Mallard Owen, Ph.D.
Dear Shelly:
As you know, I have been thoroughly
impressed and pleased with our collaborative efforts to prepare me
for my next best career opportunity. On numerous occasions, I have
shared my thoughts with others in transition about the value of
having a coach during this critical time in one’s career. I wanted
to provide this letter to you as a more formal way of sharing
these same thoughts with you. I hope this feedback will encourage
you to stay the course in your coaching style and strategy. Please
feel free to share this with others that are considering engaging
you as a coach.
The following characteristics are
those that I have valued the most about our coaching relationship:
Care, commitment, and candor
“I don’t care how much you know until I know how much you care.”
From the outset, you displayed a sincere warmth and concern about
me and my situation. Once we realized the value you could bring to
my search efforts, I felt a strong sense of commitment that you
would be there to help me achieve my goals. In the process of
accepting me as a client, I clearly understood that you would be
candid with me – never shying away from the truth to protect my
feelings, which we both knew would have undermined my efforts. I
might call your approach one of “empathetic candor”. Of course,
your commitment and dedication to me has been unwavering.
Information, knowledge, and
perspective
Because of your extensive experience as a professional career
coach (and having just completed a book with numerous interviews
with top executives and human resource professionals), I felt very
confident that you were current in your knowledge about the state
of mind of hiring managers and human resource professionals. Your
understanding of the job market and the quality of “similar”
candidates is very valuable. One of the most important elements
you provided was perspective. By comparing me to other “in
transition” candidates; I gained a better perspective on my
relative strengths and weaknesses. When you suggested things for
me to work on, I was able to appreciate how these things would
further differentiate me in a competitive market. Your insights
into the entire hiring process helped me better prepare for
interviews and their outcomes.
Self-awareness, confidence, and
communication
Through your coaching, I gained a much clearer understanding and
appreciation of my talents and skills. As I became more
self-aware, not only did my confidence improve, but I was also
better at articulating my skills and strengths to others. Armed
with greater self-confidence, I feel more comfortable when
presenting myself to others in the business community.
Clarity and innovation
By creating a clearer picture of my abilities, you helped me
clarify the kinds of positions I should pursue. You helped me
discover those things that really excited and motivated me. You
also helped me break out and explore industries and opportunities
that I probably would have overlooked.
One of my favorite business books is
Good to Great by Jim Collins. In his book, Collins talks about the
concept of building a great company by “having the right people on
the bus.” I believe this is as important for building a great
career as it is for a great company. I am privileged to have you
on my “bus” to help guide me through rough terrain and new
territories in my pursuit of a fulfilling career. Having hired
many staff over the years, you’re the best hire I could have made
for “Mallard Owen, Inc.”
Thanks again for all of your patience,
understanding, wisdom, support, and commitment to my future
success!
All the best,
Mallard D. Owen
Mallard D. Owen, Ph.D.
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