Working Resources is a San
Francisco Bay Area Executive Coaching Firm Helping Companies Assess, Select, Coach and Retain
Emotionally Intelligent Leaders; Talent Management; Leadership Development;
Competency Modeling; Succession Management; and Leadership & Team Building
Retreats
Dr.
Maynard Brusman
Consulting Psychologist and Executive Coach
Reinvent
Your Career
“The secret to a resilient life
in our kind of world is in knowing how to recycle yourself, over and over,
letting go of what is no longer you, taking on new strengths, and shaping new
chapters for your life, guided by your own emerging vision." - Frederich Hudson, Pamela McLean
Job
security has gone out the widow! The future is not the same
anymore. Getting ahead in a volatile and unpredictable economy means engaging
in a self-makeover with new social media and highly developed emotional
intelligence skills. Don’t fear change – embrace it!
People in career transition in these
continually volatile times are aware of the need for resilience, and
reinventing themselves to thrive and flourish in the new economy. Now career changers must rebound and
take the next steps for a sustainable future. They must refocus, get inspired
and be creative to align their purpose and passion with the ever-changing needs
of the marketplace.
You need the courage and reassurance
that the right actions will help you reach your goals. Success awaits those who remain
optimistic, and creatively pursue new and rewarding career directions.
Face Your Transition Fears
I was recently working with one of my
San Francisco Bay Area executive coaching clients. We talked about his focusing on
discovering a better sense of self, including his core values and identity. He
was energized and motivated to ignite his entrepreneurial spirit.
Most
importantly we focused on his overcoming fear, and discovering a sense of
purpose...what was truly important to him. He pondered on the
following powerful questions. Who am I and what are my core values? What is
most meaningful in my life? What am I trying to do with my life? Do I feel
fulfilled in my life? Do I use my talents to the fullest extent? Am
I realizing my dreams? Positively reinventing yourself can bring happiness
and career fulfillment.
Overcoming
fear is one of the most difficult things we can do as part of our career
development.
Worry is an unproductive human activity. Fear is a test of commitment and
a way to focus your attention on answering the question: “Is this what I really want?” For
example, when we want to start something new, like a career change, we
hesitate. Here’s how to move through it.
Courage
is resistance to fear, mastery of fear – not absence of fear. – Mark Twain
The Comfort Zone
Facing
our fears means stretching ourselves, and stepping outside our comfort zone. Begin by acknowledging the boundaries
of your comfort zone. By moving in and out of your current comfort zone,
you can grow and expand the size of it. Focus on doing something important
to help break out of your comfort zone. You can then renew your emotional
resources, and then prepare for another push forward. With persistence you
can stretch your limits.
Shift
your attention to the positive and remember why you are doing what makes you
uncomfortable. Think
how facing your fears could be the best thing that ever happened to you. If
you view it positively, fear is a gift. It’s an opportunity. It’s
your body saying you’re about to step outside your comfort zone. Give yourself
permission to grow, and to become a fully expressed human being.
“Fear is adversity
tested. The way to overcome fear is to train oneself to be emotionally and
mentally fit. How do you approach adversity? Reflect on how you
manage your emotions. Find your best emotional pattern and condition it to
handle adversity. The way to deal with fear is to find a way to get outside
yourself. This usually means living a life of gratitude.” - Tony
Robbins
Visualize the End Goal
If
you want to overcome your fear, focus on the end in mind. Visualize your ideal
career. Visualize yourself in your new job. Visualize happiness and
success. Expect a positive outcome.
Focus
on what you feel the most passionate about. Commit to your most important result. Concentrate
on what you want. Don’t waste your emotional energy on what you don’t
want! Olympians practice Visual Motor Rehearsal (VMR). They preview
their events in their mind which optimizes their body’s performance. Focusing
on success creates success in business and life.
Fail Well
If
you have not failed at something, you’re not trying hard enough. If you want to be successful,
you have to give yourself multiple chances to fail. It’s been said that
success is the first attempt after failure. The biggest failure is to not
try again. The more chances you take, the greater the chance for eventual
success. Setbacks can help you make future strategic moves.
Take Risks
When
you risk, you loosen your hold on what you’re certain of and you reach for
something which you’re not sure of, but you believe is better than what you
have. Without
fear, there is no courage. Thing big and eliminate your career limiting
beliefs.
You
have to give up something familiar in order to learn, grow and change. This can feel
uncomfortable. However, living a life in hesitation, avoidance and
procrastination is no way to live. Just ask yourself, “What is the worst that can happen?”
Self-confidence
Let
fear energize you to face the challenges head-on. Keeping your self-confidence and
optimism high is critical. By revisiting past successes, strengths and
accomplishments, you can move forward and conquer your fears.
Developing
a positive sense of self can help you take prudent risks. Peak performance requires confidence.
A positive attitude can overcome fear. Erase the tapes of negative
self-talk. Avoid all self-doubting thoughts which turn into self-doubting
language.
Fear
can stem from a lack of confidence. This may be the result of a lack of experience of trying something new. For example, you may have been afraid of driving for the first time, but after
you gained some experienced you gained confidence. Act strong until you
feel brave. Let your fear energize you to action.
"Respect yourself
and others will respect you." - Confucius
Action Plan
Ask
yourself, “If I want to make this change, what do I have to gain as a result? What’s on the other side?” Can I
really stick it out in this job for another five years? If I don’t leave
now, when will I leave?”
Focus on your past successes and achievements. They are sources of
strength and encouragement.
Make
a list of some of your key accomplishments and then list the barriers to
overcome. Write
down specific action steps you need to take to overcome them, and then apply
those lessons to your current situation. Set a deadline when you will stop
analyzing the situation and begin to write an action plan. Determine
which decision will lead you to achieving your goals. Take your
action-plan and chunk it down into small steps so that there isn’t any room for
failure.
Concentrate
on one step at a time. If
necessary, pretend that you have the courage to overcome the anxiety with a
“fake it ‘till you make it” approach. Say to yourself, “I’ll just do it.”
Be
careful with whom you share your fears and dreams. Make sure you choose people you
trust, that can provide helpful advice and encouragement. Prayer and
meditation can also be a tool to address fear, stress and anxiety. Muster
the courage to feel your fear and do it anyway. The result will be
increased self-confidence to tackle new challenges.
Summary
If you want success in your career, you need to build
your confidence and overcome fears.
Don't give up! Start with a thorough assessment of your values, skills,
interests and abilities.
Focus your efforts on your areas of interests and
abilities, and develop an action plan by specifying goals and objectives. It is only by focusing on your
strengths that you can truly obtain fulfillment and success in your career. A
professional career coach can provide objective feedback to help keep you
motivated and on-track.
“Your work is to
discover your work, and then, with all your heart, to give yourself to it.” - Buddha
Are
you working in a professional services firm or other organization where
executive coaches provide leadership development to grow emotionally
intelligent leaders? Does your organization provide executive
coaching for leaders who need to reinvent themselves? Enlightened leaders tap
into their emotional intelligence and social intelligence skills to create a
more fulfilling future.
One
of the most powerful questions you can ask yourself is “Do I have the
confidence to reinvent myself and face my fears?” Emotionally
intelligent and socially intelligent organizations provide executive coaching
as part of their transformational peak performance leadership development
program.
Working
with a seasoned executive coach and leadership consultant trained in emotional
intelligence and incorporating assessments such as the Bar-On EQ-I, CPI 260 and Denison Culture Survey can help you reinvent
yourself. You can become a leader who models emotional intelligence
and social intelligence, and who inspires people to become fully engaged with
the vision, mission and strategy of your company or law firm.
About
Dr. Maynard Brusman
Dr.
Maynard Brusman is a consulting psychologist, executive coach and trusted
advisor to senior leadership teams. He is the president of
Working Resources, a leadership consulting and executive coaching firm. We
specialize in helping San Francisco Bay Area companies and law firms assess,
select, coach, and retain emotionally intelligent leaders. Maynard is a highly sought-after speaker and
workshop leader. He facilitates leadership retreats in Northern California and
Costa Rica. The Society for Advancement of Consulting (SAC) awarded Dr. Maynard
Brusman "Board Approved" designations in the specialties of Executive
Coaching and Leadership Development.
Dr. Maynard
Brusman
Consulting Psychologist and Executive Coach
Trusted Advisor to Senior Leadership Teams
Subscribe to Working Resources FREE E-mail Newsletter:
http://www.workingresources.com
Visit Maynard’s Blog: http://www.workingresourcesblog.com
E-mail: [email protected]
Voice: 415-546-1252
For more information, please go to http://www.workingresources.com,
write to [email protected], or
call 415-546-1252.
Subscribe to Working Resources Newsletter: http://www.workingresources.com
Visit Maynard's Blog: http://www.workingresourcesblog.com
Connect with me on these Social Media sites.
http://twitter.com/drbrusman
http://www.facebook.com/maynardbrusman
http://www.linkedin.com/in/maynardbrusman
http://www.youtube.com/user/maynardbrusman
Recent Comments