First step: let’s invest in ourselves!

In a context of continuous change such as the current one, it is important to pause and reflect on the characteristics of leadership 4.0 that are indispensable for “surviving” in today’s job market: characteristics that increasingly see the person as the protagonist in his or her professional and managerial growth. This article, which originates from sharing my many years of experience in career guidance and coaching, aims to bring a concrete testimony of how important it is to invest in oneself, in one’s leadership, in order to achieve one’s professional and personal goals with the support of a Coach.

In particular, I will relatea successful experience of outplacement (once you leave the company) in the complexity of the current world of work, with these variables:

• Executive
• I organizational level
• Approximately 50 years old
• Female
• Successful professional and managerial background
• Solid skills in the area of Communication and Marketing, professional family in strong transformation

A successful experience arising from the alliance between Coach and Coachee, from a relationship of trust and Collaboration, from a work in which, through structured phases, the Coachee, was relocated (even before finishing the coaching path lasting about 6 months) in a situation in which her expectations aligned with those of the company that hired her, with contractual conditions similar to those exiting.

The successful ingredients of this pathway were:

Coachee:

• Taking time for yourself to reflect on your professional future
• Having the  Courage to question oneself, to make decisions
• Being accountable to one’s path of orientation
• Being a person with a great gift of openness to  Change and a positive and proactive attitude.

Coach:

• Established experience in orientation and Search and Selection processes both as HR Manager and consultant
• • Extensive knowledge and expertise of the labor market, assessment and development of leadership skills, relational and organizational dynamics.

Contract:

• Definition of clear and achievable objectives in the various stages of the pathway

Pathway Stages:

1.  A1. Awareness of one’s professional identity, identification of one’s distinctiveness and expectations;
2.  Awareness of the labor market;
3. Skills Development: enhancement of “search and selection” skills development, enhancement of  Ccommunication and Marketing skills of self, development of a structured methodology

These steps led to a change in Coachee with respect to her professional value, her real competitiveness in the job market, and with respect to how and what to search for.

In particular, that part of the skills possessed by the Coachee that are in line with the skills required by the labor market today and that are the basis of Leadership 4.0 was highlighted:

• abilityto make decisions quickly in complex situations with many variables
• aptitude to innovate processes patterns of reference
• aptitudeto work in the transformation and change ,of business models, strategies and organizations
• communication skills
• excellent knowledge of English (absurd but in Italy it is still a distinctive factor)
• ability to interpret context and interlocutors
• leadership skills both of oneself and in managing and motivating a team in cultural environments where participation and involvement are the leverage to achieve challenging corporate and individual goals.

Once one defined one’s assets of distinctiveness of skills, analyzed the job market, and took stock of professional and private life motivations and expectations, an effective cv was created in terms of promotion and communication. Then began the targeted search phase toward contexts in line with one’s distinctiveness. Her application, through LinkedIn caught the attention of a large multinational company and thus began the selection process: training with the coach in the various stages of the selection process was a winning factor in achieving a brilliant performance in the various stages and being chosen among many candidates selected at the European level.

It was important to observe how, in the coaching process, there was a growth of the Coachee not only at the level of professional/managerial role, but also as a person in the possibility of change.

While my professional input as an expert in assessment and skills development was important, the success was determined by the Coachee who had the courage to invest with great determination and enthusiasm in herself and the possibility of change.

In this journey, my skills as a Didactic and Supervisor in training in Transactional Analysis in the organizational field.proved very useful for the Coachee’s change process. In particular, transactional analysis in the organizational field (e.g., B. Schmid’s Model of Roles), some principles and philosophy of transactional analysis (e.g., okness, ego states, transaction analysis, drivers) and systemic theory that have been the framework in Coachee’s change and learning process.

This contribution shows that when we set out to find ourselves and are open to change, opportunities come our way.

“Whatever you can do, whatever you can dream, begin. Boldness carries within it brilliance, magic and strength. Begin now.” J. W. von Goethe

Antonella Loreti