Your client is drowning in self-doubt during their career transition. How can you help them stay afloat?

Sometimes even though the clients say something is their strength, they struggle to believe it. My approach is to help them mention real cases they have shown that strength so that they can relive the experience and realize it afresh. It's important for them to clear out the cobwebs that may be blocking that realization of who they really are and the power(strength) they carry in overcoming whatever obstacle they are facing

WHOAAAAAA Let's slow down here!!!! Before Moving Forward, Let's Just ACCEPT & HONOR whatever feelings the client has. Many times, we want to go from 0 to 2--skipping step 1, which is merely feeling the feelings. Self Improvement Starts With Self Acceptance.

As a coach specialising in helping professionals overcome the lingering effects of toxic relationships on their careers, I've found that self-doubt during career transitions often has deep roots in past experiences.

Strength also means recognizing the realities of the current situation. I would help my coachee reflect on the root causes of their self-doubt, examining the beliefs and values behind it. By validating these doubts, we lay the groundwork for growth. As a thinking partner, I will facilitate them in identifying and celebrating small victories, enabling them to reframe their mindset and emotions. This process allows them to uncover their strengths, which can then overshadow any limiting beliefs, all while they take ownership of their journey without external influence.

Selbstzweifel k?nnen in Zeiten des beruflichen Wandels besonders stark sein. Ein effektiver Weg, diesen Zweifeln entgegenzuwirken, ist die Konzentration auf die eigenen St?rken. Oft neigen wir dazu, uns auf unsere Schw?chen zu fokussieren, besonders wenn wir uns unsicher fühlen. Doch das Bewusstsein für unsere F?higkeiten und Erfolge kann ein echter Gamechanger sein. Indem du deine bisherigen Erfolge reflektierst und dir deiner St?rken bewusst wirst, kannst du Selbstvertrauen aufbauen und deine innere Haltung ver?ndern. Es geht darum, die Ressourcen, die du bereits besitzt, zu erkennen und gezielt einzusetzen, um die Unsicherheiten zu überwinden.

The 1st step is to recognise the source of the self-doubt. I encourage my clients to document their professional accomplishments in a 'VICTORIES VAULT' , creating a tangible record of their capabilities. This combats imposter syndrome and provides concrete evidence of their skills.

To help a client with self-doubt during a career transition: 1-Reframe Success: View it as a journey with small milestones. 2-Set Realistic Goals: Break down the transition into manageable steps. 3-Focus on Strengths: Highlight their skills and past successes. 4-Encourage Self-Reflection: Explore what success means to them now. 5-Create a Vision: Develop a personalized vision of success. These steps help build confidence and guide them through the transition.

Action: Redefine what success means in your new career direction. Emotion: Release the weight of outdated definitions that no longer serve you. Meaning: Find fulfillment in what truly matters now. Success is personal: Don’t let past standards dictate your future path. Recalibrate your compass: Yesterday's success may not be the same as today’s. Let go of old expectations: Success is redefined when you focus on what fulfills you now. Example: A client who once measured success by income redefined success during their career transition

Each client is different and they come to coaching for their own reasons. One persons success wont be the same as someones elses. So identifying what success means to them, how it will feel when they achieve it and what they think they need to do to get there is a first step to building some self awareness. Moving onto what is holding them back and when self doubt triggers is the next step. Success can be small milestones which add up to the main goal.

Redefine In A Way That Prioritizes Needs Vs. Wants. Ex: "I Need To Get Back To My Email" Is That A True "Need"? Or More Of A "Want"? Many Times, What We Think We 'Need' Is Really A 'Want'. Get It All On Paper & Truly Determine What Your Needs Vs Wants Are.

Goals Are Nice. Systems Are Better. Because Once A Goal Is Set + Achieved, You Have To Conjure A New Goal. Systems, On The Other Hand, Aren't Tied To An Outcome. A System Runs And Is Agnostic To The Outcomes---They Just Keep Running. You Should Too :)

Once the client has established what they define as success in their career transition, you can a coach can help the client build goals that form the behaviours towards success. It might be creating a network within their new career. So the goal would be talking to 5 people each week as a way of building the network. Simple goals, Simple behaviours, building certainty.

Goals is tricky .. I like to call them small milestones or actions or stepping stones to move you along to where you want to be. Again being led by my client in terms of what they can realistically do and feel they can do will help them to set the right actions that they absolutely achieve, feel great about and can then set the next small stepping stones.

I call this "being your own character in your life movie." Imagine your life as a biopic—what would it look like? Setting achievable goals is like plotting a course through uncertain waters. Break down your larger career objectives into smaller, manageable tasks. This creates progress and momentum, crucial when self-doubt tries to anchor you. Make sure your goals are SMART—specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound. Celebrate every victory, no matter how small; these wins will buoy your spirits and reinforce your belief in your ability to succeed.

Créer soit même un cahier des charges journalier ou hebdomadaire afin de créer le chemin pour accéder à son désir de succès et donc de satisfaction et reconnaissance personnelle

We could question the validity of their doubts, often tracing them back to past criticisms that no longer apply. Set Incremental 'Stretch Goals': By gradually expanding their comfort zone, clients build confidence in manageable steps.

I think this is a real issue and although it can and will pass, it can feel crippling at the time. So it's important that the person gets support at the time - to hear the reality of their situation eg that they are able and have the skills required to do this job/task, and that what they are feeling is ok and normal.

When it comes to embracing learning, emphasize that it's a journey. Remind your client that business is a team sport, and we can achieve much more together. By being open to the ideas of others, they can gain a deeper understanding of what is needed and avoid potential pitfalls. Encourage them to be open to learning in every situation, as this can lead to discovering better ways to handle challenges. Most importantly, help them trust their own ability to assess situations. Remind them that there is a wealth of knowledge available and that they should value and develop the important ideas they already possess.

Learning is the golden ticket as all learning leads to personal growth and success. With setting small actions taking our clients out of their comfort zones into the learning zones will help them to grow and which will provide new experiences and beliefs. This over time will help suppress that self doubt.

Zero in on what is causing self-doubt. I use several tools to take clients back to the origin of trauma to help them best heal, replacing doubt with a feeling of openess and confidence. I then teach and empower them to create their own ways to support self-doubt moving foward.

Seek Balanced Feedback: I encourage clients to gain perspective from trusted colleagues, helping to counteract skewed self-perceptions.

I am not a fan of force feeding positivity. Life is 50/50, so trying to fight that is hard and unrealistic long term. Negative emotions are only trying to help and guide an action, often there is a message or guidance in them. Learning to feel, allow and process negative emotions is a super power. Work on that.

Practice Self-Compassion: We work on treating ourselves with the same kindness they'd offer a friend. This helps counter the harsh inner critic often developed in toxic relationships.

Toxic Positivity Can Be Damaging, Too. Instead Of Trying To Convince Or Trick Yourself Into Thinking You Feel Positive, Let Yourself Feel Like SHHHHHHT. Allow The Feelings To Pass. The Quickest Way To Rid Unwanted Feelings, Is To Feel Them (Which Is The Hardest Thing To Do).

Positivity for the sake of it is overrated. Stay observation to new opportunities to build certainty and confidence is better.

Staying positive is the steady wind in your sails as you move forward. During a career transition, negative thoughts are natural, but it's crucial to counter them with positive affirmations. Practice self-compassion and remember it’s okay to feel uncertain during times of change. Visualize your success and keep a gratitude journal to track the good things in your life. Focusing on the positive and what you can control helps navigate self-doubt and keeps you moving toward your goals. And remember, we celebrate every win together, no matter how big or small.