He Left His Comfort Zone...The Payoff Was, WOW!

Nine months ago, Tim came to me seeking career clarity and help to develop greater self-confidence. On his own, he had risen to the level of Senior Director but he couldn’t quite figure out how to crack into the “C” Suite.

Tim didn’t know for sure that he belonged in any company’s “C” Suite. After reviewing his unique personal Strengths and his Emotional Intelligence scores, there was no doubt in my mind that he belonged in some company’s “C” Suite.

Tim’s Resume and LinkedIn Profile needed work when we first met, but the bigger challenge was his mindset. By reviewing his Strengths report and his Emotional Intelligence scores, I instantly knew that he had what it takes to not just get to the “C” Suite but he had what it takes to perform at a high-level in the “C” Suite.

Tim possessed Strengths that many technology leaders do not possess and his Emotional Intelligence scores placed him in the realm of a benchmark I work from that represents 250 successful “C” Suite executives.

We worked together in a coaching relationship for 9 months to develop his unique Strengths and to fine-tune and polish his Emotional Intelligence. Tim’s new Resume and LinkedIn strategies generated many “C” Suite interviews with companies that didn’t know precisely what it was that they were seeking.

He interviewed with a company that had fired a previous technology leader who had poor business and people skills. Because Tim knew how to articulate his skills and accomplishments, but more importantly, he knew how to speak from a position of confidence about his unique personal Strengths and his higher than normal Emotional Intelligence, it didn’t take long for a healthy job offer to surface. The offer was significantly higher than his most recent compensation and Tim was convinced that he was being paid for bringing exceptional people skills, soft skills and business skills to the table.

What did Tim do that most people don’t do in order to achieve a result that most people don’t achieve? He stepped out of his own way, out of his comfort zone, in order to get help from someone who specializes in helping high-performing human beings to create their best performance and to excel.

He invested in himself and he took action that most people don’t take. He’s no longer a Senior Director. He’s now a well-compensated, self-confident “C” Suite executive.

Jeff Snyder Coaching for High Performers, 719.686.8810

Outside In or Inside Out…Which Career Development Approach is Better?

Outside In or Inside Out?

Most people I’ve met over nearly three decades of recruiting seem to choose a profession and a career path to follow before they determine exactly who they are, how they’re built and how they are uniquely gifted. I’ll call this Self-Awareness. Self-Awareness leads to Clarity.

When a career path decision is made correctly, a person is positioned to deliver the best possible version of themselves to everyone around them.

When this decision is not made correctly, people are promoted to levels where the technical skills that got them to a certain level of engineering or architectural accomplishment are no longer enough to achieve the same level of success as they continue to rise in an organization.

As promotions occur, and as promotions are achieved, required skills change. These new roles require people skills, exceptional communication skills, soft skills, influencing, empathy, humility, negotiating, persuasion, collaboration, partnering skills, and more.

Outside In

For those who chose or stumbled into what is now Cybersecurity, early on, it was like stepping into the “Wild West”. Judging from the multitude of Cybersecurity job descriptions I see on a daily basis, the “Wild West” analogy fits quite well.

Employers rarely know what they're doing when hiring Cybersecurity talent. Cybersecurity professionals deliver communication to their audience that does not align with the way their audience communicates.

By jumping into the water and catching a fast-rising wave, many brilliant Cybersecurity technologists were promoted to Manager, Director, Vice President, and CISO titles. While this might appear to be a great accomplishment on the surface, it might not be such a great accomplishment after all.

The high-IQ driven, cognitive intelligence, analytical, linear thinking skills that cause a person to be great at addressing hardcore cyber technology issues are not the skills generally required for success at the Manager, Director, Vice President or CISO levels.

Inside Out

A better approach to choosing a career path begins with gaining a clear picture of who you are and what your unique giftedness translates into. Are you gifted to lead, guide, manage, mentor, and influence others? If you are, you may have what it takes to be someone’s outstanding boss. For most people, these skills don't come naturally but they can be developed.

On the other hand, if your unique giftedness is made of strategic thinking skills that reside in your head where nobody else can see them or experience them, you’re most likely gifted to be a great technologist or technology architect.

Finding out how you are uniquely wired is the key to knowing whether you should go straight, turn left or turn right at a various point in your career path.

Peter Principle

“The Peter Principle is a concept in management theory formulated by educator Laurence J. Peter and was published in 1969. It states that the selection of a candidate for a position is based on the candidate's performance in their current role, rather than on abilities relevant to the intended role. Thus, employees only stop being promoted once they can no longer perform effectively, and "managers rise to the level of their incompetence".

The Peter Principle runs wild in the “Wild West” of Cybersecurity. You owe it to yourself to discover what you are naturally built to be great at. You’ll appreciate what you can accomplish when you align your natural giftedness with your chosen work and so will those around you.

Change Your Life Today

Cybersecurity professionals come to me on a daily basis with questions. It seems that in many cases, they don’t know when to go straight, when to turn left or when to turn right.

Nothing is more satisfying to me than to help a person who sincerely wants to know, to determine how they are uniquely gifted so I can map their unique giftedness towards the right career path.

Choosing the right career path has potential to result in greater job satisfaction, higher earning potential, improved productivity, improved relationships, and lower stress.

Who wouldn’t want a better job fit, more income, a greater sense of accomplishment, more quality working relationships and all with less stress?

Use this link to schedule a strategy call with me so I can get you started on the road to Clarity and Discovery.

Jeff Snyder’s, Jeff Snyder Career Coaching Blog, 719.686.8810

Encouragement: Something A Person Can Never Receive Too Much Of

ENCOURAGEMENT

I try very hard to load my Monday morning schedule with calls that will get my week started off with a bang!  This past Monday was no exception.  Yes, this is a testimonial from one of my coaching clients but in reverse, what my coaching client delivered to me was encouragement on a silver platter. 

When was the last time you passed on encouragement to someone else on a silver platter?  Do you have any idea how much your actions or words of encouragement might mean to someone else? 

“Just spent my first hour on the phone with Jeff Snyder Coaching - motivational, inspirational, eye opening, validating, humbling, and completely NOT what I was anticipating for a first call!  It was SO MUCH more!  I came away with insights and pragmatic, practical, tools I can put into action in my work/relationships starting as early as today! 

IF you are willing to go there, Jeff will provide you with the “code” and he’ll help you crack open the door to possibilities and the journey that lies ahead of you.  BUT, ultimately, it’s up to you, to take that first step and then follow through with a commitment to taking action on the insights, resources, materials, and strategy that Jeff will place at your fingertips.

Jeff, Thanks for the investments you are making in people lives.

PS: If like me, you’re 50 plus with some insights on life, Jeff’s coaching will give you a whole new edge on leading the upcoming generation. We can all learn a thing or two.”

— Mark Scoular, Executive Director

This testimonial came to me by way of me digging as deep as I possibly could to deliver value to this coaching client. This is the same value I strive to deliver to each and every one of my coaching clients.

I can’t wait to tackle next Monday’s loaded schedule!

Jeff Snyder’s, Jeff Snyder Coaching Blog, 719.686.8810

Taking Action…Why It’s So Hard for Some People to Do

Taking Action…Why It’s So Hard for Some People to Do

• He says, “I’m stuck in my career.”  The career coach, who is built with Visionary and Strategic abilities, knows precisely how to get his prospective client un-stuck.  Sadly, the prospective client doesn’t take action.

• He needs to lose weight. His life literally depends on it.  Why is it so difficult to leave one’s comfort zone of over-eating and not exercising to do better? He has such a hard time acting to do what he knows he needs to do. He’s been reprimanded and held back in his career because he comes across too harshly to his peers and subordinates. He knows he has a problem, but rather than taking action to identify and address the problem with someone who specializes in solving such problems, he continues repeating the same behavior.  Why is it so difficult for this person to leave their comfort zone that includes bad behavior to pursue behavior that others will appreciate?

• She wants to get in better shape.  She doesn’t like to exercise alone and she knows that if she tries, her get-up-and-go and motivation won’t last long.  Rather than finding a way to connect with someone to exercise with her to create accountability, she keeps putting the idea on the backburner and fails to act.

StrengthsFinder™

The Clifton StrengthsFinder™ measures 34 traits that each one of us possesses.  The StrengthsFinder trait that leads to taking action is called Activator®. A person who is gifted with this trait “can make things happen by turning thoughts into action.” This is the person you want to call on when you need to get a project out of paralysis of analysis mode and get it moving forward.

If you have trouble getting things started in your professional life or in your work life, chances are that your Activator® trait as measured by the Clifton StrengthsFinder™ may not be high.

Take Action

Why not find out where your Activator® sits amongst your 34 traits?  Once you know, you’ll develop clarity around why getting started might be difficult for you.  A strengths coach can help you to build a strategy to compensate for your lack of Activator® if that’s who you are.

Out of 34 traits that make up the Clifton StrengthsFinder™, Activator comes in at number 29 out of 34 in terms of frequency of landing in a person’s Top 5 traits. 

What this means is that only 11% of people who have taken a StrengthsFinder™ find Activator® showing up in their top traits. If you possess this trait high in your traits list, you have something special.

If you’re not an Activator® but you need to get an effort moving forward, find someone who has high Activator® and/or consider hiring a personal coach who is gifted with Activator® to help you get moving in a positive direction.

Jeff Snyder’s, Jeff Snyder Coaching Blog, Strengths Coaching, 719.686.8810

The Limitations of an Executive Leadership Coach

Coaches who are gifted and talented to deliver the services they deliver can help their clients to take quantum leaps forward.

However, even the world’s most gifted coaches have a limitation 100% of the time. Dr. Marshall Goldsmith who wrote the book “What Got You Here Won’t Get You There” is one of my mentors.  On more than one occasion, I have heard Dr. Goldsmith suggest that unless someone wants to change and is willing to do what is required to change, there is no coach in the world that can make that person change. 

Dr. Goldsmith’s advice when a coach meets someone who isn’t willing to get out of their own way to face change is to walk away and to walk away quickly. If someone doesn’t see their need to change or they see the need but they don’t want to devote energy and efforts towards making change occur in their life, they are not coachable.

I always ask prospective new clients if they are teachable and coachable and then listen very carefully to their response.  If they’re not teachable and coachable, it doesn’t matter how large my results pile is, this person will not achieve the same results as my previous clients.

A while back, I received a call from someone who found me on LinkedIn. His introductory statement was a question. 

“Am I correct to believe that you do both recruiting and coaching? Please understand that I am not interested in any of the coaching services you offer that come with a fee attached.”

As I sat at my desk looking at this individual’s average resume, I had to bite my tongue and I remembered the advice from Dr. Goldsmith.  I was deeply challenged to not say a word when I already knew what the caller’s new resume could look like and I knew how much more effective his new resume would be in opening interview doors if he would simply trust me to guide him.

If you ever consider the idea of working with a coach, first ask yourself if you are ready to do what it takes to achieve positive change.  If you are not, there is no reason to invest your hard earned money with a coach. 

If on the other hand, you're ready to move forward and you're just not sure what that means and you're ready to be teachable and coachable, the right coach can help you to take quantam leaps forward that you might not have been able to achieve on your own.

Jeff Snyder’s, Jeff Snyder Coaching Blog, 719.686.8810

Career Coach For Women In Technology

Can a Career Road Map be Strategically Planned?

Not long ago, a really bright converged security professional came to me for resume writing help.  After sharing a phone call with this person, I was convinced that he/she was extremely articulate.  After a short amount of time on the phone, I saw a serious disconnect between the person portrayed on the resume that was in front of me and the person I was listening to on the phone.  This happens all the time by the way.

There was no doubt at all that this caller needed help from a professional resume writer but that’s not all they needed. I sensed that I was listening to a Security Rock Star who didn’t know they had a future as a Security Rock Star.

My caller needed clarity, confidence and a clear career road map.  I suggested that they consider my Strengths Coaching program. 

Here’s how it works and here’s what my clients can expect in terms of results after the coaching program is has been completed.

1.      The beginning of the program focuses on learning.  After my clients take a Clifton StrengthsFinder assessment, our first two phone calls focus on me helping my client to understand what their unique talents are, how they operate, how they come across to other people and what the powerful edge and potential pitfalls are that are connected to each of their unique talents.

2.      In the second phase of this program, my clients begin to understand their unique talents.  At this point they can claim what is naturally theirs and they can choose to own the gifts they have.

3.      Once my client decides to claim and own their gifts, then I’m in a position to help them to properly aim their gifts.  What this means is that some people are gifted to be the most brilliant architects and engineers in the building.  Other people are naturally gifted to manage people and some people are naturally gifted to learn how to lead. At this point, I can step in with my 26+ years of experience in recruiting and I turn to my top strengths. My Futuristic strength combined with my Strategic strength and my experience all work together in helping my clients to build unique strategic career road maps that align with their unique giftedness.

A Strength as defined by the Clifton StrengthsFinder is the ability to consistently provide near-perfect performance in a specific task. 

The good news is that every human being has talents that can be turned into strengths. All of our talents are different; making us unique individuals.  Once talents become strengths, the sky is the limit when an individual can deliver a near-perfect performance over and over and over again.

 Jeff Snyder Coaching, Strengths Coaching, 719.686.8810

Strengths Coaching Testimonial

Let's Work Together to Produce the Best Version of YOU!

Stronger Emotional Intelligence Can Take Your Career To The Next Level

The beginning of March started in a great way for me.  My first call of the day was an Emotional Intelligence Coaching call.

What I’m most excited about with this particular client is that he is in his early 30s.  Emotional Intelligence generally begins developing in a person’s 20s.  It develops significantly in one’s 30s and 40s and tops off somewhere in the 50s for most people.

This client is already extremely successful by most people’s measuring sticks.  What got him to his current high level of success is a very high IQ (his cognitive skills).  Basically, he has gotten to where he is today by finding ways to leverage his analytical skills and his raw intelligence.

My client's new role requires him to do less heads-down engineering work and more collaboration with people. What we started working on today is another part of his brain that hasn’t been exercised much at all.

Psychological research shows that IQ is generally responsible for 10% or less of most people’s overall success.  In some cases, that number can rise to 20% but it is generally 10% or less.

We'll be working together to develop skills that will cause my client  to be more effective when he works with other people. His IQ giftedness won’t go away.  What he’ll have as we work to essentially build new muscles is a more balanced approach to business, to people and to relationships.

Jeff Snyder Emotional Intelligence Coaching, 719.686.8810