We’re all familiar with the wise proverb, “Two heads are better than one”—but how often do you follow this advice? If you’re anything like me, or should I say the old me, the answer is (I mean was): not enough.
When you’re rushing to get something done—or let’s admit it, maybe you’re just too stubborn to ask for help—and refuse to get the guidance or support you really need, you’re shooting yourself in the foot. The result: wasted time, feelings of frustration and confusion—and some pretty embarrassing and irreversible mistakes. That’s why today, I work with an army of trusted mentors, advisors and coaches to help me achieve my goals—and if you need more convincing, here’s why you should do the same.
According to the International Coach Federation’s Global Coaching Study, professional coaching bolsters productivity, positivity, self-confidence, communication skills and work-life balance. Not too shabby, huh?
From my experience, coaching others also leads the mentee to expanded ways of thinking and accountability. When I work with someone and give them advice, two of the most common things I hear are, “Wow. I hadn’t thought of it like that” and “Thanks for checking in with me and keeping me on track.”
To illustrate the power of partnering with people, here’s how working with a career coach personally helped me successfully change career fields.
A few years ago, I found myself in a career rut. I was considering transitioning into a new field, but I didn’t have a good pulse on the job market, nor was I certain of the best way to position myself. After partaking in hours and hours of self-reflection, career transition research, resume updates—and yes, indecisiveness and hair pulling—I decided to get an outsider’s opinion on my approach before I hit the ground running. This is when, I decided to partner with a career coach.
Looking back on my decision, I wish I had engaged a career coach a bit sooner. My career coach got me thinking differently about my wants and strategy and gave me tons of new resources to help me better understand the industry’s climate. Having my career coach at my side also eased my anxiety and gave me a jolt of confidence which helped me to refocus my energy on the tasks that mattered.
I’m proud to report that my career coach’s ability to help me better frame and communicate my needs, wants and skills ultimately led to me successfully transitioning careers. In fact, not only did I land the job I wanted, but years later, because of the positive and life-changing experience I had working with my career coach, I became a career coach myself. Today, I help others achieve their career goals by uniting my strong emotional intelligence with my human resources, teaching and academic knowledge.
The moral of the story: When you partner with specialists to help you get the results you’re looking for, be it career readiness assistance or something else, you’ll alleviate stress from your already frenzied life, learn new things, grow as a person and quite possibly be inspired in ways you didn’t even know possible.
Regardless of how talented or determined you are, we can all benefit from a second set of eyes and ears. And besides, why row the boat alone if you don’t have to?
Danielle Clark is a human resources manager with more than 10 years of HR and customer service experience in healthcare and retail organizations. Her work with Fortune 500 companies, in addition to a diverse professional and academic background, has trained Clark to be results-driven, people-focused and a thought-provoking leader. Her goal is to educate and inspire professionals to change their way of thinking. She is also an adjunct professor, active community volunteer, wife, mother and passionate lifelong learner.
