From Career Crossroads to Clarity and Confidence

Neil, UK

Neil, who works for a medium-sized organisation and is based in the UK, was at a crossroads in his career, having recently changed role from general management to an HR lead within his company. He was hence unsure whether this new career direction matched his strengths and was going to lead to a future career that he could be successful in.

Challenges

Before you started working with Kelly, what challenges did you face?

I felt I was at a crossroads in my career having recently changed role within my company. I was hence unsure whether this new career direction matched my strengths and was going to lead to a future career that I could be successful in.

What do you think would have been the implications of not dealing with your challenges?

I think it would have led to me becoming more and more unhappy and uncertain with my current company and probably ultimately result in looking for another role in another company.

What (if anything) had you previously been doing to address those challenges?

I had been open with the CEO and some other colleagues about how I was feeling and to be fair they were very supportive. I also had done some internal reflection on my position and discussed things with my family. Ultimately it was the CEO who suggested I tried a career coach and in fact googled some links which included one for Kelly.

Coaching Approach

Aspects that we covered together included:

Professional strengths
Character strengths, using the VIA survey and report
Strategies to manage introversion within the work environment
Career interests
Measurement of wellbeing, using the PERMA assessment, both before and after coaching
And introduction of new approaches, such as gratitude reflection, to manage and enhance wellbeing

How often/long did you work with Kelly?

Worked with Kelly for 7 sessions.

Impact

What has/have been the result(s)? How would you describe the outcome?

Overall, I’m really pleased with the outcome of the coaching. To be honest I didn’t really know what to expect when it started, and was uncertain over the process, but in terms of the goals set all were achieved and I feel much more content in my role and the direction I am taking with my current company.

What specific techniques / strategies did Kelly use that helped you the most?

I found a couple of the assessments that Kelly got me to complete, particularly related to my personality type and character really useful, especially when we talked it through together. This gave me great insights into both my strengths and weaknesses which gave a solid foundation for the later discussions around how I can best exploit these. Kelly also provided some excellent strategies for how to deal with my weaknesses and manage them effectively.

How would you describe the impact that coaching has had on your life?

Very positive. My happiness at work was very much out of balance with the rest of my life and I feel Kelly’s support has helped massively to address that.

How did you discover Kelly and what made you sign up with her?

As I mentioned above, the CEO actually googled career coaches and Kelly’s name came up. I looked on her website and had an initial conversation with her where she explained the process and I felt she was someone I could work with.

Is there anything else you would like to say about working with Kelly?

I’d like to thank Kelly again for her help. I was a bit sceptical at the start having not tried anything like this before but it turned out to be a great decision.

What would you say to someone who's unsure about whether to work with Kelly?

I would highly recommend giving Kelly a try, she is insightful and supportive and pushes you to think about how you can help yourself to overcome the issues you face.