Life coaching tackles career & work life management

I’m keenly focused on the mirror in front of me while in tree pose taking a hot yoga class at Harbor Lights Yoga on Long Island. “Breathe,” I’m thinking to myself. I feel like I’m going to pass out. My thoughts focused on the countdown to completion, before I could bolt for the door from todays attempt at work life balance.

Yoga instructor Daniel Campbell (a friend and colleague) read my mind. “Judy, just a few more. (she laughs) I don’t have to tell YOU to breathe.” Daniel might be a yoga teacher (and oddly enough TV anchor) but in this scenario, she’s really my coach.

Life coaches come in many forms and we hire them for many reasons: personal development. career, fitness, stress reduction and even work life effectiveness . While it’s mostly anecdotal, The National Coach Federation website suggests an increasing interest in hiring life coaches especially in a recession economy when many are forced into job transition and baby boomers are rewiring their careers. With the blurring of the working and living experience in our WorkLife Nation, many are scrambling to figure out how to integrate the work life merge more efficiently with grace to avoid burnout.

The boom of interest has spread across the nation including on Long Island. Sunday, November 1st, the Long Island Coaching Alliance is hosting a conference, How to Thrive in Today’s World: An afternoon with New York’s Top Coaches. I’m thrilled to be presenting the keynote and receiving the groups Inspiration of the Year Award. You’ll have an opportunity to meet quality life coaches and to better understand the process of hiring one.

Career transition, mid-life crisis, and work life integration are among the many reasons to hire life coach. But how do you know if you’ll benefit from hiring a life coach?

“If you know you need support with a fresh perspective,” says life coach Rita Maniscalco who adds that coaching support is very different from therapy.

“Therapy works on understanding the past whereas coaching works on creating the future,” she says. If you’re looking for practical solutions and an accountability partner, you might consider hiring a life coach, Maniscalco suggests. Even if you’re not exactly sure where that future will lead according to Elizabeth Cassidy of Branching Out Life Coaching.

Describing the makeup of  potential clients who approach her, Cassidy says “They’re in there somewhere, and they know without a doubt that they want to and need to move ahead in their lives. But they need support and motivation – and dark chocolate when needed.” Part of that process is breaking through self-imposed barriers, reducing chaotic stressful patterns and creating realistic goals.

Lisa-Michelle Kucharz founded Ace The Race in 2007 as a career coaching company. You can find a life coach for just about anything these days, but Ms. Kucharz says each coach has “a unique style and recognizes the individual need of every client.”

“Many people seek the assistance of a career coach to figure out their ideal careers, re-enter the workforce, get their next promotion, find a new job, or start their own businesses,” says Ms. Kucharz who adds that those coaching sessions can take many different forms.

“The heart of most individual coaching arrangements is usually a regularly scheduled meeting that most often takes place over the phone once a week. Today, many coaches also are available by e-mail in between meetings,” says Kucharz.

Coaching sessions will generally focus on a client’s agenda, goal setting, strategizing, tracking results, discussing challenges, overcoming obstacles and celebrating successes. How to choose that special coach is a process, but well worth the effort to be sure you’re hooking up with the perfect fit for your needs. That means experience, referrals, and identifying your specific needs.

For example, I’ve been coaching clients to prepare them for media opportunities for many years. It takes time to articulate ones special message through ones own lens.  Talking points don’t come overnight and I know this because I’ve worked in media for twenty years. Talking points have to be massaged and contemplated before the right phrases emerge. My clients know this and that kind of patience is needed with life coaching as well. It’s a process of discovery and personal development with an eye toward building a new vocation – or reigniting your own passion.

Here are some tips to help you choose the right coach – for you.

1. Don’t just pick a coach off the internet. Get referrals from colleagues and friends.
2. Try your best to identify your greatest need for a life coach. Are you more concerned with finding a new job, changing careers or giving a boost to your current job status or career.
3. Speak with at least three different coaches prior to making a decision. Some coaches will offer a complimentary mini-session. This will give you a good idea of your chemistry with the coach.
4. Ask lots of questions about how they work. Some offer weekly phone sessions, others can work in person, but most are now working more and more over the internet. What works for your work life situation?
5. Price ranges can vary depending on the coach’s experience and the packages they offer. Some coaches offer deals for longer commitments. Ultimately your choice will be a mixture of your comfort level not only with cash – but also with your time.

Valuing “work life wellness” in an “attention economy”

The most valuable commodities are no longer just money or time; more specifically, it’s your attention. And in a workplace that is overloaded with stimulation, as we morph into digital natives, employers face daily new hurdles to engage an employees attention.

Part of the challenges are mounting health care issues leading to stress in the workplace. As we recognize National Work & Family Month, workplace wellness is grabbing headlines. Congress is turning up the heat on the health care debate and H1N1 is boiling up a storm on the front burner. If an employee is not well, their attention will be diverted and they’re just not going to perform as well. Common sense.

The Wellness of the American Workforce – NOT!

In a recent report from the Families and Work Institute on the State of the American Workforce, data shows the health of the employed American worker is spiraling downward.

• Only 28% of employees today report that their overall health is “excellent,” down from 34% just six years ago
• Two-thirds of the American workforce is overweight
• 41% of employees report experiencing three or more indicators of stress
• One in three employees experiences one or more symptoms of clinical depression

The report calls for reform in creating more “effective workplaces” which is based on six measurable criteria. The findings indicate that a more effective workplace makes a difference for an employees health and well being. Kathie Lingle, Executive Director of the Alliance for Work-Life Progress echoes this idea in a recent article on The Huffington Post, “Seven Ways you Can Win the Battle to Control Your Own Life:”

“Workers should use this time to take steps to strengthen their physical, mental and financial health. Companies, meanwhile, should take stock of their management strategies in order to maintain productivity and alleviate the burden on their employees.”

In our 24/7 economically challenged environment, workplace wellness initiatives aren’t carrying enough weight even in the face of the healthcare debate. Such workplace wellness initiatives like nutritional counseling, financial advising and programs like flextime and shorter work weeks are too often seen as “perks” as opposed to long term strategies. But only sustainable long term programs will act as incentives toward changing behavior, leading to healthier more attentive and engaged workers.

How do you measure wellness?

This conversation is not given the airtime it deserves and the overarching quandary seems to be metrics, even with non-profits like the Families and Work Institute, Alliance for Work-Life Progress and Corporate Voices for Working Families leading the charge. Companies want the hard figures to reflect in their spread sheets which makes quantifying. Wellness programs must yield financial benefits.

When employee attention is diverted due to health issues and/or stress, both employers and employees end up losing. Solution? More emphasis on wellness programs at work. Not just the fluffy on-site gym kind, but behavioral and environmental modification.

Changing Behavior @ Work

Changing behavior is an uphill battle unless you have buy-in and participation from employees and employers. As we are living with an “attention crash” mentality, we’ve got to first understand the value of that attention. Rick Jarow Ph.D is a Vasser College professor and one of my cherished mentors in everything work-life who is a progressive career counseling. Here’s what he shared recently on his thoughts of attention:

“Your greatest asset is attention. Everyone is vying to control your attention because that’s what creates reality. Where ever you place your attention is where your life will expand. Engage it.”

Many companies are educating their employees and offering wellness programs, but how serious are they about follow-through and quantifying the results? If companies do not offer the experience in an appetizing way, modify the programs, and create a wellness culture in an organization – a new model of workplace wellness, health and employee engagement will not emerge. (Please check out Maggie Jackson’s Balancing Act post in the Boston Globe for more on this including a success story)

Bringing attention to workplace wellness is a prerequisite to fostering changes in behavior. An evolution of sorts is called for. But how can we ignite the interest of the employer and engage workers long enough to capture their attention? Oddly enough, thoughts on this poured into my head at a recent public discourse on online marketing hosted by the Center for Communication at The New School in NYC.

The conversation focused on competitive marketing in a digital age. But whether you’re marketing a new product or workplace wellness – you’re still vying for attention. Here’s what digital visionary Mark Ghuneim, CEO of Wiredset, said at the discussion with media business guru Jack Myers (Jack Myers Media Business Report & MediaVillage.com)

“How do you engage? You can change behavior – based on engagement.”

Mr. Ghuneim gave the example of a recent YouTube video which shows how people better engage when they are enjoying an experience. It’s part of a site called TheFunTheory.com, an initiative of Volkswagon. Here’s the idea:

Something simple and fun is the easiest way to change people’s behavior for the better. Be it for yourself, for the environment, or for something entirely different, the only thing that matters is that it’s change for the better.

When employees engage in an experience they enjoy – perhaps they’ll be more likely to change their behavior. It might sounds simple but the video is telling. In the interest of stress reduction and workplace wellness, perhaps we can start with a healthy dose of fun and serenity. Enjoy!

Work Life Culture Post 911, We’re a Work Life Nation

It’s been eight years since our world changed in an instant on September 11th 2001. Our world perspective was suddenly viewed through a new expanded lens courtesy the internet, globalization, international security and economic concerns. As a reporter for the national radio program, Marketplace Morning Report, my world was turned upside down as I reported from the rubble of the World Trade Center and Wall Street.

But from the chaos of 911 emerged a new passion for me: to identify and report on the drastic changes, dynamic innovations, and demons in our work life culture. Nearly three years ago I started blogging on the topic, then came podcasts (you can hear these at my Judy Martin Speaks site) and now I’m taking it up a notch into my comfort zone of television. This is the first episode of WorkLife Nation. Here’s the back story:

911 brought many painful but rich memories which will forever be etched into my heart and mind. Learning that my friend, News 12 Photographer and NYC Police Officer Glenn Pettit was killed in Tower 2, was deafening to the soul. But the camaraderie we all experienced always rings through this time of the year. I had the gift of volunteering with the children of the victims at Pier 94 where the families were offered services.

Our lives would never be the same again, nor would our work lives and careers, which fascinated me. 911 stirred the pot and had us questioning how we live our lives and how we work. Did we live to work  - or work to live?  Economic setbacks and shifts in our social structure continued to fuel a blur between work and life.

Furthermore, the idea that passion and profit were mutually exclusive was dealt a seismic shift in my brain regarding career and work. “It doesn’t have to be that way,” I thought, “We can rebuild him, we have the technology to make him better (theme song from The Bionic Man, The Bionic Woman) we have the capability to create a happier and more satisfying working experience – a vocation.”

911 catapulted me into a world where I felt compelled to examine and report on our work life culture from a more human perspective: from the post-911 workplace fears, to corporate malfeasance, to family leave, to the Americans with Disabilities Act, to employee engagement, to work life flexibility and the elusive work life balance debate. From the ashes of chaos during 911 emerged a passion to figure out how the work life merge might be navigated with more awareness and consciousness. Thus, WorkLife Nation was born.

WorkLife Nation Episode One: The Great Merge!

In the first episode of  WorkLifeNation Success, Serenity & Significance 24/7 –  you’ll hear about how the internet as a catalyst is changing the way we work and do business in a challenging new economy.  We’re more connected, and our workplace is evolving, entrepreneurs abound and many work from home. Be it baby boomer, Gen X or Gen Y, many thirst for more meaningful work,  but demand more family and me time. The lines have blurred in the quest for success, serenity and significance in our worklife .

We’re redefining success in terms of values, passion and profit. You’ll hear from author and entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuck of WinelibraryTV.com. Passion is the underlying theme in his book: “Crush It.” Social Media Guru Chris Brogan who wrote “Trust Agents“ with colleague Julien Smith, talks about the core value of trust, when doing business on the internet.

But to succeed -we have to keep the flame going and that means Serenity: cultivating resilience while navigating sensory overload. Exercise, Yoga and mediation are gaining speed at work. That’s where  Andrew Newberg M.D shares from his book, “How God Changes your Brain.”

From there you’ll hear from Cali Williams Yost – CEO of WorkLIfeFit Inc. We’ve done some work together  and she’s got her finger on the pulse of worklife flex. The more flexible we are the easier it will be to make a difference -and that’s where significance comes in. Conscious work toward a greater purpose. Deepak Chopra weighs in on his thoughts.

In these radically changing times people are clamoring for more humanity in work and in business. Question is, how can we have more meaningful work and master success, serenity and significance  in the chaotic waters of a world that changes in an instant. You’ll hear a lot more from these pioneering voices in future episodes of WorkLifeNation.

Has recession communication hit bottom at companies?

When corporate America was slammed with recession and started clearing the deck with layoffs to save costs, a good portion of companies upped their in-house communication in an attempt to thwart water cooler gossip and keep a handle on morale. But such talk is waning according to a new study by Watson Wyatt and it might not bode well for retention of skilled employees. 

Even with hopes for a rebound on the horizon, ” few companies are planning to increase their communication with workers about pay, benefits and business performance in general”. That finding is from the global services firm just released 2009/2010 Communication ROI Study. 

The study suggests that companies ” have made substantial adjustments in response to the downturn,” but Kathryn Yates, global director of communication consulting at Watson Wyatt adds “As the pace of change slows and recovery draws near, it is more important than ever to explain the rationale underlying decisions and communicate to workers about the changes that affect them the most.”  The study took the pulse of 328 employers between April and June of 2009.

What Yates says makes a lot of sense. The fear mongering that occurred when those pink slips started streaming in December of 2007 was mildly tempered when companies stepped up to the plate to inform their employees about the dreaded downsizing to come. Peoples lives and careers were threatened and information helped quell the fear. With a potential recovery in sight to the financial crisis (although from today’s retail and jobless numbers, one wonders) now is not the time to skimp on small talk within company walls. 

As humans, we are communicators with consciousness, especially as we continue in our quest for better work life integration. We articulate not just with words but through body language, and an innate intuitive quality which goes beyond the rhetoric we read in company memos and hear at the water cooler. When the proverbial— hits the fan, we feel it in the gut and can see it on our co-workers faces before it hits the headlines.

In the same breath an employer can say one thing –  and mean another –  if not properly communicated and heard by an employee. Therein lies the conundrum with regard to morale and productivity. Mystery fuels fear. Instead of pulling back, companies should look at this time as a new opportunity to foster employer/employee relationships.

Companies have streamlined their operations and kept their stealth performers. To retain them when things start looking up again takes work. Why would companies keep quiet in the corner office now, when they have the ear of workers just as concerned about a turnaround? Now is the time to step up communication as there is an open channel of activity. Employees are more eager than ever to know which way the business pendulum is swinging, and if they still have a place in the orchestration of the company’s growth.

It’s simple psychology. A happy employee is a more productive employee and more likely to stick around as companies start to shore up their business agenda for the hoped-for rebound. If a worker knows that an employer is still up front about the business trajectory, still concerned with examining benefit structure and pay issues, then the lines of communication between rank and file stay open. To reverse that transparency in any way sends up red flags and potentially will send the best employees packing.