|
Click
here for Marian in the News
Fortune Magazine
The hottest thing in management
is the executive coach.
Coaches help clients reexamine
goals and values, reclaim control over their time and often help
with the nitty gritty of the job—such as plotting strategies
for opening doors with prospective clients and rehearsing for a
promotion interview. People have to take more responsibility for
their own growth and development.
Coaches can help people come to
grips with huge changes in the way we do work, in getting
through transitions." Ernst & Young partner, Barry
Mabry has found a coach to be a valuable sounding board in today’s
crazy business climate.
"Why do I need a
coach?" he muses. "I’ve wrestled with this. Perhaps
it’s for the same reason Tiger Woods has a coach. Tiger Woods
would say, ‘I know how to play golf.’ But his coach is
probably the most important person in his life."
Crain’s Chicago Business
Bigger numbers of entrepreneurs
seeking services of exec coaches.
Small business coaching is one
of the fastest-growing segments in the coaching world,"
says International Coach Federation president, Marcia Reynolds.
"Coaching gives small business owners, who often don’t
have confidants within their organizations, someone to talk to.
Work-life balance, employee conflicts, human resources issues,
long-range planning, staff motivation, strategic planning and
overwork are some of the more popular concerns of small business
owners."
Working Woman
With the help of executive
coaches…women make breakthrough decisions that changed the
course of their careers.
The Seattle Times
Coaches Help Keep Clients’
Lives on Track.
Their objective is to make
someone else’s dream come true.
Increasingly seen as valuable
corporate assets in professional development and training,
coaches help individuals achieve …"Coaches develop a
personal partnership with their clients that is very different
from the relationship people have with a therapist, consultant
or even a friend," said Thomas Leonard, founder of Coach
University. "Coaches help clients set goals, grow, get a
great life and make changes. A coach asks, ‘Are you really
doing what you want to do? What have you done this week to
accomplish your goal?’ It keeps people on track." Lisa
Poast says, "I just love to be able to talk to my coach
once a week about what’s working, what’s not working, and
strategies to make it work. I’m very fortunate to have a coach
whom I can trust with my wants, my desires and my dreams."
Coach Dan Kennedy adds, "That’s the real benefit of a
coach—helping a person to continually move toward what
matters. As outsiders who want the best for their clients,
coaches offer the perspective, encouragement and accountability
that other people can’t."
Black Enterprise Magazine
Career Development & Goal
Setting…Stay in the Game.
Have you ever been in a meeting
and wondered how your colleague acquired a surge of creative,
out-of-the-box ideas on possible solutions to an organizational
problem? Have you noticed individuals who seem to have a special
ability for improving the communication and effectiveness of
other people around them? Were they born leaders with unique
talents? Probably not. Most likely these individuals have had
the benefit of professional executive coaching to help them see
old problems in a new light. David Duerson says, " My coach
Charles gives me the spiritual side of being a CEO and gets back
to me with the [spiritual] perspective on my business."
Unlike a management consultant, a coach does not come in a fix
the problem for you then leave. A coach partners with you to
elicit how to resolve issues and achieve your goals. And they
stay with you through the process," say Amy Watson, a
spokesperson for the ICF. An ICF survey of coaching clients
reveals benefits such as higher level of self-awareness, smarter
goal setting, a more balanced life, reduced stress, and more
self-confidence.
Marian Baker in the news
The Chicago Tribune, Woman News
Smart Talk--Women reach for
their own higher power.
It should be a bumper sticker.
Have you seen your authentic self today? You know her. The one
who promised herself she’d shoot for the moon—but settled
for something less than stellar. The one who vowed to find a
better relationship, job and life, but hasn’t found the time
or energy. If you haven’t seen her lately, you just may find
her at the Women’s Empowerment Group led by Marian Baker,
founder of True Spirit Coaching and Consulting in Chicago. Baker
works with women searching for empowerment, which, as she
defines it, is "knowing who you are, what your values are,
your purpose and vision—and then consciously choosing to
create it."
"[Clients] develop a sense
of their own balance, how to be at choice and to live more
effectively with less struggle," Baker says. "Imagine
feeling like you’d never have any regrets about how you lived
your life. It’s like moving toward that all of the time. There’s
a flow—a peace of mind, a renewing positive energy to living
more deliberately with the right structure and support—it’s
a blast."
Baker’s [clients] find their
emerging empowerment a blast too, when they revitalize careers,
follow their hearts and renew passion for life.
The Chicago Sun Times
Rejuvenating the spirit is
equally important.
If you sometimes wish there was
a spa for the soul, you are not alone. "People are reaching
that Peggy Lee stage, asking, ‘Is this all there is?’
"says Marian Baker, the owner of True Spirit, a coaching
and consulting company that provides retreats and workshops for
people seeking balance and fulfillment. "It’s a quiet
revolution. In the ‘80’s and ‘90’s, we had techniques
for coping and stress management. Now people want deeper
meaning," says Baker.
The Chicago Tribune, Working
A Coach in Your Corner.
"[Some of] My clients are
business owners who are already highly satisfied with life and
their career path …My expertise is bringing out the best
insights and action plans in each of my clients. It's not about
hiring an expert to tell you what to do. You hire a coach to
help you discover how to make effective choices," said
Marian Baker, a professional coach in Chicago.
Elizabeth Lewis has found that
her coach has helped her set goals and stick with them, manage
her time better and even learn how to make more time for
herself--all issues she wouldn't feel comfortable unloading on
her friends or family. "It's helpful to have someone to
talk to, an objective person who doesn't have preconceived
notions about who you are," she said. It never hurts to
have someone who wants you to succeed just as much as you
do."
Only time will tell whether
[coaching’s] focus on happiness and balance will make a dent
in an otherwise cutthroat, fast-paced society. "Are we
changing the world? I don't know. But are we changing the world
one person at a time? It's certainly worth the commitment to
me," said Baker.
Kellogg Graduate School
of Management Alumni Club, E-Business Committee
Work-Life Balance Panel Review
Marian Baker suggested a
poignant self-awareness question to help one evaluate if changes
are needed in one’s life: Imagine it is your 80th
birthday, do you feel gratitude and pride or resentment and
regret? Start asking that question now, and decide what needs to
be changed today in baby steps.
Perhaps in the introspection of
developing a work-life balance you discover a need for a new
career that will allow you to achieve that balance. Again, we
have to deal with trade offs. There are some careers that are
not conducive to balance and we need to decide our priorities at
different points in our lives. Marian Baker developed a matrix
with four boxes to help us find fulfillment and true success in
work . She indicated that we should fill the boxes with the
following:
- What do you love?
- What are your gifts, talents
and tools?
- What does the world
need?(not just a hospital in India, but maybe better
distribution system for widgets).
- What are others willing to
pay for?
The crossroads of these four
points could lead to insights for your next career or renewing
passion in your current work.
"In creating balance and
career success it is also key that you find a champion,"
asserted Marian. The reason we need a champion, a major
supporter, is because many people frown upon new ways of
thinking or doing. We all tend to have a built-in inertia
because we get comfortable with the present situation, methods,
or ideas. Seek out open-minded, "I believe in you"
supporters and don’t let cynical squashers drain your energy
too much.
To conclude the discussion,
Kathy McDonald (author of Creating your Life Collage) asked each
of the panelists their Key Learning regarding achieving
work-life balance.
Marian Baker: "Life
balance is not a math problem. It is about making new choices in
sync with your true self, values and authentic priorities."
| 
