Recently I was coaching a high level professional in the field of Education. This particular lady has spoken all over the world as an expert in her field.
She’s been at it for 30 years. She is a niche speaker and wants to bust out of the industry in a new way possibly as a motivational speaker. So we got together for a good old fashion coaching session.
What is your vision?
Where do you see yourself in 5 years? What is your ultimate dream job?
What were the most successful speaking engagements and why?
How did you find those and did they ask you back?
Did you video them?
These are the typical questions that start a coaching session for a person who wants to elevate their brand to the next level.
In my profession, I have the fortunate experience to get to meet a lot of people in high places in their careers so I get to hear the path to how they got there. My job is to help them craft a new path to go somewhere different, (or help them write speeches, enhance their executive presence, etc) often times they just have no idea because they’ve done one thing so long that they can’t see their way out of the box.
My brain works fast and I make connections very fast.. to other industries, things others have done and additionally I have the ability to see my clients at their highest potential.
So this lady was struggling sharing with me what was her ONE thing that would take her to the next level- so I hit her with it when she’s on a roll and I took her off guard…
“And WHAT do you do BETTER than anyone else.. and WHAT are you absolutely PASSIONATE about?”
From her gut, she told me that she helps people uncover their real selves and helps them during difficult transitions in corporate America. As a professor, she does research and has a lot of research to share with companies about women during transitions and how they can support women who are moving into Leadership.
BINGO – this coupled with her credentials put her into a position to create a WHITE PAPER, to present it to an association and to create a coaching/consulting company that would help companies start a plan to help these women!
I think thought of 5 people she needed to meet and an organization she needs to join, her eyes lit up . All of a sudden she isn’t only a professor who does research but now she was a coach, a consultant.. a motivator and a new direction had been carved.
She was giddy with excitement! In one hour, we carved out her next steps to her next phase of life.
Over the next week, she reached out and enrolled others who she admire in the space, and is now well on her way to creating a spot in a very uncrowded market. (some of the details as to exactly what her niche are, are not exposed her.. as this would give away a FABULOUS idea!)
Meeting with a creative is sometimes the most important thing a left brain person can do to get unstuck and to thinking out of the box. Being able to review the PAST, for what worked and what didn’t work, is also key to seeing the future with new eyes.
If you’re stuck and need to move forward here are a few steps you can take to get unstuck:
- What was your favorite job and why? What was it that really lit you up?
- If you could work doing anything and had to work for free, what would it be?
- Is there anyone DOING the actual work that you would like to do and how did they get there? Can you connect with them or learn from them?
This may get the ball rolling. The key is that you want to start TALKING and BRAINSTORMING. Preferably with someone NEW who doesn’t know the so called “RIGHT” path to take to get
Having new goals can light people up and it’s important to always stay fresh and moving forward.