Page 159 - Talane Miedaner - Coach Yourself to a New Career_ 7 Steps to Reinventing Your Professional Life (2010)

STEP 5: IDENTIFY YOUR PASSIONS AND VALUES 147

Talane interviews her client, Catherine:

What was the biggest shift for you?
It was making a huge and outrageous request and getting it. I real-
ized that I wouldn’t be happy taking a job that wasn’t big enough
and challenging enough. I didn’t want to make another lateral move
at this point in my career, even if that meant getting out of a really
negative situation.

What was your biggest challenge?
I’ve had to keep on making big requests at the bank to get what
I needed in order to do the job properly. When my requests were
approved, then I knew they were really behind me and that I had the
support to get the work done. We are now one of the few banks in
the United States that haven’t been bought out by the government.

What was the best outcome from your career transition?
I have created a coaching culture at the bank. Even the finance
department talks about coaching now. All of the managers and their
teams have gone through the computerized assessments, and they
manage around developing people’s strengths, not focusing on their
weaknesses. I’m pleased to have made that kind of impact in the
company.

How did you overcome your fear of change?
In the end, you have to live with yourself. I knew I had to do the right
thing and report the abusive behavior of this senior executive even
though it could have destroyed my own career. I’m pleased to say
that it actually had the reverse effect, and my career has skyrocketed
to the top. It took every bit of courage that I had, but it was the right
thing to do.
As for the fear of taking the new job, my fears were right on target
and were stopping me for a very good reason. If I had accepted the
job at the lower title, I would not have had the respect and power I
needed to really make the impact I wanted. I needed the chairman