How can mid-level managers overcome career development barriers with coaching?

As women we are so concerned about what others might think of us, but asking for feedback from people we work with regularly (not our friends) is scary, but essential! The challenge lies in what are you going to do about the information you obtained. That is where a mentor or coach will play a valuable role to guide and share their experiences and approaches with you. But if you don't ask, you will always wonder....

A coach is like your secret, unbiased advisor in your pocket - there for you when you need it, not judging in any way and with no negative backlash to your career. You can only grow...and succeed!

Enhance self-awareness: Coaching helps mid-level managers identify their strengths, weaknesses, values, and motivations, leading to greater self-awareness and a clearer understanding of their career aspirations. Develop leadership skills: Coaching provides a supportive environment to practice and refine leadership skills, such as communication, conflict resolution, and team management. Expand network and build relationships: Coaching encourages mid-level managers to connect with mentors, sponsors, and other professionals within their organization and industry, expanding their network and opening up new opportunities.

As a corporate career coach, I often speak with people who are ambitious and seeking career progression. They have thought about their goals and where they want to be in the future. However, I commonly see them make three mistakes which impacts their ability to achieve their goals. Mistake #1 - They set too many goals or goals that are too broad which means their efforts are spread too thinly and it dilutes their focus. Mistake #2 - They don't get feedback on their goals which means they don't get advice from experienced people on whether their goals will help them get to where they want to go. Mistake #3 - They don't create a plan to achieve them which means they don't have a view of the specific actions they need to take daily.

I find this is one of, if not the biggest problem with career development. People in the tech industry are usually good at several things which makes it even more difficult for them to decide what to focus on. A career coach can help you identify what you are naturally good at and which career path is best suited for your skills and personality.

The first step in career development is self-belief. You will not achieve more than what you believe you are capable of. Before you decide on your goal, you need to do the internal self-confidence work. A career coach is great to help you see how amazing you are when it is difficult to see it yourself.

Most coaches offer chemistry/discovery call before asking clients to part with any money. This will give you an opportunity to ask questions around qualifications, style, price and methods. Also, don't shy away from asking to se Testimonials. What do their past clients say? Are their any clients you can reach out to? And did the client(s) get the results they were after? Testimonials are in a way, a coaches portfolio. A clients success is a coaches success.

Is it coaching that you need? Coaching is often confused with other related disciplines like mentorship or therapy. However, it is actually quite different, and each of these has unique characteristics. e.g. Therapy has a past orientation, helping you understand why you are the way you are. And unlike a mentor, a coach is not there to offer guidance and advice based on his/her/their own experiences. It’s important to note that none of these disciplines are better or worse than any other — you simply need to understand the differences and have appropriate expectations for what will be accomplished with each provider.