"There is nothing new except what has been forgotten."
— Attributed to Voltaire
VIM Executive Coaching has been at the practice of career coaching and business coaching for many years. We take our work seriously, with the understanding that clients entrust themselves to our counsel. While we are not psychologists, we appreciate that so many of our clients have shared their lives and work challenges on an ongoing basis.
We are troubled that often, ill-prepared career coaches and career coaching services resort to quick-fixes and gimmicks to take what they perceive as “the burden of coaching” off their shoulders.
It needs to be said that we never view our work with clients as a burden. We incorporate compassion, commitment and courage in what we do.
No Place for Gimmicks
At the heart of the distrust of career coaches and career coaching in general is that there are almost no barriers to entry. Much like real estate agents, sales reps and mortgage lenders, career coaches are often suspect as to experience.
With decades of working with clients, VIM Executive Coaching understands the reticence, the very reserve of many fine executives to enter into the process. The fear is reasonable and justified, which is why we seek and encourage questions. Our coaches are far from amateur; they have had successful careers and proven track records before our training. We match our coaches to our clients, so that when a coach says, “I understand,” they do.
In direct opposition to any gimmickry, we strive to be there. What that means to us is that our commitment to clients is not only in the moment, but often well beyond the moments of actual coaching. It is quite common for coaches and clients to develop a bond of support and nurturing. In fact, many of our clients develop friendships with coaches. It may be a trite statement but we learn as much from our clients as they learn from us. It is a beautiful thing to see a vibrant, insightful and successful executive leader emerge from the uncertainty, pain and confusion clients sometimes bring to the initial sessions. We pride ourselves on non-judgment; there is no greater advocate for a career than our advocacy.
Seizing on Another’s Fears
Another distrust of the career coaching industry are coaches who like to pounce or seize on a client’s already desperate predicament. We understand this is a tough job market. No coach should ever make ridiculous promises or false guarantees. We work in a mindful fashion. We understand the conditions and our bond with our clients is to allow success as a function of putting in the work and seeing the smallest victories in the process. By the way, a word of caution: there is no secret job market. There are no hidden keys or keystrokes! Never fall for false possibilities and fakery. That said, there is virtually nothing that can’t be overcome through authenticity and mindfulness.
Other “Hooks” and Schemes
At this precise moment, we can sit down and within a couple of minutes find “100” online career coaching influencers. They offer basic classes, masterclasses and super-master classes (complete, of course, with continuing subscriptions and access to secret podcasts). Scratch under the surface, and they are not much different than the same templates used for home decorating hacks, stock-picking, “how to make it in Hollywood scams,” or guaranteed diet plans.
In our AI age, nothing has ever been found in a career coaching sense that much improves a career than the acts of reflection, response and mindful action that improves on the wisdom of ancient thinkers. Times have changed, of course, but mindfulness and an appreciation of the courage it takes for self-improvement has not.