Does the current state of the world have you contemplating what’s next in your career? Here are 2 resources to support your considerations:

JOIN & LEARN
On Thursday, April 9th, I will be joined by Andy Tupler and Josh Murray of Tupler Financial for a special live webinar on the topic of making financial preparations for a career change or retirement. We’ll share our own experiences of career change, select client stories, and 3 critical strategies you need to know now. Hold your calendar from 12 noon to 1 pm Eastern time on April 9th. 

READ NOW:
I am thrilled to be one of the experts cited in this article on The Muse about 7 Tips to Help You Change Careers at (or After) Age 50.

You’ll learn more about why these matter… and why you need to take these steps in this particular order:

Clarify Your Goals

In both my exec coaching and Executive Career Reinvention^TM programs, we start by doing just this. Learn more here. 

Identify Your Transferrable Skills

I call these your sweet spot skills and I use each client’s 360 reviews, past performance feedback and/or an online assessment called Motivated Skills to clarify what these are.

Fill in the Gaps

In coaching, we design fieldwork between sessions for you to build leadership competencies, practice new skills, and fill your experience gaps. For career changers: side gigs, volunteer and board roles, and consulting contracts provide hands-on ways to do the same.

Hire a Career Specialist

Know what support you need and then ask for or hire that support. An internal or external recruiter is interested in filling a position for the company and is not interested in helping you refine your vision or goal. If you need time and support to reflect on and research what is next, you want to work first with a coach like me.

Update Your Resume

Quote from The Muse article:
Surprised to see this tip so far down on the list? “A huge mistake I see the over-50 set make is not having clarity about what they want to be…before they spend the time and money to update their personally branded job search marketing materials,” Owen says.

Once you have clarity in the types of positions you’re going for, you’re ready to update your resume or create a new one.

Tap into Your Network

Before you can do this, you need to know who is in your network, the role they play and the value they can bring, how to approach them in a way that aligns your shared interests, and when is the best time to leverage what they have to offer. As part of my coaching programs, I partner with my colleague Donna Chrobot-Mason to have clients do the Leader Network Diagnostic as preparation for most effectively tapping into their network.

Erin Owen, MBA, PCC, JCTC
Executive Career Reinvention
https://www.linkedin.com/in/erinowen/
To start your Executive Career Reinvention^TM program, apply for an initial call with me here.
Let’s talk! https://calendly.com/erin_owen/30min

On a call last week, a former SVP of HR said that although she had worked in human resources her whole career, it was not until completing professional coach training last year that she realized what coaching truly was as a skillset and how it was different from mentoring or consulting or the advisory role of a HR business partner. Then just yesterday, on a call with a serial business owner, he described what he needed and I was able to clarify for him that he was actually in need of a consultant, not a coach.

And recently, I myself was reminded of the importance of receiving counseling from a licensed therapist and how that differs from how my own professionally trained peer coach supports me.

If you too are wondering what is the difference between coaching, therapy, consulting, and also mentoring, training, and sports coaching, read over this helpful Coaching FAQ which features official definitions and distinctions from the International Coach Federation.

If you would like to learn more about what you can focus on in coaching, skip below to the common themes of recent coaching sessions with clients. I meet with a majority of my coaching clients via the Zoom video platform and also sometimes by phone. I currently coach clients in 9 different states and four different countries. And over my career, I have partnered with clients from nearly 20 countries and across the United States.

If you understand the distinction between coaching and the other modalities and you realize you could benefit from a coaching session, see below for details on both complimentary and discounted coaching sessions.

To schedule a 15-minute or 30-minute complimentary COACHING session, click on the Schedule Now button below.

Birthday & Anniversary SPECIAL OFFER ends on March 31st

Also, in honor of my 48th birthday (which was on March 11) and the 16th anniversary of starting my coaching business (which was in February), I am offering a package of 4 (four) or 8 (eight) or 16 (sixteen) half-hour coaching sessions for just $64 per coaching session. (48 + 16 = 64. Basic math!)

This is more than 50% discount off my regular coaching rate!

All coaching takes place via phone or Zoom video platform, from the comfort of your home or new home office location.

This offer is for returning clients or new clients, and for a limited time only: you must purchase in the month of March and then use the sessions in the months of March and April (if you purchase 4) or in the months of March, April, and May (if you purchase 8) or use them all by end of July (if you purchase 16). Half-hour sessions can be combined for full one-hour coaching, if you like.

You can send $256.00 USD (package of 4) or $512.00 USD (package of 8) or $1,205.00 USD (package of 16) via PayPal to Erin@ErinOwen.com or via Venmo to @ErinOwenPhiladelphia, then use the Schedule Now button below to schedule your first half-hour coaching call.

FOCUS OF COACHING:

What will you focus on in our coaching session? Below are some common themes I am hearing in recent coaching sessions with clients:

NEW WORK CIRCUMSTANCES: How to adapt to change in work environment and schedule, establishing new boundaries and time management strategies, etc.

STRESS/SELF-CARE: How to manage stress and be creative in ways to take care of yourself body, mind, and spirit

CAREER NEXT STEPS: Anticipating or preparing for change in employment, whether by choice or due to economic impact on current employment situation, brainstorming and planning next steps

NETWORK/RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT: This is not therapy, but rather the opportunity to discuss how to best leverage key network connections and/or engage in dialogue with key stakeholders to build greater trust, align interests, in support of your goals.

SHIFT OF LIFE PATH: When the world throws you lemons, how do you make lemonade? Recent events may have thwarted a dream or a plan, so use coaching support to look ahead and re-imagine what is possible, then create a concrete action plan to move in a new direction.

 

Here’s to your Resilience and Resourcefulness during this Challenging Time! 

Erin Owen, MBA, PCC, JCTC
Executive Career Reinvention
https://www.linkedin.com/in/erinowen/
To start your Executive Career Reinvention^TM program, apply for an initial call with me here.
Let’s talk! https://calendly.com/erin_owen/30min

MARK YOUR CALENDAR for this online event:
On Thursday, April 9th, I will be joined by Andy Tupler and Josh Murray of Tupler Financial for a special live webinar on the topic of making financial preparations for a career change or retirement. We’ll share our own experiences of career change, select client stories, and 3 critical strategies you need to know now. Hold your calendar from 12 noon to 1 pm Eastern time on April 9th. More details and registration info coming soon.

You may have seen on LinkedIn that I recently offered complimentary coaching for those on the front lines of our current crisis, especially those in the medical/health and financial sectors.

The truth is, though, that we are ALL on the front lines, doing our best to manage stress and navigate the huge changes in work and life circumstances.

Whatever your current state, wherever you are, if you could benefit from a complimentary coaching session, I am here for you.

Birthday & Anniversary SPECIAL OFFER

Also, in honor of my 48th birthday (which was on March 11) and the 16th anniversary of starting my coaching business (which was in February), I am offering a package of 4 (four) or 8 (eight) or 16 (sixteen) half-hour coaching sessions for just $64 per coaching session. (48 + 16 = 64. Basic math!)

This is more than 50% discount off my regular coaching rate!

All coaching takes place via phone or Zoom video platform, from the comfort of your home or new home office location.

This offer is for returning clients or new clients, and for a limited time only: you must purchase in the month of March and then use the sessions in the months of March and April (if you purchase 4) or in the months of March, April, and May (if you purchase 8) or use them all by end of July (if you purchase 16). Half-hour sessions can be combined for full one-hour coaching, if you like.

You can send $256.00 USD (package of 4) or $512.00 USD (package of 8) or $1,205.00 USD (package of 16) via PayPal to Erin@ErinOwen.com or via Venmo to @ErinOwenPhiladelphia, then use the Schedule Now button below to schedule your first half-hour coaching call.

FOCUS OF COACHING:

What will you focus on in our coaching session? Below are some common themes I am hearing in recent coaching sessions with clients:

NEW WORK CIRCUMSTANCES: How to adapt to change in work environment and schedule, establishing new boundaries and time management strategies, etc.

STRESS/SELF-CARE: How to manage stress and be creative in ways to take care of yourself body, mind, and spirit

CAREER NEXT STEPS: Anticipating or preparing for change in employment, whether by choice or due to economic impact on current employment situation, brainstorming and planning next steps

NETWORK/RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT: This is not therapy, but rather the opportunity to discuss how to best leverage key network connections and/or engage in dialogue with key stakeholders to build greater trust, align interests, in support of your goals.

SHIFT OF LIFE PATH: When the world throws you lemons, how do you make lemonade? Recent events may have thwarted a dream or a plan, so use coaching support to look ahead and re-imagine what is possible, then create a concrete action plan to move in a new direction. 

 

Here’s to your Reinvention, 

Erin Owen, MBA, PCC, JCTC
Executive Career Reinvention
https://www.linkedin.com/in/erinowen/
To start your Executive Career Reinvention^TM program, apply for an initial call with me here.
Let’s talk! https://calendly.com/erin_owen/30min

Missed any past email newsletters? Kate recently updated our newsletter archive. And while they don’t go back the full 16 years I’ve been coaching, they do go back almost a decade to 2011. What? I know, I can’t believe it either. Check it out!

Where’s Erin?

Working with private clients in the Executive Career Reinvention^TM program, providing executive coaching to mid-level and senior-level executives who work for for-profit, NGO, academic, and private organizations, coaching women leaders at the University of Cincinnati, and also coaching MBA and Exec MBA students at Wharton.

I’m excited to share with you that my long-time friend and colleague Stew Friedman, an organizational psychologist at Wharton since 1984, best-selling author, and founder of Total Leadership, is releasing his third book from Harvard Business Review Press, Parents Who Lead: The Leadership Approach You Need to Parent with Purpose, Fuel Your Career, and Create a Richer Life, with his co-author, Alyssa Westring.

Drawing on their decades of experience as researchers, educators, consultants, coaches, and parents, Friedman and Westring – a Boomer and a Millennial – have reimagined the principles in Friedman’s bestselling Total Leadership, which describes his globally adopted leadership development program,and brought them to working parents.

In Parents Who Lead: The Leadership Approach You Need to Parent with Purpose, Fuel Your Career, and Create a Richer Life, they offer a robust, proven method that helps parents gain a greater sense of purpose and control, so they can lead the lives they truly want – lives characterized by genuine relationships and positive impact.

The book has been enthusiastically endorsed by Adam Grant, Daniel Pink, Anne-Marie Slaughter, Bob Sutton, Dave Asprey, Neil Blumenthal, and many other business leaders, scholars, and policy advocates.  It’s a welcome catalyst for the new conversations we need now about our evolving workforce and gender roles.  And it’s a roadmap for innovative thought and action, filled with persuasive examples from the lives of real working parents whom Friedman and Westring have studied and worked with in putting their model into practice.

Powerful, practical, and indispensable,  Parents Who Lead is the evidence-based guide parents need to forge a better future, foster mutually rewarding relationships, and design sustainable solutions for creating a richer life for themselves, their children, and their world.  It is available for pre-order now through Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Books-A-Million. Learn more at www.ParentsWhoLead.net.

For those who have worked with me as a client, you know that I reference and draw on Stew’s work regularly. He has been a tremendously positive influence on my work and life for over a decade, and I am so grateful for the impact his work has made on our world for all of us across all domains of life: work, home, community and self.

Here’s to leading with impact!

Erin Owen, MBA, PCC, JCTC
Executive Career Reinvention
https://www.linkedin.com/in/erinowen/
To start your Executive Career Reinvention^TM program, apply for an initial call with me here.
Let’s talk! https://calendly.com/erin_owen/30min

Missed any past email newsletters? Kate recently updated our newsletter archive. And while they don’t go back the full 16 years I’ve been coaching, they do go back almost a decade to 2011. What? I know, I can’t believe it either. Check it out!

Where’s Erin?

Working with private clients in the Executive Career Reinvention^TM program, providing executive coaching to mid-level and senior-level executives who work for for-profit, NGO, academic, and private organizations, coaching women leaders at the University of Cincinnati, and also coaching MBA and Exec MBA students at Wharton.

It was sixteen years ago that I officially and legally registered my business. Full disclosure: I was still working at Hewitt and (in my own version of how integrity works) felt I could not in good conscience start coaching people on the side for money unless I had a legit business. Nowadays a side hustle is so common that you wouldn’t think twice about it.

At the time, my company Hewitt Associates (now Aon Hewitt) had experienced rounds of layoffs, and each time a partner would visit from another office, we all knew the axe was falling again.

Many who were severed did not want to be let go. And I, who had secretly wanted to be offered a package, was still there waiting and wondering about my fate. It all felt so backwards.

The stress of work and being spiritually disengaged in my job had physically made me sick, though I did not fully realize the powerful mind-body connection at the time. I had so many medical problems, that I had negotiated an AWP (alternative work pattern), working a full time schedule across four days instead of five.

I used my extra day each week for doctor visits and also time to breathe and explore what was next for me. I had already been trained as a coach and started to coach a couple colleagues and friends. And that was how I came to start my business on the side.

Sweet 16, baby! Sixteen years in business. Wow!

I talk with so many, many execs who are struggling with the question of whether to make a change in their career. They are afraid of walking away from a good company (been there) with good colleagues (been there) and good money (been there) and unvested stock options (been there). They are worried about what others might think if they walk away from a “good thing” (been there), and are afraid to listen to their heart (been there). But they are also suffering with trying to keep up at work when their heart and soul are not aligned with their work.

But for those who do make a career change (like I did), oh my, the world opens up! Another of my former colleagues who finally cut off the golden handcuffs like I did agrees with me: “Why did I wait so long? I was frozen with fear and worried about what others would think. Now, though, I can’t imagine going back to what I did before. I feel so free!”

If you’re considering making a move or reinventing your career focus, I don’t recommend quitting outright unless you have enough financial security to sustain you 12-18 months. When I resigned my position at Hewitt, we (Matt and I) thought he would be done with his PhD in a few months, but instead it took another academic year. Financially, it was really tight for awhile, but I also realized how quickly I could build a coaching practice when I had no other choice: we needed the money for rent and food – and that is one heck of a motivator!

I’ve come to know that the clients who get the greatest benefit from my approach are either still in their current roles with time to benefit from my Executive Career Reinvention^TM program, or have only recently left their position and have the financial cushion to take the time to clarify what’s best for them while leveraging their network to find or create a next role.

I have certainly had ups and downs these past 16 years. But, I have never regretted listening to my heart and believing in my myself enough to take the reins and move forward on my path. I know now that I was moving in the direction of my dharma (my purpose), which is why I have all my clients first learn their purpose before completing the remaining steps in my Exec Career Reinvention^TM process.

Thank you for being a part of my journey these past 16 years (or more if we go back even further).

Here’s to celebrating Sweet 16!

Erin Owen, MBA, PCC, JCTC
Executive Career Reinvention
https://www.linkedin.com/in/erinowen/
To start your Executive Career Reinvention^TM program, apply for an initial call with me here.
Let’s talk! https://calendly.com/erin_owen/30min

Where’s Erin?

Working with private clients in the Executive Career Reinvention^TM program, providing executive coaching to mid-level and senior-level executives who work for for-profit, NGO, academic, and private organizations, coaching women leaders at the University of Cincinnati, and also coaching MBA and Exec MBA students at Wharton.