CAREER ESSENTIALS
An e-mail newsletter designed to transform the way you think about your career… and to help you face Mondays with a smile!
by Dale Kurow, M.S., Career & Executive Coach

Welcome

Hello Dear Readers:

A great big hearty “thank you” for your continued support this year! Think about giving the gift of “coaching” or my Networking Tips e-book to a loved one or friend this holiday season. These gifts can have a lasting impact all year long!

We have spent a lot of time in Central Park soaking up the last gorgeous days of fall. The leaves are gold, orange and red. We visit our favorite trees each week to check on their progress as they prepare for winter. (See photo). You’ve heard me say this before, but communing with nature sure helps me stay balanced. (My friends may argue with that!)

The feature article “Do I Need A Coach?” was contributed by Barbara Smith; a wonderful and generous client. Barbe thought, and I agreed, it would be useful to hear from someone who is in the midst of the coaching process. Heartfelt appreciation and thanks to Barbe for her insight and kind words! If you want to know what you can get out of working with a coach, read on.

I’ve had a good year, thanks to the trust you have placed in me by sending your referrals. I am grateful to all of you -- my clients, colleagues, subscribers, friends and family -- for the chance to be part of your world.

Peace to you all!

To Your Success,

Do I Need a Coach?

So, you’re like me, thinking that your current situation is not right for you. And you come across Dale’s website wondering: “so what’s this coaching stuff all about? After all, how can a coach help when I don’t even know what I’m looking for?” Ah, but therein lies the magic, you DO know what you’re looking for; it’s the process of coaching that can help you find it in the midst of misplaced dreams, cholesterol-raising schedules and those demons otherwise known as “responsibilities.”

I am sure a psychotherapist could finance another vacation home analyzing my personal journey from International Relations Major to Bookkeeper to Stay-at-Home Mom to Financial Manager to Science Fiction Magazine Editor to Law School. I, on the other hand, always knew that there must be a pattern in it all. Unfortunately, darned if I could unravel the enigma on my own.

As far as unsolicited endorsements go, I am the first in line to be skeptical (perhaps not too pleasant memories of political campaigns gone by?) Still, I had asked Dale if I could contribute this article as I thought some might find it useful to hear from someone who is in the midst of the coaching process. From my now vast experience of five sessions, I offer the following observations that anyone contemplating engaging a coach might want to keep in mind:

• Coaching is a process, not a quick fix. If you think a single session can change your life and launch your new career, you will be disappointed. You need to invest time and energy to achieve lasting results.

• Are you ready for change? The journey is exciting, but some of the traits you unearth about yourself can be unsettling. After assessing a longtime dream of running my own office, I finally looked carefully at my past experiences and realized that I am way more comfortable following someone else’s lead.

Do I Need a Coach? cont'd

• Flash back to grade school nightmares: THERE’S HOMEWORK! Not to worry though, Dale works with your abilities and your schedule so there should be no anxiety. Still, working on new skills may challenge your comfort level at times.

• Coaching is a particular asset for those practicing introverts amongst us. Anyone else out there believe that ‘networking’ is synonymous with ‘root canal’? Working with Dale has given me a shoulder to lean on when the going is slow and a gentle shove in the right direction when old insecurities cause me to stall.

• Whatever your reason for seeking out a coach, each session will leave you feeling hopeful, revitalized, exhilarated and capable of tackling any task. You will find a sympathetic but challenging support system that will help you see your way through any situation. Even more amazing, that formerly insurmountable situation suddenly becomes manageable.

If you have visited Dale’s web site more than once, as I did before I signed on, you are probably ready to commit to change. I hope you give Dale a try; she’s been a great coach to me and I’m confident she could work her magic on you, too. You don’t have to keep on putting in time at a job that you carry endlessly with you as that lump in your gut. Now is the time for change and here is where change begins….Good Luck.

Barbara Smith, Havertown, Pennsylvania

Holiday Gifts

Author: Dale R. Kurow, M.S.

Dale Kurow is a career and executive coach who helps individuals find success and personal enrichment at their vocations and who works with corporations to maximize the potential of valuable employees.

Contact Dale by e-mail
dale@dalekurow.com
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Graphic Designer David Moorhead