They're
winning the game...
Can you relate to these
stories?
Some
clients
can't afford to go public with their success stories. After all,
not everyone wants her boss to know she's thinking of a career change!
Your decision to consult me is personal and confidential within the
limits of the low. These stories come from real people -- details
changed or full names omitted. You'll find signed testimonials on
my home page, coaching page
and subscription page.
And some former clients can't allow themselves to be listed, but are
available as
email and telephone references.
Goal-setting
Problem:
"I came to Cathy with one main goal: to put together a list of places
where I would love to live and to start to prepare to move there.
Success:
"I was amazed. Within a very short time I had not only completed my
relocation goal, but I was starting on an important long term goal.
Long term goals always seemed so far away and nebulous to me. It felt
so good to know what I could be doing toward this long term goal now
and be excited about it.
Cheers:
"I also am well on my way toward living a life that truly reflects me
overall." -- Sue S., Chicago
Planning
for layoff and beyond
Problem:
At fifty-two, "Lance" realized his twenty-year job would end soon. He
might have six months, a year, perhaps two years. He felt extremely
stressed by the uncertainty and the low morale that had spread through
his Fortune 100 company division. When he called, his question was,
"Should I just walk away and pursue my dream?"
Success:
Lance began to explore creative ways to use his job as a vehicle to
move forward. We came up with a time management plan so he could
explore a business opportunity while remaining on the payroll.
Most important, Lance had a sounding board. He learned he could walk
away from the negativity that was permeating his workplace.
Cheers:
After our very first consultation, Lance emailed to say, "I can't
believe what happened. I feel like a great weight has been lifted and
I'm happier than I've been in months."
Redirecting
a high profile career
Problem: "Ursula," a corporate vice
president for community
relations, was known all over her large midwestern city. She was a
frequent guest on radio and television programs and occasionally
contributed a column to the local metropolitan daily. When her company
was purchased and she was fired, the story made headlines in the
business press and even garnered television coverage.
Challenge:
Ursula really wanted another corporate job with benefits and an office.
But she soon realized she was too well-known and too controversial to
get hired. Her resumes were returned with a note: "Why would you want
to work for us?"
Success:
Ursula resisted exploring freelance options, but after we broke down
the process to bite-size pieces, she agreed to try. After a few
hesitant steps, she began to attract clients - including some of the
executives who didn't want to hire her.
Cheers: Six months after we first
talked, Ursula sent me a copy
of
the press release she wrote to announce her company's official opening.
Taking Charge of a Career: New Job
Problem
#1: "Kyle," a senior sales representative, initially hired me
to serve as his secret weapon during a job hunt. Unlike many job
seekers, he had offers for interviews and eventually for positions. His
challenge involved deciding where and how to interview and how to
manage the offers and counter-offers. He also had to learn how to deal
with recruiters.
Success
#1: Kyle landed a great job, but...
Problem
#2: Two weeks into his new job, Kyle began to think he had made
a huge mistake. He wondered if he was being set up to fail. His boss
had redesigned his territory and his responsibilities. Kyle was ready
to jump ship and give back his sign-on bonus.
Success
#2: Kyle needed an objective sounding board so he could maintain
a positive image among his new colleagues. We came up with a plan: Kyle
would play detective in his new company and also find ways to keep his
options open, in case his worst fears proved to be true.
Follow-up: After three
months, Kyle had negotiated some changes in his new job. And he was
working on a long-term "get more marketable" goal.
Tough
decision
Situation:
"Nancy"built up a successful financial services business. She was
getting a little bored when a phone call came out of the blue: an offer
to buy out her company at a very atttractive price.
Problem:
Nancy was ready to jump. But she wondered what she would do afterward.
She had fantasized about working in the arts but hadn't really
investigated. She would have plenty of money, but would need a new
career to maintain her expensive lifestyle as a single parent in an
urban area. She was scared.
Success:
After a single Power Hour, Nancy realized she really wanted to leave
her business. We created a plan so Nancy wouldn't wake up the day after
the business was sold, wondering, "What now?"
Career
strategy
Problem:
"My goal was to develop and start executing a plan to find a job."
Action:
"Cathy provided lots of positive energy - which I needed - to help
me start moving and gain clarity about what I wanted to do. She also
gave me many creative suggestions that helped me open up my
thinking."
Cheers:
"I'm well on my way after a month!" --Julie E., Washington, DC
Long-term
career change
Problem: "I worked
with
Cathy for several months. During that time my life was in a state
of transition. I have been offered jobs internationally and have had to
decide what is the best move for me -- or whether to start my own
business. My thoughts, hopes and dreams were all constantly changing
because I really did not know what I wanted to do.
Process:
"Cathy has been so supportive and understanding through all this from
being an objective outsider, to being a great sounding board. I have
learned new insights into myself along the way, and her great follow up
call summaries provided a concrete list of things to work on for the
coming week so I could get clear on what I wanted to achieve.
"I must have driven her
mad with
all the emails I have sent her requesting feedback on pieces I was
writing for my website. Her feedback was always concise and straight to
the point. She helped me make my writing have much more impact. She
gave invaluable feedback and got me to write from my heart and the
results were so much better.
"Having an academic
background
myself I also respected her integrity, depth of knowledge and wisdom
gained from years experience. She pointed out words in my language that
were not supporting what I wanted to do which I was not even aware of
using. She challenged me to set deadlines but also encouraged me to
have fun and take more time out which I very much needed.
Success:
"I have now decided to pursue a long dream of starting my own business
and just beginning with defining the market, my website, and all that I
can offer.
Cheers: "Thanks Cathy for all you
help, guidance and support."
A.Q., Melbourne, Australia
One
liners:
"You seem to have a great
sense
of
keying in on what is important." -- Ellen F., Fort Lauderdale. FL.
"You've helped me get a
lot more
focused." -- Carolyn M., San Francisco Bay Area, CA.