These past few years have catapulted some personal and professional lives forward. Yours may have been one of them. Especially if you were in the right industry at the right time. Or if you were lean, mean, and agile. Maybe you took the time to explore or add on a new skill that’s paying off now, post-pandemic. You may even have have been one of the fortunates if your position was indispensable to the company. You’d have been a lucky one—staying on securely in the midst of other’s cutbacks.
Working from home (WFH) may have been seamless for you and your employer or your business. It was comfortable for many. Unless they shared a small space with mates and kids schooling on zoom. Pets roaming in and out. Yet many professionals and families settled in and are now weighing the consequences of employers reinstating back to the office or hybrid schedules. This shuffle is disrupting what may have become comfortable.
Or you may be part of The Great Resignation 2021 an example of which is a record 4.4 million Americans who quit their jobs in September 2021. The trend continued through 2022 with another record 4.2 million voluntarily resigned in November 2022—millions more than anything ever seen before. With a backdrop of market slump and recession talk going on all that year.
This chart of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics highlights a continuing trend.
With fewer workers across many industries, the trend toward negotiating a high wage and better benefits has become a much touted norm. And, if you cannot easily snag higher pay and cannot afford to give up your paycheck, instead of joining the “great resignation” there’s always “quiet quitting.” Quiet Quitting, sprung from a tik-tok video, is a sometime debated topic that popularizes doing the basics and no more while continuing to take home a paycheck. Some call it “laziness.” Others say it’s always been around, it’s not a trend, and was previously known as “doing a job.”
At the same time, during these past few years an overwhelming number of careers and businesses stalled out. Growth or transition planned for each quarter, each year, was road blocked by many societal—sometimes political—factors. You may have been eyeing next opportunities or even in conversations with a company you hoped would find you an attractive candidate. Suddenly many doors were closed. Or H.R. or the hiring manager simply “ghosted” you. Stopped communicating with no explanation. On the other hand, many business owners hung on for many months, watching for positive economic signs to hire and expand again.
In this same scenario, enormous numbers at the low economic end were laid off or on unemployment for so long, 2/3rds consider changing fields or occupations. The hit on women’s careers and equality has been devastating with many working mothers forced to step away from their careers.
With concerns about recession, major employers are now laying off thousands of high level workers. Of course this will trickle down to medium-sized and smaller companies as people and companies tighten their belts and bottom lines. A recent article in Forbes cites a LinkedIn News poll about “quiet firing.” The poll from August 2022—in which employees are slowly shoved out the door— received nearly 20,000 votes. Results showed that 35% of respondents had been subjected to being ushered out the door, while 48% have witnessed this tactic done to others in their workplace.
The list goes on.
What Does It All Mean For Your Career-Life Path?
With all these life and work changes, you need to be assessing what opportunities during this global shift are relevant or desirable—for you. Evaluating from a calm, non-reactive stance is advised so you don’t become sidelined or make choices you’ll regret in the future.
This is a time for best career and business coaching, from a supportive expert coach who can help you integrate all your concerns, so you achieve the results you desire.
What have you experienced as you’ve come through these past few years? Have you achieved the satisfaction in both career or business—and your personal life?
While you may have experienced disappointments, setbacks, even confusion — and wonder which career, business, and life choices make sense for you now. Not knowing the “best way” to proceed keeps many people stuck. Let’s talk about an opportunity that can help you assess your circumstance with a coaching partner, so you consciously bypass detours in your decision-making and action steps.
Here’s What I Offer
I’ve worked with numerous professionals and know that coaching, guidance and support are keys to success in any transition or career-life re-evaluation.
- Coaching helps you clarify what you want. So you clearly articulate it to self and stay on your own path.
- Coaching helps you clearly negotiate with others for best possible outcomes. Martina’s a good example of negotiating her needs integrated with her company’s need to land a high-level leadership position.
- Coaching opens avenues to experiment so you explore professional and personal opportunities you may not have considered. Catherine said: “I engaged Jan to help me with a big career transition. She helped me see opportunities and take a path that I never thought I would. It’s worked out so well, I couldn’t have gotten where I am now without her help.” Then read what many more clients say about their experience.
- Coaching builds skills. Building your skillset will increase your confidence. Skills that align you, your team and maybe even your family help you achieve your goals.
- Coaching keeps you focused on the outcomes you desire while walking you step-by-step through the process—so you achieve the outcomes you desire!
How Do You and I Get Started?
It starts with a Complimentary Conversation to explore your needs, desires for change and readiness to give yourself a gift of achieving the change you desire.
This article will break down:
- What is the function of a Discovery Call with Dr. Jan
- What a Discovery Call is NOT
- Topics Covered in a Discovery Call
- How to Schedule a Discovery Call
While I think holistically, in an integrated way about career, business, and personal life needs and goals, people seeking coaching often sense that one aspect of their life calls for greater attention. We make sure your whole picture is integrated as we work. Here are some of the choice points that inspire people to reach out for career and business coaching.
What Is a Coaching “Discovery Call” with Dr. Jan Hoistad?
In the coaching world, a “Discovery” Session is the generic term often used for an introductory phone call, a virtual zoom meeting, or—less frequently—an in-person meeting to explore your current needs and to get acquainted with a potential coach you may wish to hire. Discovery Sessions are sometimes also called A Complimentary Call or Conversation, or a Free Introductory Call. They are free and typically run anywhere from 20 -30 minutes, or more depending on the coach.
Here’s the Dr. Jan version of a Complimentary Discovery Call.
The purpose of our conversation is to share your needs and for both of us to explore how we would work together to help you meet those needs. On the less tangible side, it’s an introductory meeting meant to find out if we each feel there is a “fit.” This element is really important and is often a “feeling.” First and foremost it’s often a sense of openness and respect that engender trust. A good fit can also include everything from communication style to playfulness/seriousness, ability to listen and hear one another, comfort, integration of personal/professional situation, and so on. This first meeting is similar to the sense you get when meeting anyone for the first time, only here the stakes are higher because you are looking to invest your time and money into a coaching relationship, and the need to find an expert career transition coach is often an urgent need if not timely.
This fit is important because we want to enjoy working together, our styles need to be compatible and we both want to accomplish something—helping you to clarify and achieve your goals. I always say we are going to get in here together “up to our hip joints” so the tough work also needs to have a lightness to it and some fun. This fit is especially important to me because I only work with so many people at a time. I only work with people I want to work with and who want to work with me. I give my all and love what I do. My main goal is for you to be successful through our mutual efforts!
When you choose a complimentary call with me, I find that less than 40 minutes is not satisfying, so I schedule an hour, and depending on your situation, 45 – 60 minutes is the sweet spot to share information, ask questions and know if we would work well together.
While I have done a lot of telephone coaching, Zoom has become my preferred method if it is available. A phone call is also fine, but I find that using the visual platform makes our initial connection immediate, enjoyable, and typically very successful. (The only times this has not been available in recent months is if someone’s hair or make-up is not Zoom-ready and they feel shy or self-conscious about it! Just so you know, that is never my concern.) “Seeing” one another in this now familiar post-lockdown reality, we can informally meet, check out the weather in whatever place we are in the world, greet pets or kids if WFH, and dive into a very natural conversation. You also get to experience my style, my ease in getting to know you, complete with body language, facial expressions, hand gestures, communication, and questions that cut through to the core of your needs, answer your concerns and help you decide if I’m the coach, expert, guide and support person for you.
To schedule your Complimentary Discovery Call click on this link to my calendar.
When You Encounter a Choice Point—Reach Out For a Complimentary Conversation
Over the course of business, career, and personal life you come to points when you’re dissatisfied, want growth, or desire change. The choices you make will have a profound effect on the course of your life.
We call these “choice points” because you have a choice in how you respond or capitalize on them. A choice point is a wake-up call to re-imagine your future. It’s also an entry point for coaching and consulting support.
At a choice point, awareness of how decisions in one area of your life affect all other areas is complex. You can move forward fully aligned, with confidence. Or you can be reactive, or become sidelined, resulting in future consequences you may not want. You can settle for less or you can take control of how you respond so you build toward a better outcome. This is a time for best business coaching, from a coach who can help you integrate both business and life coaching concerns, so you achieve the results you desire. Working together, we’ll guide you so you confidently land on the best possible outcome that connects your immediate choices with the whole-life future—and the ultimate freedom—you envision.
How to Benefit the Most From Your Discovery Call
There are many different types of coaching, styles, and levels of expertise among coaches. Sometimes people seeking generic career coaching expect to work on their resume, interview or networking skills, job applications, or search. While we may touch on these aspects and make sure those aspects in your search are up-to-speed, this is not the expertise you need from me. As an experienced career professional, leader, maybe business owner, you’re looking for someone who understands the personal and professional demands you face every day. You need someone who quickly grasps the developmental stage of your career or business and personal life and who advocates for your needs. You’re looking for an expert career transition coach or business transformation consultant, who knows how to cut through the demands and distractions so you touch down, clarify what you really need and want in your next iteration, and helps you align all aspects of your life to see and to achieve your desired outcomes. You deserve an expert who’ll partner with you to achieve those outcomes.
You don’t have to know the answers. Our conversation is an exploration. What you are doing feels like it hasn’t been working OR you know you need new input to expand and stretch to do what is calling you next. You may need confirmation you are on the right path but want help seeing further down that path to stay ahead of your people, those you lead. So come to the Discovery Call with an open mind, as I do. Let’s see what we learn and discover about your circumstance and desires together.
We often experience small surprises or even aha moments as we talk. If there’s a fit, it often feels like we “go to work” right away. In doing so you get to experience a taste of what we might accomplish if we signed on together. I frequently hear people say, “Wow. This is not like any other Discovery Call I’ve ever experienced!” In essence, we begin to partner to achieve your desired outcome. You bringing your expertise and I bring mine. You’ll go further, faster avoiding reactivity and detours that sometimes sideline people’s future dreams.
Learn about your expert coach and consultant here.
What a complimentary discovery coaching call is NOT
Here are a few approaches to complimentary calls that end up unsatisfying. To put it bluntly, they are a waste of your time and mine. Look over this list. Then read on to see how I reframe our call into a beneficial “discovery” of your needs, my approach, and how we might work together to achieve your desired goals.
- It is NOT just answering your questions about pricing. I cannot give you an estimate until I learn what you need.
- It is NOT a whining or b*tch session – In your circumstances these may be normal feelings/needs and okay to do with friends. However, I recommend placing a time limit on how many days or weeks you do this. Then decide if ready for a new perspective to help you move forward. Of course, I want to know your struggles, but the focus in our conversation is on “Where does this fit in achieving your goals? Achieving what you really want?” Come with a purpose/intention/outcome you’d like if our work was successful, and you could achieve your goals 6 – 12 months from now.
- It is NOT you talking at me for 45 minutes. NOR me doing all the talking in response to your questions. It’s a dialogue with a purpose.
- It’s NOT a test of you – You don’t have to know how or have the answers or be perfect. I’ve been doing this work for a very long time. I’ve seen and heard everything. Just be yourself and be open.
- It is NOT a job interview—but a mutual get acquainted.
- It is also NOT an opportunity for “advice hopping” gathering little tidbits of advice, a bit here a bit there. When that happens I feel used. I also know the advice is not digested in a meaningful way.
How We Make Your Career Coaching Discovery Call Intentional and Productive
You are probably getting the message that your Complimentary Discovery Call is important—for You and for Me! You are looking for an expert with guidance, coaching, and support to help you clarify and achieve your goals. I’m listening on many levels to discern your Clarity, Confidence, Skills, and Relationship Alignment that support your current goals—and those you want in the future, be it one, three, five, even 10 years out. Together we’re assessing the terrain of our future work together—what the work is, and if there’s a fit, so we can achieve those partnering outcomes.
I always recommend that people come with a writing pad and pen to take notes. We may come up with some things to reflect on, or even “gems” you wish to remember!
Here are topics we’ll highlight these areas in a discovery conversation:
- Your Current Situation: What’s going on now that you are seeking help, guidance, support?
- Clarity: What do you desire? What is your “Ideal” but realistic vision 6-18 months from now if we were successful in our work together—clarity what you want to achieve and outcomes desires – some of which you may or may not know. e.g. If we did our work together, if you could, you want what? You would be doing what? Most people come knowing a bit of what they desire, but not how to get there.
- Skills and Confidence: I may gather some of your history and experience.
- What you have tried? What’s worked?
- What’s in your way, do you know, clear out clutter, learn new skills, gain confidence. Just as you know it today.
- What’s missing? As you know it today.
- Relationships (partnerships/team/supports) your whole life and relationships are what supports you. Who’s on your team, both personal and professional? Who’s involved and how’s it working for you?
Along the way, you’ll get an understanding and a feel for my style, my input. Because I’m not known for being quiet, I’ll give input, ask questions, and probably even make suggestions. Pay attention because you’ll begin to see how I give “assignments” and suggestions for action steps you may be encouraged to explore if we go to work together. These action steps continue the thread of communication, growth, and change so over time you are able to create the results you set out to make. If we go deep, you’ll be coached even during this complimentary call!
I am going to listen, intuit, give feedback, and together we’ll determine your next best steps—both short and long-term—to help you achieve your next stage goals.
Then we get down to practicalities:
- We talk about ways I work, some examples, and outcomes if we haven’t already.
- I’ll describe some typical steps or stages to my coaching approach: How we lay a foundation by “front-loading” time together to get acquainted, dig deeper and clarify short-term next steps—all focused on your long-term desired outcomes. I’ll probably share thoughts about the “experiment and explore phase,” as you move toward and achieve what you want.
- We look at different options in how we can work together, my experience of those that have the most successful outcomes.
- We look at time increments, fees, and considerations to coordinate our schedules.
I have an hourly fee and discounted fees if you are ready to invest in the process and we go to work deeply together. I can share why I charge this way and you can decide which works best for you, your commitment, time, and budget.
In this conversation or later, you can decide to schedule right now, go away and think or request a simple financial proposal for an agreed-upon number of sessions to begin our work together. Once our agreement is clarified, we schedule and go to work together!
When You Are Ready, Let’s Talk!
Head over to my contact page on the Dr. Jan Hoistad Partners website and you’ll find all the ways you can easily contact me.
Email me or call. You may get my voicemail – just leave a message and I’ll get back to you at my first opportunity!
You also have direct access to my appointment calendar where you can set up a 45-60 minute Complimentary Coaching Discovery Call right from this page.
I look forward to meeting you soon. Let’s Talk!
For more on this topic read my articles:
- 3 Ways Career Coaching Can Help You Achieve Your Goals
- 2 Steps to Create Security When Itching To Leave Your Job
- 7 Ways to Focus When You’re Unhappy and Looking for a New Career
- Tackle a Career Transition or Job Change with Confidence
- What Do Coaching Clients Say About How Coaching Has Changed Their Lives?
- Successful Business or Career Transition Planning Should Always Include Your Mate
- Many more on how couples manage transitions together are found here
- Couples and Career Transitions: 4 Steps to Maximize Your Success
- Keys to Confidence, Security and Emotional Connection for Couples
- Tips for Dual Career Couples Navigating Life Together
For more information for business partners, go to our Business Partner portal and download the white papers:
- Business Partners: How Choice of Relationship Style Impacts the Success of Your Business
- Business Partners: Tools to Make Decisions That Grow Your Business Together
- Check out other articles on Business Partner relationships on our blog.
- If you are a Dual-Career or Couple in business together check out our resources here.
- The Big Picture Partnering coaching for couples is found here and our blog is also rich in tips and tools.
Ready to assess your business and how improving your relationships can strengthen your outcomes?
We’re ready to talk about your needs when you are.
For more resources and guidance on business, career, and relationship strategies designed to move you and your life further, faster, request your free Discovery Call with Dr. Jan Hoistad today.
As an executive, career professional or business owner, having a supportive, strategic coach and consultant who empowers you to confidently clarify and achieve your desired outcomes is invaluable. Coaching helps you work more productively and lead more effectively.
While Dr. Hoistad cannot promise to remove outside demands, she can help you prioritize, set goals and strategies so you and your team function at peak performance.
♦ Executive Coaching, Leadership Coaching, and Business Consulting. Develop awareness of how your decisions affect other areas, your people and your future goals. Fully aligned, make decisions for best possible outcomes.
♦ Partnership Coaching for business owners, partners, teams, entrepreneurs, dual-career couples and couples in business together. Become fully aligned so you work together better, achieving business objectives.
♦ Career Coaching for individual professionals and dual-career couples. At all stages of development; during times of transition; when considering a relocation; when desiring to integrate personal life goals with your career.
With her unique “Big Picture” perspective, Dr. Jan partners with you as you transition through choice points in your career and business life. Her focus is on helping you clarify what you want, identify what’s in the way, and strategize a step-by-step plan so you achieve your goals.
Dr. Jan brings her expertise in human development, system dynamics, entrepreneurship, business growth, partnering, communication and creativity to her clients who become catalysts for change in their businesses, careers, and personal lives. She has helped numerous professionals, business owners, and teams achieve ambitious career and business goals, healthy relationships, and a greater quality of work and life.
“When an experienced professional incorporates Dr. Jan’s coaching and consulting solutions, you can almost feel their body relax. They become excited again. More hopeful, they remember what they love about their work as, together, we turn burdens into doable strategies that achieve their future goals.”
-Dr. Jan Hoistad
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