Kit Prendergast, PCC
Kit brings you a wealth of expertise and experience as well as a wonderful spirit, energy, and a gift for inspiring you to create the life you truly want for yourself.Kit's Tips & Books
Kits Tag Cloud
Brain Science business Career change coaching communication cross-cultural Emotional Intelligence energy engagement entrepreneurship Global Volunteerism happiness inspiration Leadership learning management millenials motivation Multigenerational Networking optimism Positive Psychology Relationships resiliency social media strengths success Talent Development teams training transition VisioningKit's Favorite Resources
-
Blog Archive
- October 2016
- September 2016
- July 2016
- June 2016
- May 2016
- April 2016
- March 2016
- February 2016
- January 2016
- December 2015
- November 2015
- October 2015
- September 2015
- July 2015
- June 2015
- May 2015
- April 2015
- March 2015
- February 2015
- January 2015
- December 2014
- November 2014
- October 2014
- September 2014
- July 2014
- June 2014
- April 2014
- March 2014
- February 2014
- January 2014
- December 2013
- November 2013
- October 2013
- September 2013
- July 2013
- June 2013
- May 2013
- April 2013
- March 2013
- February 2013
- January 2013
- December 2012
- November 2012
- October 2012
- September 2012
- July 2012
- June 2012
- May 2012
- April 2012
- March 2012
- February 2012
- January 2012
- December 2011
- November 2011
- October 2011
- September 2011
- August 2011
- July 2011
- June 2011
- May 2011
- April 2011
- March 2011
- February 2011
- January 2011
- December 2010
- November 2010
- October 2010
- September 2010
- July 2010
- June 2010
- May 2010
- April 2010
- March 2010
- February 2010
- January 2010
- December 2009
- November 2009
- October 2009
- September 2009
- August 2009
- July 2009
- June 2009
- May 2009
- April 2009
- March 2009
- February 2009
- January 2009
Category Archives: Career Tips & Strategies
Coaching Takes Off Internationally!
What a whirlwind! I just returned from the wonderful annual international coaching conference (ICF) held this year in Las Vegas, NV. This is my sixth conference – Quebec, Saint Louis, Oakland, San Jose & Montreal – and each have been a great experience well worth the money and time.
Here in Nevada, we had approximately 1,000 coaches from 42 countries attending bringing a wealth of experience and expertise to this four day conference. My head was spinning from first attending our own state-wide NV coaching conference to hearing from the incredibly inspirational key-note speakers (Michael Gelb & Steve Farber) to soaking in the rich content offered by renowned coaching professionals in the many breakout sessions. The evening wine & hors d’oeuvres events in the exhibit hall finished off each day beautifully.
Coaching is Growing World-Wide
But the very best for me is always meeting coaches from all over the United States and the world. During the opening session, it is truly a thrill to see the world map up on the big screens and then as each country is called the country’s coaches stand to thunderous applause. This year there were more coaches from Africa, the Middle East and the Eastern European bloc than I remember in past years. The UK, Canada, China, Australia and South America have hundreds of coaches attending as well.
The International Coach Federation (ICF) is the industry recognized professional association for coaching. Currently, there are 8,000 credential ICF coaches and 125 chapters in 109 countries. It is relatively young for a professional association – just 16 years old – but then again our profession is young as well with its formal beginnings in the early 1990’s. At the conference, I saw a significant trend toward corporate internal coaching, business development and leadership coach specialties.
Individual Conversations with Coaches
And what a delight to have great conversations with Anne-Marie Sevenster, South Africa; Vedat Erol, Turkey; Alexander Vreede, Netherlands; Gilles Gambade,Greece and Angela Kontgen & Victoria Stikeman from Toronto, Canada. I also had a chance to work in small groups with coaches from Mexico, Brazil, Sweden and Romania – even got an invitation to meet with the coaches in Greece! There is such a positive energy, an incredibility strong entrepreneur spirit and a willingness to think BIG – all in the service of others world-wide.
Ideas, resources and business cards were flying back and forth. Some of my training materials are going to South Africa and others are going north to Canada. What fun to share our expertise, our experiences and our support for each other and for the emerging profession of professional coaching. These individual conversations are truly what I treasure after each conference. I feel connected and honored to have several more friends and colleagues around the world . . . and I think I just might followup on that invitation to visit the coaches from Greece!
Freshening Up the Look of Your Website
Freshening up the look of your website every couple of years is really important. And it’s much easier now that many of us are using Word Press or a similar platform. My wonderful webmaster/media expert, Judith Harlan, Web Words That Work, has been encouraging me for years to switch to a platform that would allow me to make my own changes easily and quickly. I was very hesitant since technology is a steep, time intensive learning curve for me. But finally with no more excuses left and both feet dragging I agreed to the switch.
And what a pleasant surprise! It’s as easy (relatively) as Judith promised it would be. And since I had been using the Word Press platform for my blog these last six months I was familiar with the general layout. It still takes time. Each page needs to be updated – new content, new pictures. But it gives me a chance to review and refresh what I offer in both the coaching and training areas.
New Look Brings Out the Best in You
By reworking your website you can communicate the best of what you have to offer. Your website is an electronic career portfolio telling others what you do, how you do it and the value that you bring others. Make it colorful. Make it welcoming. And make sure that your voice comes through on every page. That is what engages others and encourages them to contact you. So taking this time to freshen up my website has been well-worth it. And switching to a platform that allows me full control is pretty neat. Now back to my updates . . .
Hot Air Balloons & The Bigger View
As I was driving into work early last Friday, I was caught again by surprise. Out in the distance I could see dozens of hot air balloons popping up over the hills. The annual Hot Air Balloon Races were back in Reno! And what a treat they are. I always feel a wonderful rush of good feeling – maybe it’s optimism and hope – as the balloons lift off and gently soar up and over downtown Reno and the Truckee River. I know they start my day off beautifully but I was curious . . . “What do the balloons inspire in others?”
A Different & Richer Perspective
So that was the question I posed to my “Coffee, Careers & Conversation” coaching group that morning. And I loved the answers which all related to the idea of getting up and above the normal things we see every day. When you’re able to get up high – as coaches we call this the 30,000 ft. perspective – the world looks quite different. All of a sudden, there is so much more out there.
We see things from a whole different perspective. And it’s not only what is below the balloon basket but also the richness of a full 360° view of the Sierra Nevada mountains, Lake Tahoe and the California border just beyond. We can’t help but start to think of the opportunities – the possibilities – that are out there.
And that’s what the group members were inspired to do by simply watching these hot air balloons early that Friday morning. We stand in our own way too often. But how better it is to see the bigger view and then to challenge yourself to explore, stretch and grow into new opportunities. As Dr. Seuss would say “Oh, the Places You’ll Go”!
Posted in And a Bit More, Career Tips & Strategies, Navigating Change, Personal Development
Tagged Career, change, Visioning
Leave a comment
New England Chocolate & The Entrepreneur Spirit!
The New England Chocolate Company is a delightful oasis in the midst of the busy beach town of Salisbury, MA (north of Boston). In 2002, Jayne Murray, owner & entrepreneur extraordinaire, decided she was ready to leave 22 years of being a speech pathologist. But what could she do or want to do? A delicious idea began bubbling up . . . she and her husband, Les, really like (love) chocolate especially fine Belgian chocolates. In their many travels over the years, they have always gravitated to the chocolate shops in every city and village. But they couldn’t get that quality of chocolate in New England. An idea . . . could they make and sell fine chocolates themselves? The answer was yes.
Chocolate making it was. One year later Jayne & Les were in business making Belgian chocolates from their kitchen and selling it out the side door. In time, they rebuilt their property to accommodate a 750′ sales and kitchen area with their living spaces custom built above it. It all worked out and now Jayne & Les make undisputably the best Belgian chocolates in all of New England.
So what can we learn from the New England Chocolate Company? Jayne is my twin sister, Diane, favorite breakfast buddy and fellow twin mom. Just last week I had the chance to join them for a early breakfast in Salisbury. I asked Jayne the secrets to her success as a Chocolatier and a successful small business owner. With her wonderful laugh and savvy business sense, Jayne shared several tips for the new business owner. The first I want to share with you is the best . . . love what you do!
You Have to Like (Love) Chocolate!
To start your own business you have to like (preferably love) the product or service you are providing. Sounds so simple but it’s amazing how often this idea is overlooked when entrepreneurs start their own businesses. Loving what you do and what you provide will sustain you both during the prosperous times but, more importantly, during those tougher economic times. If you’re not very excited about the actual work you do then the work will become drudgery and you will quickly lose your interest, passion and commitment to making your successful.
So think about the work you do, or would like to do. Do you like it as much as Jayne likes her chocolates? Can you work day after day, month after month and year after year in this kind of work? If the answer is yes, you are well on your way to creating a business that truly fulfills you and that is profitable and fun to boot.
Now go celebrate with a piece of chocolate. Order direct from Jayne www.newenglandchocolatecompany.com or just stop in and see her when you are next in the New England area. You’ll be glad you did!
Career Support Groups Help with Job Loss
Searching for a new job can be a lonely experience. When you leave your old job (either voluntarily or involuntarily) you experience some very real losses. We often think of the financial loss but there are other losses which are much more subtle but are equally hard to adjust to. These include the loss of a daily routine; a sense of belonging; a feeling of purpose and the loss of regular contact with professional colleagues. It can be a difficult adjustment. And it’s easy to become isolated especially with the current popularity of job searching primarily on the Internet.
Start a Career Support Group
Here’s an idea . . . seek out a career support group. It can either be one offered through an employment organization or a community group. Or even better, start your own with other people who are in an active job search. Not sure where to meet others like you? Just start asking around especially if you involved with an employment group – we have ProNet for unemployed professionals in Northern Nevada – and invite a couple of other folks to join you for coffee once a week.
You’ll be pleasantly surprised by how helpful a group like this is especially in helping to reduce the isolation almost everyone feels in today’s new world of high-tech job searching methods. We need the human touch – the chance to talk and support each other. And people know people know people. Remember 80% of professional jobs are never publicly advertised. They are filled by personal contacts and referrals. So reach out to others – you help them and they help you!