People Potential Blog

12 Signals to Leave Your Job Assessment

“I just need to try harder in my job” may not be the answer to your job concerns.  If you’ve taken positive steps to improve your job situation and nothing has changed, it may be time to look elsewhere. By completing this assessment and reviewing your scores, you will gain a better sense of what actions to take in improving your work situation and/or how urgent it is for you to leave your current position and/or company. Read more.

 Instructions:  Circle each item that is true for you.

1. I continue to get turned down for promotional opportunities without any clear rationale.
2. I am not receiving the same perks as my peers (E.g. best offices, national conferences, plum assignments, opportunities to be with upper management)
3. My boss shows favoritism to employees who possess certain characteristics that I do not possess (E.g., young, Caucasian, male, good-looking).
4. I spend most of my break time complaining about my job situation.
5. On Sundays, I get a sick feeling about going to work on Monday.
6. My boss doesn’t appear to value my talents, strengths, and expertise.
7. My last performance rating was low and inconsistent with my work accomplishments and behaviors.
8. I’m feeling isolated from the mainstream of activity (E.g. not getting invited to important meetings, being successfully bypassed, little airtime with my boss).
9. My highest-level responsibilities have been (or are being) assigned to someone else.
10. My work achievements go unnoticed while my boss turns my mistakes into major ordeals.
11. Another employee seems to be sabotaging me and no one is halting that destructive behavior, despite my confronting this person and alerting my boss.
12. My boss is emotionally or verbally abusive toward me (E.g. yells, demeans, harasses, unreasonably denies vacation requests).

Response Analysis: Read the following sections to gain further insight about your current job situation. Which section did you circle the most items? What was the total number of items you circled? The greater your total number of circled items is, the more important it is for you to take positive action to find a job that you are more suited to and that has better working conditions.

 Green Signal: A-OK 

You didn’t circle any of the items in the assessment.

 Blue Signal: No Advancement Here

 1. I continue to get turned down for promotional opportunities without any clear rationale.

2. I am not receiving the same perks as my peers.

3. My boss shows favoritism to employees who possess certain characteristics that I do not possess.

Note: If you checked these items, you are not likely to go anywhere working for your current boss.  Your boss may be biased against people who don’t possess certain characteristics.  If you don’t possess the characteristics your boss values, it might be smart to seek out other opportunities in your current company or elsewhere.

 Yellow Signal: Poor Fit

4. I spend most of my break time complaining about my job situation.

5. On Sundays, I get a sick feeling about going to work on Monday.

6. My boss doesn’t appear to value my talents, strengths, and expertise.

Note: If you circled items 4, 5, or 6, you’re probably not in the right job or organization.  If you’re not using your greatest talents and strengths, you can’t show your true value. Your work dissatisfaction will likely cause you to be less motivated and productive.  Over time, your work dissatisfaction may impact your self-esteem and spill over into other aspects of your life.  Take action now to find a place where you can display your talents and be appreciated for your good work. 

Orange Signal: Job in Jeopardy 

7. My last performance rating was low and inconsistent with my work accomplishments and behaviors.

8. I’m feeling isolated from the mainstream of activity. 

9. My highest-level responsibilities have been (or are being given) to someone else

Note: If you circled items 7, 8, or 9, your job may be in jeopardy.  It’s likely your boss has decided you are not the person for the job and is setting the stage to shelf, demote, or fire you.  At this time, it’s unlikely that you’ll be able to change your boss’ view of you.  Therefore, take quick action to transfer to another job within the company or find a job elsewhere.

Red Signal: Dangerous Work Environment

10. My work achievements go unnoticed while my boss turns my mistakes into major ordeals

11. Another employee seems to be sabotaging me and no one’s halting that destructive behavior, despite my confronting this person and alerting my boss.

12. My boss is emotionally or verbally abusive toward me.

Note: If you circled items 10, 11, and/or 12, your reputation, self-esteem, and mental health are likely in danger.  Your chances of changing your situation are slim. Usually, the longer you stay in this sort of situation, the more difficult it becomes to leave.  Therefore, it may be best to cut your losses and move on.  

Disclaimer: This assessment is designed to heighten your self-awareness about your current job and working conditions.  It is recommended that you do not make a decision to leave your job, based solely on your assessment results.  You are encouraged to seek out other resources for career advice, e.g., human resource staff, employee assistance counselor, and career coach.

Copyright 2007-2011. Nancy Branton.

Coaching for A Leader's Legacy

Have you made your resolutions for 2012? My resolution is to continue to leave a legacy of influencing leaders. How? By directly and indirectly training others to coach people to be principled leaders that create engaged staff and successful workplaces.

"It's a Wonderful Life" is one of my favorite movies. It displays the positive leadership of George Bailey and the reprehensible leadership of Mr. Potter. A great quote from George in that movie is: People were human beings to him (George’s father). But to you (Mr. Potter), a warped, frustrated old man, they're cattle. Well in my book, my father died a much richer man than you'll ever be! In this movie George received the gift of observing how life would have been for others without him.  Through this experience, he learned about the impact of his leadership and kindness on others.

Eight powerful coaching questions for current and aspiring leaders to help them explore, define, and envision their legacy are as follows:

1. If you could see the impact of your life on others like George Bailey did in this movie, what might you learn about your impact on staff and the companies you worked for?
2. What leaders do you greatly admire, and what about them makes them admirable?
3. If you were to write a newspaper article describing your leadership throughout your career, what would be the key themes in it?
4. What causes are you most drawn to and do you give your money or time to?
5. If you overheard a conversation and absolutely had to join in, what’s the topic of it?
6. What one or two themes would you like to emerge in people’s testimonials about your leadership at your memorial service?
7. What do you want your children to remember and pass on to their offspring about you and your leadership legacy?
8. What are your God-given talents and strengths and where do you feel led to use them?

© 2005-2012. Nancy Branton.

Upcoming Coach Training Program: Certified Leadership & Talent Management Coach and Certified Social and Emotional Intelligence Workplace Coach

Top Five Career Assessments for Career Transitioners for less than $75!

After coaching numerous clients to make a career transition, I found that career assessments are an integral part of that process. Armed with their assessment results, career transitioners can evaluate their current career and make wise decisions to prepare for their next career.

I recommend five assessments to use with career transitioning clients to help them uncover what’s most important to them for their next career. Read more.

They are:

1. Golden Personality Type Profiler (GPTP) or Myers Briggs Type Indicator® (MBTI®);
2. Career Liftoff ® Interest Inventory (CLII);
3. SkillScan™ Career Driver;
4. O*NET™ Work Importance Profiler™; and,
5. Page Work Behavior Inventory (PWBI).

Both the GPTP and the MBTI® are based on Jung’s Theory of Psychological Type, and are excellent and reasonably priced assessments to administer to career transitioning clients to learn about their personality type preferences on the following four scales:

• Extraversion—Introversion,
• Sensing—Intuition,
• Thinking—Feeling, and
• Judging—Perceiving (or Organizing—Adapting in the GPTP).

Based on their preferences, career transitioners find out their four-letter personality type, which is one of sixteen possible types. The Golden Personality Type Profiler has an additional scale: Tense—Calm that shows how they tend to react to stress. After they know their personality type, they can learn more about whom they are, the careers that best fit their personality, and what aspects of the social work environment will fit them best.

The Career Liftoff ® Interest Inventory is an inexpensive assessment to administer to career transitioners. The CLII gives them their highest Holland Themes, top occupational interest scales (OIS), and occupations that link to their OIS’s. As they view their top six OIS’s, they can brainstorm possible new directions for their career. Using O*NET® Online, they can compare their highest scoring Holland themes with occupations’ highest Holland themes to determine which careers are a good match.

The Page Work Behavior Inventory measures your clients’ work styles, leadership style, selling style, and more. Using O*NET® Online, they can compare their highest scoring work styles with occupations’ highest work styles to determine if various careers are a good match.

Often clients are unaware of their career values. The O*NET® Work Importance Profiler™, a free online assessment, helps them become aware of their highest career values and the needs that underlie them.  With that information, career transitioners can compare their highest career values with those of various occupations in O*NET® Online.

The SkillScan™ Career Driver is an inexpensive assessment to assist career transitioners in understanding their current skill sets and occupations that link to them, skills they’re motivated to use, and their highest priority skills to develop for the future.  Additionally, they gain knowledge and tools to link their skill results with their Holland-based interests and their four-letter personality type; doing so enhances their understanding of their multifaceted selves.

In summary, administering and interpreting these five assessments to career transitioners will help them fully understand their personality, interests, work styles, career values, and motivated skills. Then, they can establish a career direction that is most satisfying and motivating for them. The best news is that these five assessments can be administered for a total of less than $75!

© 2011. Nancy Branton.

 

Top Four Career Assessments to Administer to College Students for less than $50!

After coaching numerous college and university students to choose their college major and prepare for their career, I found that career assessments are an integral part of that process. Armed with their assessment results, students can make wise decisions to prepare for their ideal career.

I recommend four assessments to accelerate college and university students’ exploration of self and to uncover what’s most important to them in their career. They are:

1. Myers Briggs Type Indicator^® (MBTI^®) or Golden Personality Type Profiler (GPTP);
2. Career Liftoff ^® Interest Inventory (CLII);
3. SkillScan™ Career Driver; and,
4. O*NET™ Work Importance Profiler™.

Both the MBTI^® and the GPTP, based on Jung’s Theory of Psychological Type, are excellent and reasonably priced assessments to administer to college students to uncover their personality type preferences on the following four scales:

• Extraversion—Introversion,
• Sensing—Intuition,
• Thinking—Feeling, and
• Judging—Perceiving (or Organizing—Adapting, GPTP).

Based on the individuals’ preferences students discover their four-letter personality type, one of sixteen possible types. The GPTP has an additional scale: Tense—Calm that shows how they react to stress. After students know their personality type, they discover more about who they are, careers that best fit their personality, and aspects of the social work environment that will fit them best.

The CLII is an inexpensive assessment to administer to college students to uncover college majors and occupations that best link to their interests. The CLII gives them their highest Holland Themes, top occupational interest scales (OIS), and occupations that link to their OIS’s. Students can compare their highest scoring Holland themes with occupations' highest Holland themes in O*NET^® OnLine; it provides detailed descriptions of occupations. For example, read the description of an occupation in O*NET^® Online and note what are its highest Holland themes.

The SkillScan™ Career Driver is an inexpensive assessment to help college and university students become more aware of their current skill sets and occupations that link to them, skills they’re most motivated to use, and their highest priority skills to develop for the future.  Additionally, they gain knowledge and tools to link their skill results with their Holland-based interests and their four-letter personality type; doing so, enhances their understanding of their multifaceted selves.

Often college and university students are unaware of their career values. The O*NET^® Work Importance Profiler™, a free online assessment, helps students become aware of their highest career values and the needs that underlie them.  With that information, they can compare the highest career values for various occupations in O*NET^® Online with their top career values.

In summary, administering and intrpreting these four assessments to students will enable them to choose a college major that suits them well, and thus, ensure they’re educated to land a job in a enjoyable career field. The best news is that the above four assessments can be administered for a total of less than $50!

© 2011. Nancy Branton.

Multiple Intelligences and Careers: Coaching Clients to Bring out Their Brilliance

Do you know what your strongest intelligences are? How aware are your clients of their intelligences? Howard Gardner expanded the traditional definition of intelligence to include eight different types of cognitive abilities. According to Gardner’s theory, people possess varying amounts of these eight intelligences. These intelligences link to people’s natural abilities and careers that link to them. Read more

Gardner’s eight intelligences are listed below, along with examples of natural abilities and careers associated with them.

 1. Spatial 

• Natural Abilities: drawing, imagination, developing 3D models
• Sampling of Careers: pilot, architect, interior designer, engineer 

2. Linguistic 

• Natural Abilities: listening, speaking, verbal persuasion
• Sampling of Careers: writer, speaker, translator, politician, librarian

3. Logical/ Mathematical 

• Natural Abilities: mathematical calculations, solving problems
• Sampling of Careers: mathematician, computer analyst, scientist

4. Bodily-Kinesthetic 

• Natural Abilities: hand-eye coordination, build things, dance
• Sampling of Careers: professional athlete, doctor, actor, firefighter

5. Musical 

• Natural Abilities: singing, playing an instrument, composing music, 
• Sampling of Careers: professional musician, disc-jockey, music therapist

6. Interpersonal

• Natural Abilities: empathy, relationship builder, leadership
• Sampling of Careers: sales, leader, teacher, entrepreneur

7. Intrapersonal 

• Natural Abilities: aware of inner workings of people, reflective, intuition 
• Sampling of Careers: psychologist, coach, philosopher

 8. Naturalistic 

• Natural Abilities: identify bird calls, gardening, preserving the environment
• Sampling of Careers: gardener, park naturalist, botanist, geologist

Taking a self-assessment may be helpful to your clients in becoming clear about their top intelligences. Below are two, free multiple intelligence assessments: 

• Multiple Intelligences by Birmingham Grid for Learning provides a graph that depicts the degree of strength for each of the eight Multiple Intelligences.

• Multiple Intelligences for Adult Literacy and Education assesses and identifies people’s top three intelligences and lists ways to use them. 

After your client has taken a multiple intelligence assessment, coach them to become more aware of their top multiple intelligences and the related abilities and careers.

1. What was it like for you to complete this assessment?
2. What surprised you most about your results?
3. What are your strongest intelligences?
4. How did these intelligences play out in your younger years?
5. How much are you using your strongest intelligences in your current job? 
6. How do these intelligences link to your current hobbies?
7. Which of the eight intelligences are most important to your success in your current job? 
8. What careers or jobs align most closely with your top intelligences?
9. What specialties in your career field best fit your intelligences?
10. How can you further develop your top intelligences?
11. What hobbies could you choose to further develop one or more your top intelligences?

In summary, career coaches need to be aware of and integrate multiple intelligences in the career assessment process. And, the coach can help the client be intentional about which abilities to develop, and then, determine jobs and careers in which these abilities may be utilized.

Further Information on Career Assessment Training for Coaches and Counselors

Copyright 2011. Nancy Branton.

Announcing Workplace Coach Institute, Inc.

I'd like to introduce you to our new business, Workplace Coach Institute, Inc. ^sm It is a leadership coach training and coach certification firm dedicated to bringing a system of humanity and humanness back into the global workplace. Co-founded by Nancy Branton, PCC and Cynthia Kivland, MCC, the company also offers consulting, training and assessment expertise dedicated to a global approach to develop principled workplaces. Nancy leads the Certified Leadership and Talent Management Coach (CLTMC) and the Certified Leadership Development Coach (CLDC) training programs. Cynthia Kivland leads the Social and Emotional Coach Certification programs. Visit our Assessment Center now and in the future as we add a number of new career and leadership assessment training programs. Also, view Workplace Coach Institute's Blog.

Career Advancement: 17 Important Behavioral Characteristics for Aspiring Leaders

  The following seventeen important behavioral characteristics are very important for aspiring leaders to develop in order to move into a leadership role and to be successful in it.

1. Respectable Character: ethical with high integrity inside and outside of work; honors one’s verbal and written commitments; and, adheres to company values, code of conduct, and norms.
2. Authentic and Transparent: walks one’s talk, appropriately shares vulnerabilities and feelings, displays a consistent leadership brand, and doesn’t use people for one’s personal gain.
3. Continuous Learner: seeks opportunities to work on new projects, serves on interdisciplinary task forces, volunteers for interim supervisor or manager roles, reads or listens to books on leadership, is active in professional associations, attends training to stay curren t with industry and technical area, and participates in leadership development training and opportunities.
4. Ongoing Feedback: asks colleagues, boss, and customers for feedback, thanks them for it, acts on it, and avoids punishing people for their feedback; and, participates in 360-degree feedback to identify and develop in important areas. 
5. Relationships of Respect: appreciates and acknowledges others’ good work; has a good sense of “give and take;” addresses and resolves conflicts; respects authority; avoids going around the boss; avoids gossip and doesn’t speak negatively of others; appreciates and values people’s differences; and, seeks out and builds positive relationships with colleagues, managers, customers and stakeholders.
6. Influential Communicator: learns about people’s positions on issues; gets to know people on personal level; regularly shares useful and appropriate information up, down, across, and outward in a convincing manner; has solid written communication skills; speaks in a persuasive manner; listens and is open-minded; and, demonstrates politically savvy.
7. Quiet Strength and Humility: is approachable, avoids self-promotion, and speaks up for others as well as self.
8. Team Player: shares credit, participates in the “grunt” work, helps others out, gets along well with others, adheres to team norms, raises issues that need to be addressed, works well across disciplines, holds others accountable, and successfully completes work assignments.
9. Informal Leader: steps up to lead in situations when a leader hasn’t been identified or isn’t present, and takes charge in emergency situations.
10. Confident and Optimistic: has a “can do” attitude, is energetic, motivates others to move forward in a positive direction, and brings levity to the group.
11. Purposeful: works toward the company vision; is goal-oriented, implements a piece of the companies’ mission; displays passion about the work; and, focuses on the most important work.
12. Bottom Line Impact: shows initiative, tackles tough problems, develops innovative solutions, quickly adapts to changing circumstances, takes wise risks, gets the job done right, is able to work independently, and continuously strives for improvement.
13. Emotional Health: is aware of own emotions and curbs anger, is calm in stressful situations, and harnesses emotions for positive outcomes.
14. Fair & Reasonable Decider: makes wise decisions based on logic as well as the considering the impact on people, recognizes both the details and big picture, is known for the ability to make tough decisions, and is also recognized as being compassionate toward staff who are experiencing professional and personal challenges.
15. Resilient & Balanced: works hard but takes breaks, may work long hours on a big project but takes vacations, avoids a routine of late hours and weekend work, and takes care of one’s physical and mental health.
16. Career Builder: establishes career goals and works steadily toward them; seeks out mentors, reaches for that next promotion; has a polished style and look; and, furthers one’s education to become qualified for a desired position.
17. Cultural Awareness & Sensitivity: seeks to understand and adapt to the culture of the company, geographic area, and country; and, is accepting of and works well with people from varying cultures.

Copyright 2007-2010. Nancy Branton.
Whats' your reaction to this list? What else would you add to this list?
 

The Top 25 Global Companies for Leaders: Companies that Develop Talent and Do It Right

Fortune teamed with Hewitt Associates and the RBL Group to find out what companies develop strong leaders the best. More than 500 global companies were surveyed in the search. A team of specialized judges from around the world selected the finalists. The list of 25 top companies that attract, retain, and nurture talent were also grouped by four global regions.

1. IBM--HQ: Armonk, NY; Revenues: $103.6B
2. Proctor & Gamble--HQ-Cincinnati, OH; Revenue: $79B
3. General Mills--HQ: Minneapolis, MN; Revenues: $14.7B
4. McKinsey-no HQ, Revenues: $5B+
5. ICICI Bank-HQ: Mumbai; Revenues: $7.4B
6. McDonalds-HQ: Oak Brook, Ill; Revenues: $23.5B
7. General Electric-HQ: Fairfield, CN; Revenues: $182.5B
8. Titan Cement-Athens, Greece; Revenues: $2.3B
9. China Mobile-HQ: Shanghai; Revenues: $2.5B
10. Hindustan Unilever-HQ: Mumbai; Revenues: $4.4B
11. Natura Cosmeticos-HQ: Cajamar, Brazil; Revenues: $16B
12. Colgate-Palmolive-HQ: New York, NY; Revenues: $15.3B
13. TNT-HQ: Hoofdoorp, Netherlands; Revenues: $1605B
14. Deere-HQ: Moline, Il; Revenues: $28.4B
15. Whirlpool-HQ: Benton Harbor, MI; Revenues: $18.9B
16. 3M-HQ: St. Paul, MN; Revenues: $25B
17. Cargill-HQ: Minneapolis, MN; Revenues: $16.6B
18. OLAM-HQ: Singapore; Revenues: $8.9B
19. Ely Lilli-HQ: Indianapolis, IN; Revenues: $20.4B
20. PepsiCo-HQ: Purchase, NY; Revenues: $43B
21. American Express-HQ: New York City, NY; Revenues: $28.4B
22. Lockheed Martin-HQ: Bethesda, MD; Revenues: $42.7B
23. Intel-HQ: Santa Clara, CA; Revenues: $3706B
24. Infosys-HQ: Bangalore, India; Revenues: $4.6B
25. FedEx-HQ: Memphis, TN; Revenues: $35.5B

Source: Fortune Magazine, December 7, 2009, pp. 77-78.
Related article: "How to Build Great Leaders," pp. 70-72.

Companies that have competent leaders with stellar character

Over the last 15+ years, companies have placed a tremendous amount of attention on developing current and future leaders' competencies. Has that happened at the expense of developing leaders' character?

Below is the start of a list of companies that people have identified that hire, develop, and retain leaders that are highly competent with stellar character.

• Medtronic
• 3M
• Carlson Companies
• Caterpillar
• Hewlett Packard
• ADM
• Procter & Gamble
• GE
• International Paper

What companies should be added to the list? Keep it going!

Conflict Management Coaching Steps & Questions

1.  Allow client to vent about the conflict and its impact on him/her

• What’s going on?
• What’s it like for you?
• How’s the conflict affecting you?
• How’s the conflict affecting your work?

2.  Identify impact of conflict on staff and company

• What’s the impact of this conflict on your staff (or other staff)?
• What’s the impact (or potential) of this conflict on the company?

3.  Unearth source(s) of conflict

• What key differences are present in this conflict?
• What do you think is the underlying cause of the conflict?
• What’s the primary source of the conflict?
• How can you apply your understanding of the conflict to improve this relationship?

4. Discover style differences

•     What conflict style are you and the other person using?
•     What differences are there between your personality style and the other’s?
•     How might you adjust your style to resolve the conflict?

5. Explore interpersonal dynamics

•     Describe the interaction style between you and the other person?
•     How positive or negative are your styles with one another?
•     How does your style with this person differ from your interactions with others?
•     How can you adapt your interaction style with this person to address the conflict?   

6.  Notice who’s contributing to the conflict

• How are you contributing to the conflict?
• What peers are involved in the conflict? And, how?
• Which direct reports are involved in the conflict? And, how?
• What actions is your manager(s) taking in response to this conflict?
• Specifically, how are the others contributing to the conflict?

7.  Identify what’s contributing to conflict

• What relevant changes are occurring in your unit, department, or company?
• What about your manager’s role affects the conflict?
• How is the organization contributing to the conflict?
• What else is contributing to the conflict?
• What external changes are occurring now?

8.  Explore limiting beliefs

• What are your thoughts and beliefs about the conflict?
• What power can you exert in this situation?
• I hear you say, “I can’t” a lot. How would things be different if you focused for a bit on what you “can” do?
• You seem to be focusing a lot of attention on things beyond your control. What aspects of this situation do you have control over?
• I hear you saying a lot of “have to’s. How can you use more “be’s?”
• What risks do you need to take?

9. Consider other perspectives

• What’s a 180-degree different way to look at the conflict?
• What perspectives do others have about the conflict?
• What would the greatest mentor suggest you do about the conflict?
• If you were standing in the other person’s shoes, what does that look like?

10.  Clarify desired future

• What is your desired outcome?
• What benefits will that outcome bring you and others?
• How will this outcome benefit the department, organization, and customers?

11.  Assess/Identify areas of strength and development opportunities

• What skills do you currently have that you can apply to this conflict?
• What skills do you need to develop to handle the conflict situation?
• What skills could be beneficial to avoid future conflicts?
• How can you best learn these skills?
• In the past, what has worked best for you to successfully resolve conflict? How can you apply that learning to the present situation?
• Think of a person who is skillful in handling conflict. How could you apply those skills to your conflict?

12.  Brainstorm possible strategies

• What are some potential strategies to address the conflict?
• What constructive things could you do now to start addressing the situation?
• What conversations do you need to have, and with whom?

13. Discuss self-care and boundaries that need to be established

• What temporary boundaries do you need to establish to protect yourself?
• What are you doing to take care of yourself?
• Who can provide you with emotional support?
• Who can you rely on during difficult times?
• Who can you have fun with?
• How can you best manage stress associated with the conflict?
• Note: If your client is having a difficult time dealing with serious stressers, consider making a referral to an appropriate professional.

14. Determine actions to take?

• What course of action do you want to take?
• What’s the best action to take first? 
• What else do you want to do between sessions?

15.  Identify potential barriers to actions and ways to overcome them

• What could get in the way of your moving forward?
• How could you avoid obstacles?
• What are some ways to overcome these obstacles?

© 2008-2009. Nancy Branton.

The Power of a Dream: Coaching Clients to Create a Compelling Vision

The creation of a compelling dream (or vision) is one of the greatest gifts people receive from coaching. Once they have a clear dream, they can be coached to identify and take important steps to make their dream a reality. Usually, working to achieve a dream has a positive impact on them, and may also have a significant impact on others for years or generations to come.

A powerful example of an impactful dream is that of Dr. Martin Luther King (MLK). His dream gave hope to many and positively impacted race relations in the United States of America. On August 28, 1963, Dr. King stood on the steps of The Lincoln Memorial and delivered his famous “I have a Dream” speech as part of the civil rights movement. He said, “So even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. . . I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.’” And, he said, “This will be the day when all of God’s children will be able to sing with a new meaning, “My Country ’tis of Thee.” And, he summed it by saying, “This is our hope.”

On January 20, 2009, Barack Hussein Obama was sworn in as the 44th United States president, being the first African-American to hold this office. This event occurred one day after the MLK holiday and approximately 45½ years after Dr. King’s historic address. President Obama addressed the masses in the national mall and millions of others who were watching him on television. With The Lincoln Memorial in the distance, he reminded them how important it is “to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.” While people of various races stood together, Aretha Franklin, ‘Queen of Soul’ sang “My Country, ’tis of thee.” Although Dr. King wasn’t alive to see his dream come to fruition, he played a pivotal role in creating a significant change in race relations for future generations.

At times, people are without hope and do not have a dream for a better future. Some have no hope because their parents and teachers did not value their inherent greatness, and never encouraged them to dream big and pursue further education. Some lost hope when their employers gave up on them and no longer considered them promotable. Some seem to have given up hope for a better future after being emotionally damaged and/or devalued in their last workplace. For example, one of my clients resigned from her college faculty position because her colleagues were constantly devaluing her style of teaching and professional perspectives. Another client’s confidence was greatly diminished after being bullied incessantly by a supervisor.

Today, many people lack hope because they were laid off and fear they won’t be able to land a good job, given the current state of the economy. For example, a new client of mine has been without income for eight months since he resigned from a stressful work situation. And yesterday, his wife’s place of employment closed down with no advance notice to employees. Needless to say, he and his wife are feeling overwhelmed by these difficult circumstances.

Despite people’s difficult circumstances, there can still be room for hope. For example, Viktor Frankl, a survivor of dire, uncontrollable circumstances as a prisoner in a concentration camp, attributed his survival to the recognition that he still had one choice, and that was how he chose to view his situation. As coaches, we are in a unique position to be dream givers. And, when our clients have hope, they can see more possibilities and are open to fresh perspectives.

“Purpose is the anchor that secures us to life. . . which keeps us going when nothing else does”

—Richard Leider

To gain a sense of purpose, people need to get in touch with their deeply held values and passions, and then, to explore the legacy they want to leave behind. Here are some of my favorite questions on this topic to ask clients.

•    What do you spend time thinking about the most?

•    What important topics to do you like to discuss with others?

•    If there was one thing you could impact in the world, what would that be?

•    What training or education do you desire most to obtain?

•    What might others say you are most passionate about?

•    What are your favorite topics to read about?

•    What section of the bookstore do you gravitate to?

•    What causes or organizations do you donate the most time and money to?

•    If you won $100,000,000 what would you do with significant chunks of the money, besides what you’d spend on yourself and family members?

•    Whom do you admire the most? And, what about that person is special to you?

•    When you near the end of your life, what do you hope to look back on and smile about?

In order for people to be successful in the marketplace, they need to operate from a position of strength, not fear. As coaches, we should never play the role of ‘judge’ or ‘jury’ with our clients. Rather, we need to assist them in eliminating unnecessary, limiting beliefs and/or lies about themselves and in transforming them into truths and possibilities. Also, coaches can guide clients to uncover their gifts, strengths, and personal brand, and then, to coach them on how to communicate effectively their unique value to the prospective employer.

Here are some of my favorite questions to address clients’ limiting beliefs and to help them focus on their strengths.

•    What would your greatest admirer say about you?

•    Imagine yourself far in the future looking back on this time of your life–what did you do that helped you succeed?

•    On what topics do others seek your advice?

•    As you think about your greatest success to date, what was it and what strengths did you rely on most to achieve it?

•    What limiting belief do you need to say “good-bye” to? What would that allow you to say “hello” to?

•    What support do you need from others to make your dream a reality?

•    What do you need to say to family members and friends who aren’t supporting you on your goals?

•    From whom can you seek support to move you closer to your goals?

•    What positive self-talk do you need to have about yourself?

In conclusion, we will positively impact our clients when we do the following things: affirm them, ignite their passion, encourage them to dream big, believe in their ability to attain goals, assist them in overcoming obstacles, and shine a light on their strengths. Finally, I leave you with some further resources to equip you to be a purposeful coach!

Books on Purpose and a Growth Mindset

•    I Have A Dream by Martin Luther King, Jr.

•    Dream Giver by Bruce Wilkinson and Heather Kopp

•    Man‘s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl

•    The Power of Purpose by Richard Leider

•    Something to Live For: Finding Your Way in The Second Half of Life by Richard Leider

•    Finishing Well: What People Who Really Live Do Differently! by Bob Buford

•    Wake Up. . . Live the Life You Love: Living on Purpose compiled by Steven E. and Lee Beard

•    Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol S. Dweck, PhD

Books on Personal Brand and Strengths

•    Career Distinction: Standing Out by Building Your Brand by William Arruda and Kristen Dixson

•    StrengthsFinder 2.0 by Tom Rath

•    StrengthsBased Leadership by Tom Rath and Barry Conchie

Tools and Assessments on Purpose, Values, Strengths, and Brand

•    Power of Purpose Quiz (free) - www.inventuregroup.com/Resources/Quiz.aspx

•    Calling CardsTM - www.inventuregroup.com/inventure-store/

•    “How Strong is Your Brand” quiz (free) - www.reachcc.com/brandquiz

•    360° ReachTM Personal Branding Assessment - www.reachcc.com/360register

•    Values Arrangement List (VAL) - www.leadershipcoachacademy.com/assessmentacademy.html

•    StrengthsFinder 2.0 - www.strengthsfinder.com

•    SkillScan - www.skillscan.net

Free Newsletters on Purpose

•    Subscribe to Purposeful Coach newsletter by Tim Kelley - www.knowyourpurpose.com/coaches

•    Read articles in On Purpose Journal - www.inventuregroup.com/Resources/OnPurposeJournal.aspx

Nancy Branton M.A., PCC is the President of People Potential Group, Inc., Director of the Leadership Coach Academy and Assessment Academy, and Instructor at Career Coach Academy. Prior to starting her own coaching business, she had 30 years in Human Resources as HR Director, Assistant HR Director, and HR Development Consultant/Coach. She has a master’s degree in Industrial/Organizational Psychology and has earned numerous coach certifications.

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