VIM Executive Coaching does not limit its programs to business and leadership. You might be interested in knowing that we help professionals who are discontented in their careers to change to work that they truly enjoy.
When Do You Know?
Several years ago, we were visiting a beekeeper and specialty crop farmer near Taos, New Mexico. Her small farm was a joy to behold, filled with herbs, lettuce, leeks, onions and such sold to high-end restaurants. She seemed a radiant personality, quick to laugh and happy in her element, which included straw sun-hat, green rubber boots, jeans and a well-worn T-shirt.
While we’re not quite certain as to how the conversation went from compost to CD’s, it nevertheless did. We learned that less than five years before, we could have found her in an investment banking firm making a hefty salary with the benefits of having made her firm a great deal of money. It only cost her 70 to 80 hours a week, a marriage and the makings of hypertension and other health problems.
“I had all of trappings of success,” she confided. “I was miserable. What made life bearable was my garden and my Golden Retriever.”
She wanted a change but, “I was afraid of who I would be away from the three screens on my desk and my 1K status on United.”
Finally, she had no choice. She was no longer sleeping and one morning, she simply could-not-get-out-of-bed.
“I knew what I wanted. I was afraid of getting there, and what people would think of me for leaving ‘my status’ to go off and follow my heart.”
Her story was inspiring and she indeed found the courage to change her life. And, as she stood there, surrounded by life and chatting with customers, it was ironic when she said, “I had no desire to die at my desk. I should have made this move years before I made it.”
The VIM Way
Based on our many years of executive coaching, we came to realize that our “coaching” was not limited to executive leadership, but also to those who wanted to confront the issues that were blocking them from realizing our dreams. This was prompted by our remembrances of people we have coached and been associated with who went from serving as board members to opening dog boarding services; a successful medical supply executive who became a physician; a business consultant who owns a chain of coffee shops and professional athlete who owns an investment organization.
Each journey taught us many lessons, but none more important than the fact that there are many executives and managers who are locked into unhappy occupations.
What is an unhappy career? That is a question both highly personal and ever-changing. It is personal in the sense that everyone is different. The restauranteur may dream of becoming a financial analyst while an accountant may long to be a personal trainer. It is also ever changing. An executive leader who was happy in one profession for the “younger part” of her career, may want to transition to another field in the latter part of her work life.
While a change from one career to another may be desired, we found that most people have no idea how to successfully change or even how they will begin the journey to “get there.” Some find the prospect of change as painful as staying. They get stuck.
The VIM Way, a new service of VIM Executive Coaching, will help those desiring transition to get unstuck. Please contact VIM Executive Coaching about the VIM Way and the advantages of this service in helping your career.