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How Career Coaching Changed My Career For The Better

By Angela,

It was about the 9th year in my accounting job when I looked back at my professional life and realized I did not have much to show for it.

Having worked for one of the most reputable banks in Kenya for close to a decade, I still had no passion or motivation for my job.

I was drifting and sinking deeper into stagnation and emptiness overwhelmed. And then one day on a normal boring Monday morning as I perused the internet, I saw something called “career coaching”.

Quickly I schemed through it and the line that caught my attention wasAre you feeling stuck in your career? We are here to help!”

What started out as a skeptical first session of career coaching ended up being the best decision I had made for my career in 9 years!

I have found the purpose in my profession, my goal is clear and the road map towards success is my guiding path!

My biggest regret was not enrolling for career coaching sooner because it changed my life!

Having acquired a B.com degree from the University Of Nairobi close to 12 years ago, I have always felt like I was not thriving in my career.

Upon enlisting the services of a coach, I found out the major reasons as to why for 9 years, my career had reached a point of stagnation.

  1. The feeling of being inadequate; never aiming for top positions because I felt I wasn’t good enough.
  2. Inability to recognize my strengths and utilize them effectively so as to grow at a personal and organizational level
  3. Lack of personal initiative in realizing that there were other greater opportunities where my skills could be utilized.

You see, before I took up career coaching, I had no sense of direction in my career even though I had diligently worked in the Kenyan banking sector for 9 years.

In the course of those 9 years I had only been promoted twice and my salary after the second review had remained constant.

My job performance had gradually gone down over the years.

I was starting to become frustrated with my bosses because I felt the targets being set were unrealistic and I had gotten a warning letter attributed to poor performance, coming to work late and not showing interest in my job.

But coaching came in and turned my situation around. I gained a mind shift that completely changed my attitude and eventually my career and productivity.

In what became a series of coaching sessions, I can point out 5 main things coaching did for me:

  1. I identified my career purpose and direction
  2. I was able to refocus my goals and especially why I took a B.com degree in the first place and how it was beneficial to my career
  3. I became self-aware of my strengths and began to maximize on them at my job
  4. I gained a clear road-map to help me attain full career satisfaction
  5. I became empowered to work hard and smart, voice my ideas and aim for higher positions (after all, I had the skills and experience!)

The effect of career coaching was now being felt in my job. I was no longer showing up to work late, I ensured I met my deadlines and my performance landed me a promotion.

In that year alone, there was a major positive shift in my bank due to my input. Had it not been for career coaching, I would have eventually lost my job. Or even quit!

Having salvaged my career from destruction, I would recommend career coaching for anyone who is feeling stuck, inadequate or unproductive in their career.

If it changed my career in ways I never imagined, I am sure it can do the same for you! Be bold and gain optimum career satisfaction today!

This is Angela’s story of how she rose above career stagnation to career satisfaction; a story of one Kenyan professional that perhaps resonates with you.

Do you feel stuck in your career or personal life? Do you feel like you have made bad choices in your career and now you are stuck without a way out?

To learn more on this service and sign up for a session visit our coaching service section