CJ was referred to me following a restructure in their organisation which resulted in their role being made redundant. A talented and highly successful marketing professional, CJ was determined to continue to advance their career and build on their impressive and successful career history. When we first met, CJ had already been invited to a number of interviews with competitor firms and was being short listed for a prestige role which provided the required career development opportunities and a highly attractive remuneration package.
In our first conversation, it became clear to me that CJ was not completely committed to their planned course of action. Although CJ’s chances of success were high, and this role met all of their requirements, there was little real enthusiasm. When I began to coach CJ, encouraging them to explore their thinking, wants and needs CJ quickly shared that were unhappy with their plans and that what they really wanted to do was to change direction completely. The sector in which CJ worked was known for its toxic ‘work hard, play hard’ culture which CJ had tolerated for long enough.
We began to explore a range of options which would allow CJ to change direction and align their work life more to their personal values and ambitions. The turning point came when we talked about retraining and returning to education. CJ admitted that they had always wanted to study for a masters degree with a view to undertaking research into an area of marketing psychology which had always fascinated them. One of the most powerful coaching questions came instantly to mind: “what’s stopping you?” which started the move forward.
Timing was fortuitous and CJ moved quickly to secure a place and begin studying within a couple of months of making the initial decision. CJ was in a fortunate position to be able to take a year to complete their MSc and towards the end of their course, started to prepare research proposals for their PhD. Having now been accepted to begin their research, CJ is well on the way to making a real difference to their sector and its thinking.
“Without Julia’s coaching, I would probably have stayed in the same sector, same challenges and having to put up with all the same old problems. Instead of that, my experience at Uni has been life changing. I know that sounds dramatic, but it’s true. I’ve got my masters now and I’m starting on my research which hopefully will make a real impact. I don’t think I would have had the courage to make the move without Julia,”