Looking for a fresh start? A career or life coach might be of help, writes SYLVIA THOMPSON
EVERYBODY GETS stuck at some point. It’s how we get out of it that counts. So says American life coach David Rude who will give a three-day workshop in Co Wicklow later this month. Rude is one of a new breed of life coaches whose work crosses international borders. Although based in California, he coaches people in places as far away as the Middle East, Australia and Japan. Yet, in spite of the technology that makes this happen, his reputation is still often based on personal recommendation. His workshop at Chrysalis Holistic Centre in Donard, Co Wicklow will be his first in Ireland.
“What people need is support in setting and achieving goals in specific aspects of their lives or business,” says Rude. Rude uses a variety of media – including music, literature and film clips – to help people talk freely about themselves.
A counsellor/therapist for over 20 years, he moved into life coaching six years ago because it gave faster results.
“About 60 per cent of my clients come after being in therapy for many years. In life coaching, you can see results in one to two years or sometimes in a few months,” he says. “Giving people permission to move forward with their life is important and offering them new ways of thinking about themselves. We are very good at putting ourselves down and many of us need to learn to give ourselves credit for what we can do,” he says.
Irish career coach Brian McIvor says people have to adjust to the new rules of the changed working environment and career coaching can help them ask the right questions about themselves.
“People need to be trained how to move information about themselves from the fluffy generalised stuff to the very specific evidence of what they are good at,” says McIvor. “It’s much harder for people to contemplate change in this environment. Many people are too scared to act. It’s important to remember that it’s not the person but the job that has been made redundant. The winners are the ones who are proactive. They see something and act on it.”
For those looking for a job in the current marketplace, McIvor suggests that they seek multiple sources of feedback about themselves to move on. "It's difficult not to personalise [compulsory] redundancy but what people need to look at is what you can salvage? What can you do that others can't? What do people ask you to do? He adds, "You can't bluff your way like in the Celtic Tiger days. The competition is tough and it's contracts rather than life-long jobs that are on offer now." McIvor is the co-author of a new book entitled Redundancy – a development opportunity for you(www.managementbriefs.com).
Rude acknowledges that there is a lot of fear during a recession. “Some people think negatively at times like this and say things like they can’t, won’t or shouldn’t change but others see it as an opportunity. It really depends on your outlook,” he says.
Like many who work in this area, Rude believes that we all create our own circumstances. “I practise what I preach,” he admits. “I create clear intentions about what I want to do and then I act on them.”
But, aren’t people embarrassed to seek help from a life coach? “Yes, there are people who find it difficult to admit they have a problem and that they need help. Irish men – and men in general – are pretty stubborn about changing. Most of the men I see have been dragged to see me by a woman,” he says.
- David Rude's workshop, Life Coaching for A Fresh Start, takes place in Chrysalis Holistic Centre, Donard, Co Wicklow from January 22-24. See www.chrysalis.ie for details
- Brian McIvor will give a workshop on career detection on January 16th and another on interview techniques on February 6th. Both take place in the Camden Court Hotel, Camden St, Dublin 2. See www.brianmcivor.com for more details
