate politics(!) – call it what you will.

But to answer your question directly – yes, I am sure that some people “jump ship” to escape what they experience as a big problem (e.g. a “toxic workplace”). That can of course work out OK, in that they are no longer faced with such a terrible environment.

Others unfortunately find that they have jumped from the frying pan into the proverbial fire.

What I would recommend you consider before starting on a major career change are the following:

a- Create a GOAL for what you do want in your career (right now, next week, next month, next year…). You may find that it’s hard to define in much detail what you want beyond next week or next month. Don’t worry about that. Just take simple actions and begin the process of choosing what you want to experience – whether that occurs tomorrow or months later is a detail…

b- Describe the present reality of your career choice – warts and all. This can be as a private journal, mind map, bullet point list, a voice recording. Keep this private and confidential (I would NOT bring it to your workplace.) The reasons for doing this are so you can objectively begin looking at the plus and minus points of your present working world – but from the context of having first set a goal (however imperfect and unrealistic that goal may at first appear. The goal can be revised if necessary.)

c- Begin making a list of the various career change options open to you e.g. retraining, flexitime, changing departments, distance learning, getting a mentor. Go online and seek out blogs and career sites where people are asking and answering similar questions.

(You may also have ‘constraints’ which are pulling you away from these options e.g. elderly parent responsibilities, health, children and education, spouse/partner career path. These can’t be ignored but neither should they stop you first listing the career options possibly open to you. Accepting, modifying or discarding some or all of these options are choices you will make later in the process.)

d- Identify one thing you can start doing right away that might contribute to moving any of the above forward. You can kick start this process by asking and answering coaching questions of yourself like these below on at least a weekly basis:

  • What am I doing about getting a mentor?
  • When will I start finding a mentor?
  • How will I find others who have already done what I want to do?
  • Where can I find more information about mentors in my career field?
  • Who can I ask about finding a mentor?

(I have used the example of a “getting a mentor” in the above questions. I am somewhat biased in this respect because I believe great mentoring can work wonders over time!)

The key point is to begin taking some action towards what you think your ideal career path might be. And while things may not change in an instant for most folks, you may find that your ability to take a more responsive (rather than ‘reactive’) perspective begins to improve noticeably.

These posts may also be of assistance:

http://markmccluretoday.com/coaching-question-for-career-changers

http://markmccluretoday.com/successful-career-change-rule-1-take-action

Thank you for the question, Fred!
I will have another Q&A in due course.

- Mark McClure

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You May be Early But The Coach Is Never Late!

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Many years ago I was part of a group of very dedicated track and field athletes.
We made a choice to train hard 6 days a week in winter and spring – thru rain, snow or shine…

… So as to be in peak shape for a handful of big events in the summer.

Occasionally one of us would complain because our coach was sometimes late finishing his work and driving to the assigned meeting spot… and we were getting a bit cold and stiff hanging around waiting for him to show.

Coach (Alf was his name) was having none of that and used to say in reply:

“You may be early but the coach is never late”.

Those running days are long gone but the wisdom in his words lives on.

Alf used to tease us with little jibes like:
“So, if I never showed up, how long would you stand around feeling sorry for yourselves just waiting for me to show up and tell you what to do?”

Look around you at your life.

Is there something you’re ready to give up, change or begin?
(But for some reason you’re starting to get “cold feet” from waiting around for a workable plan to appear.)

Fear not! This is probably just another case of “You being early”!

And your coach is NEVER late.

- Mark McClure

PS – This has little to do with hiring a career coach and everything to do with you – “As within, so without.”

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Is Your Career Escape Pod Burning Up In The Buyosphere?

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As I write this post it’s Tuesday lunchtime Japan time and the World’s stock markets are having another bumpy day – downwards. Anyone with a significant portfolio must be feeling a tad queazy.

And then my thoughts turn to the tech bubble and the Y2K froth of 1999. (Isn’t it amazing how the mind flits around time and space by just association and emotion!)

Midsummer of that year I remember meeting with a number of headhunters in Tokyo -as I’d been downsized due to a takeover by a conglomerate run by Dennis Kozlowski.

I figured I would aim for a job with one of the Foreign Banks in Tokyo because a) they pay well and b) they have big, complex networks and value the technical skills necessary to keep them running.

And if I couldn’t find what I wanted by the turn of the century (lol!), then my family and I would head back to the UK and say sayonara to Japan. (All this assumed that the clocks would keep working and the planes stay airborne after 1/1/2000. How funny it seems now!)

Most of these recruitment guys and gals offered the well intentioned advice that it would be difficult to break into Financial Services IT without industry experience.

Well, I didn’t see it that way since networked bits and bytes behave the same whatever the industry. I decided I would just keep knocking on vaults doors.

And then I knocked on Annie Chang’s office at IT Consulting.
While she didn’t get me a job, she gave me advice which was far more valuable than a paycheck.

I don’t recall the exact words but here is the jist of it:

“Mark, you can certainly get into a bank here. But you might never get out.”

The significance of those words hit me 2 months later when I got the Investment Bank’s offer letter. Base salary up by 30% from previous company, excluding annual (discretionary) bonus. I was feeling giddy working out how much net income I could accrue.

“Do you copy me, Houston?”

Just like Parkinson’s law dictates that work expands to fill the time available, the same wisdom applies to increased disposable income. The temptation to spend it and enjoy the lifestyle can be irresistible in the rarefied air of the buyosphere.

Now far be it from me to tell anyone how to spend their hard earned yen /dollars / euros. And if you came to me for career change coaching I would certainly not be telling you what to do with your cash.

Remember, good coaching doesn’t tell you what to do with your life or career – but it can help shine a light on your present reality and on your potential. Ultimately, it’s still up to you to connect the dots and follow through, with or without a coach.

And that’s how I look at Annie Chang’s words. She made a telling statement about the reality of working inside the unique salary bubble that is Foreign Financial Firms in Japan. I chose to act on those words and saved most all my bonuses and a % of net income. 7 Years of that type of financial prudence (or maybe it’s me Scots roots) go a long way to weakening the yoke of wage slavery and long term debt (aka mortgage). Certainly it’s not the financial independence that comes with ongoing passive income nor the enormous bonuses of front office star traders – but hey, every little helps.

And in a world where NO job, career or salaried role is “permanent”, it is a mind set worth pondering every time your paycheck makes it’s monthly descent through your spending and debts.

- Mark McClure

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Why 2 Goal Creation Courses?

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(Oct 2011 Updates: Before reading the post below please note the following changes:

1) CD version of the Goal Creation Maps course is no longer on general sale. Contact me directly if you’d like to purchase a copy.
2) Online version of the Goal Creation course remains available for purchase thought the site is currently being updated.
3) I no longer offer individual coaching or mentoring.)

Take a look at the toolbar on the right hand side of this blog where you’ll find a category titled “Goal Setting Products”. Within that category there appear to be two “Goal Creation Maps” courses.

Actually, there is only one course – but delivered to you in 2 convenient ways and at an identical price.

Where your Internet connection is broadband based (at least ADSL) then the Internet version will work fine and you can start watching each video within a minute or so.

If your Internet connection is unreliable or uses a dial-up modem, then your best option is the CD version. The online version will not play properly on anything less than a reliable broadband connection.

The main reason I created the course is to provide a supportive structure for people who are about to embark on (or have already begun) a major change in their life, such as career change.

You can use it as a standalone resource or in combination with some of the coaching and mentoring services I will be offering.

It is most definitely not a “magic bullet” success system (do these exist?) since you are ultimately responsible for your own career change, not me. However, an experienced guide can be a big help.

That means the “drive by” goal setter who has merely a passing interest in setting New Year Resolutions but no “burning desire” to change, will be better off NOT buying any of my products or services. They won’t work for you if you don’t work for yourself.

Here’s a summary of what’s inside the course:
(The numbers in brackets are the length of each video in minutes).

Video 01: Your Coach: Mark McClure. [4 min.]
Video 02: Getting the Best from this Course. [6 min.]

Video 03: Action Part 1. [4 min.]
Video 04: Goal Mapping – Process and Tools. [13 min.]

Video 05: Creating Your Bio-Map. [11 min.]
Video 06: Vision Part 1. [5 min.]

Video 07: Vision Part 2. [17 min.]
Video 08: Your Current Roles. [9 min.]

Video 09: Playing New Roles. [8 min.]
Video 10: Goal Mapping Part 1. [10 min.]

Video 11: Goal Mapping Part 2. [18 min.]
Video 12: Goal Mapping Part 3. [11 min.]

Video 13: Directed Imagination. [14 min.]
Video 14: Action Part 2. [11 min.]

Video 15: Publish! [18 min.]
Video 16: Review. [16 min.]

Also included in the CD and online versions is a 60 plus page transcript of the course notes in Adobe Acrobat PDF format. This is useful for English as second language (ESL) customers as well as native speakers who prefer the written word.

- Mark McClure

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