Career Coaching vs. Clarity Coaching

When I first started coaching 15 years ago, I’d get asked “What is a Coach?” way more than I do now. This is a wonderful thing because that tells me that more and more people are seeking Coaches or at least understand what a Coach is. It also tells me that coaching is becoming a more accepted form of support in one’s career, life, or business.
 
However, the question I do find myself answering often is “What is the difference between job search coaching and clarity career coaching?” Good question!
 
“Isn’t it all career coaching?” Yes and no…
 
FromWithin Coaching is proud to support hundreds of clients each year, from students to seasoned professionals, to find happiness in their careers. It’s our specialty. We love helping clients find a career that brings them happiness. But in order to understand how we can help you, it’s important for you to understand the difference between these two different types of career coaching – job search coaching and clarity coaching- so you can consider what might be the best fit for your specific situation.
 
Job Search Coaching is likely for you if you are asking yourself any of these questions:
 

• I haven’t been able to find a job in the industry that I love - what am I doing wrong?
• I know what I want to do for a living, but it is hard to break into that industry - how do you suggest I do that?
• I’d like to apply to a position at the next level in my industry, but I think I’ll need to find a different company than my current one in order to get the salary I want. How do I do a job search in a small industry and not get “found out” that I am job searching?
• How do I interview with a company and explain why I was let go from my old company?
• I am overwhelmed by the job search process – where do I start?
• How do I explain my job gap in my resume?
• How come I apply to jobs that I am qualified for, but get little to no responses?
• I am unemployed and just need a job – how do I get a job for now that will help me build my experience for my ideal job?
• How do I negotiate a salary that matches my experience without insulting the company who made the initial offer?

 
And so on…
 
What you’ll see is a theme of strategy – “how” or “what” is the key in these questions. A job search coaching client is seeking strategy, tactics, steps, and hints on how to handle a job search.
 
Career Clarity Coaching is likely for you if you are asking yourself any of these questions:
 

• What do I want to be when I grow up?
• I feel stuck in my current role (job, industry, level) and I am not sure what might be next for my career…can you help me get clear?
• I know I can do this kind of work, but do I still want to do this kind of work – how can I figure that out?
• I want to gain clarity on how I can take my current skills and make them transferrable in a new industry – I just can’t see the connect, can you help?
• There is so much I want to do, but I just can’t seem to focus on one thing – how can I focus when I love doing so many different kinds of things?
• I wake up each morning and think how much I hate my job, but I don’t know what I want instead – how can I get clear on what I do want?
• I want to make a change, but I feel stuck by the “Golden Handcuffs” of the security of the job I am currently in – how do I learn to take those cuffs off?
• I don’t even know what is out there outside of my current industry – how do I get clear on where to look and what to look for?

 
What you’ll see is a theme of following up on the “what” and “how” with the “why.” Clarity Coaching is more about purpose and why you want to pursue a career. It helps you identify the problems holding you back from getting clear. Clarity comes by brainstorming solutions that value your strengths and individuality. This greater self-awareness will not only allow you to shift to experience yourself, others and the world in a much more positive way, but will also help you better understand what you need in a career in order to find greater meaning, purpose and fulfillment. And that is the frame you can use in your job search.
 
To sum it up: Clarity first – job search second. You don’t want to leave it to chance that you’ll find your dream job based on who is hiring the week you look at your career alerts, Indeed, or wherever you’re searching.
 
Now that you know the difference, it’s up to you to ask yourself: “What support do I really need?” Is it getting clear on what might be next in your career, or how to get there?
 
Finally, to lock in the learning I hope I was able to offer, as a lover of metaphors, I’d be remiss if I didn’t use one to explain the difference.
 
Job searching coaching is for you if you’re driving your “car” on empty with the orange fuel light on and there is no gas station in sight. You need strategy to find the gas station. Clarity career coaching is for you when you don’t know which car to get into in the first place!
 
Still not sure? No problem. We offer free exploratory calls to help you determine whether you need fuel or the clarity on which car to drive.
 
Amy Magyar, PCC, M.Ed.
Owner/Founder of FromWithin Coaching

I spoke to a Client today and all I could hear was his fear of trying something new
for his business that he had never done before, but that was a
necessity to survive through this time of chaos.
The fear vibrated through his voice.
Even though the knew he needed to take this step in his business to survive this crisis, he was more scared of taking action than losing his business.
What was he fearful of?
Fear of not being enough.
Fear of being an imposter.
Fear of not being perfect. 
Fear of old stories that are keeping him back from finding his truth. 

Well folks, I have never lived through a more fearful time than now, March 2020. 

So I wonder...for all of us, if we are going to survive this pandemic
physically, mentally, and economically, we need to let go.

We need to become losers and lose everything. 

Said another way, we need to lose in order to win. 

We need to lose our fear. 

We need to lose the belief that we are not enough. 

We need to lose the idea of perfection. 

We need to let go of the old stories keeping us from doing what we want.
And what we need to do, to survive. 

Be a loser to be a winner. 

Be safe, be brave, be hopeful. 
-AM

The "C-Word" (aka Corona Virus) that we have heard has taken on a more intense meaning in the last week. The word is creating fear and panic. People are isolating. 

But we at FromWithin Coaching challenge you, in order to “insulate” vs the “isolate”, to use differnt words that start with C that are going to be more helpful in getting us through this uncertain time.
 
What are other the “C-Words” we encourage you to say and DO more?
 
Community
Connection
Certainty
Compassion
Conviction
Commitment
Cause
Contribute
Care
Cleverness
Consciousness
Create
Co-Create
Calm
Curious
Capable
Can-do
Champion
Celebrate
Confirm
Current
Courtesy
Courage
Choice
Continue
Cooperate
Capable
Civility
Competence
Conversation
Chance
Cohesion
Contemplative
Contribute
Center
Character
Contribute
Continuity
Closeness
Climb
Creative
Clarity
Choose
Cookies (not kidding, they are helpful)
And finally, Coach.

Your job is to be you and practice saying (and doing)
​these “C-Words” more than the other c-word.

Finding Insulation without Isolation in the Viral Age
-Blog Post by Jane Taylor, working from home since 1997.
 
Working remotely and social distancing are acts of self-care. They are also part of our social contract. In order to get through the uncertainty brought about by Corona, we must work together and stay apart. But this insulation need not be isolating. With vigilance and care, we can keep our personal and business connections strong even as we keep our distance.
 
The verb insulate, means "protect from heat, cold, or noise," like when you add an extra layer of clothing to insulate yourself from the cold. You can insulate a wall to keep sound out, or insulate your house to keep cold air from getting inside. So, to insulate is to protect against unwanted changes.”[1] In the era of the C-Word (Covid-19), self-quarantine and social distancing are the types of insulation recommended by the CDC and other health officials.
 
This recommendation is backed by empirical data. In 1918, a flu epidemic killed 20-50 million people globally. There was no cure. Symptoms were managed with improvised home remedies. The first official preventive measures included “the closure of public meeting places, such as theaters, and the suspension of public meetings. In addition, long church sermons were prohibited, and Sunday instruction was to last no more than five minutes.”[2]
 
Taking it further back to the plague outbreak in Florence in 1348, officials also recommended social isolation. However, Italian theologians advocated that people “beware of fear, anger, sadness, excessive anguish, heavy thoughts and similar things. And equally one should take care to be able to be joyful, to be happy, to listen to lullabies, stories and melodies.” 
 
Several plague advice books hit the newsstands in the 14th Century including Giovanni Boccaccio’s The Decameron (a collection of amusing and racy bedtime stories meant to keep spirits high) which instructed citizens on how to maintain mental wellbeing in times of epidemics and isolation. “Boccaccio also understood the crucial role of what we now call social networks in public health crises.”[3] As we ‘protect against unwanted changes’ and move our offices and classrooms to online locations, our need for human connection grows almost in proportion to viral spread.
 
And yet, our current public health crisis is exacerbated by a crisis of disconnection in society. In other words, loneliness is also killing us. Working remotely will only make the disconnection worse unless we actively counter it with meaningful connection. We need stories, connection, and a sense of belonging to keep us human.
 
Psychology Today tells us that, “Being alone can result in negative reactions related to loneliness (e.g., sadness, hopelessness) or it can have positive reactions related to solitude (e.g., spiritual and creative growth, restoring one’s health and energy).”[4] With diligence and the aid of technology, we have the power to choose our reaction.
 
Here are some of our favorite tips on mitigating loneliness and staying connected (staying connected will also bolster productivity) as we work remotely:
 
Schedule Face-to-Face Time
Non-verbal communication is a huge part of communication. As a very transparent eye-roller, I relish the insulation email and text offer, but also appreciate seeing the faces of my friends and colleagues. Schedule regular online meetings and video chats.
 
Be Proactive About Scheduling
Make time to make time with your boss, your colleagues, your direct reports, your friends. A meeting request shows not only that you care, but also that you are on the ball. Schedule both one-on-one and team phone conversations and video chats.
 
Don’t Forget the Niceties of Chit Chat
In email and in video chats, human connection is…well… dependent upon connecting as humans. Before getting right to the meat of the business matter at hand, engage in authentic personal communication. You need not reveal all, but some light conversation about your well-being and your concern for the well-being of others will bolster that well-being. A rising tide lifts all ships…
 
Work When Your Colleagues Work
Be available and respond quickly.
 
Use LinkedIn
LinkedIn is a business networking platform. Use it. While the cute pit bull videos on Facebook are heartwarming, the amount of disinformation, divisiveness, and distraction that social media channel foments is counterproductive to your work and counter indicated to true human connection. The comparison Facebook enables and encourages (i.e., my tropical vacation is more luscious than your tropical vacation) robs us of joy, makes us feel small and undervalued, and creates further disconnection. LinkedIn, on the hand, is more about sharing business ideas and innovations. Make sure your LinkedIn profile is up to date and use it.
 
As the stock market crashes, the NBA cancels its season, and your favorite yoga studio closes its doors, it is certainly getting harder to eschew “fear, anger, sadness, excessive anguish, heavy thoughts and similar things.” But staying connected helps. By controlling the things we actually can control, we gain agency. It is not naively or unreasonably optimistic, it’s part of our evolution.
 
-Jane Taylor, working from home since 1997.

[1] https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/insulate
[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6477554/
[3] https://www.newstatesman.com/2020/03/coronavirus-survive-italy-wellbeing-stories-decameron
[4] https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/emotional-nourishment/201612/why-we-need-each-other

Thank you Jane Taylor for another timely blog post. 
​Folks - the world is changing quickly. 
FromWithin Coaching is going to be here to help you make sense of the chaos happening in the world right now. And help us as well as we are human beings and nervous as well. We are a community for each other...stay posted as we share ideas of "insulating" yourself from the chaos, not isolating. 
​
-Amy Magyar, Owner of FromWithin Coaching and Human Being as nervous as anyone else, but dedicated to help us all find solace during these times. ​

Working from Home: Setting Up Business When Virtual goes Viral
-Blog Post by Jane Taylor, working from home since 1997.
 
Corona is the new C-Word. If it has not already affected you professionally, it soon will. As we face unprecedented uncertainty in the marketplace, in the office, and in our careers, we will have to dig deep FromWithin.
 
It feels like we are being tested, but whether as an act of self-quarantine or as simple self-advocacy, many of us are going to have to work remotely.
 
“The coronavirus is putting remote work to a gigantic test, and at a totally unprecedented scale. Throughout China, Italy, Japan and South Korea, workers have been on lockdown.”[1]

Universities are moving to remote methods of learning; we and our clients are preparing for that inevitability. Much of our work is already engaged remotely, we’ve got years of experience to share.
 
As you join the ranks of newly remote workers and learn to practice social distancing, you’ll want to stay connected. In this series on working remotely in the Viral Age we will touch on keeping the human connection we need without touching any germs or extensive handwashing and examine ways to:

• Make your virtual office work for you
• Insulate yourself without isolating yourself
• Be proactive with your employer/clients
• Build immunity and resilience into your career

 
Let’s start with your virtual office. Working remotely can be extremely productive when you set yourself up for success. Here are our favorite tips:
 
Time
Stick to your work schedule. Work when you would normally be working. Use your morning commute time to get some exercise or walk the dog. Use your evening commute time to organize your accomplishments for tomorrow. End your workday at a reasonable hour.
 
Professionalism
Dress for work. You may be tempted to work in your pajamas, but such garb inspires a certain laissez-faire unprofessionalism. Take a shower, shave, get dressed. Go to work.
 
Workspace
Make a clean and organized workspace. It need not be large; let it not be chaotic. Set up a dedicated work environment. Do not eat at your desk.
 
Distractions
Your home is filled with your life distractions. Your garage needs sorting, your laundry needs washing, your motorcycle needs riding, Fido needs walking. Commit to your work before letting yourself be distracted. Whether that means fully completing a project or dedicating 90 minutes to it without diversions, make the commitment. Stick to it. Set a timer, if you need to. Your garage can wait.
 
Communicate
Working from home can create freedom, but it can also create discord. Your team is no longer one desk away; make sure communication with them is open, frequent, and clear. Make your expectations known. Make your accomplishments known. Use common courtesy and good manners. If you fear your message could be misconstrued, it probably will be. Take time for clarity: read your messages out loud before sending. Let your team, colleagues, clients know when you will be available. Be available at the time.
 
Insulate yourself from Corona without isolating yourself from creativity
Working remotely can be lonely. Steve Jobs was a famous opponent of remote work, claiming that “Creativity comes from spontaneous meetings, from random discussions.”[2] But spontaneous creativity can also happen by text. Your closest collaborators are only as far away as your phone. Keep your channels of communication open. Schedule and keep regular Zoom, Skype, or FaceTime meetings with your colleagues.
 
Necessity is the mother of invention. With time, exploration, and practice, working remotely can become as creative and rewarding as working at the office.
_______________________________________________________________________________
[1] https://www.npr.org/2020/03/09/812898220/laundry-between-emails-working-from-home-goes-viral-in-the-time-of-coronavirus
[2] https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/10/technology/working-from-home.html

Thank you Jane Taylor for this timely blog post. 
​Folks - the world is changing quickly. 
FromWithin Coaching is going to be here to help you make sense of the chaos happening in the world right now. And help us as well as we are human beings and nervous as well. We are a community for each other...stay posted as we share ideas of "insulating" yourself from the chaos, not isolating. 
​
-Amy Magyar, Owner of FromWithin Coaching and Human Being as nervous as anyone else, but dedicated to help us all find solace during these times.