How One Firm Provides Career Coaching

Source: Inside Public Accounting

Following are excerpts from the article “A Career Coach For Staff May Be Just The Right Medicine For Weathering Tough Times.”

Jones and Roth, a firm of 80 in Oregon, recognized that staff have a lot more choices and challenges now, and they need more career guidance.

The firm selected Tricia Duncan as the firm’s first career coach. The previous adviser program was hit and miss.

Here are some examples of what she does:

• She helps staff deal with family needs by adjusting schedules or delegating.
• Professionals at J&R are encouraged to develop a specialty. Duncan can help them determine which niche is right. Managers can be so anxious to pull new people into their specialty areas (they may enjoy the people more than the work itself) that they aren’t objective.
• One entry-level manager had taken on too many responsibilities, and the tension was written all over his face. It’s hard for entry-level managers to not grab all the opportunities they have. Duncan gave him permission to not have to do everything at once. Together, they set work hours and developed priorities.
• Staff wanted more training in soft skills. Senior managers wouldn’t have admitted to partners that they need more help in learning how to supervise, but they would admit it to Duncan.
• Young staffers are intimidated by shareholders and may be reluctant to speak out about their interest in mentorship. But they share that information with Duncan and she matches those people up on the scheduling system.
• It’s OK now for staff to say they are buried in work (they talk to Duncan about it) instead of feeling they can’t say a thing.

To read the complete article, click here.

From Inside Public Accounting, December 2008, p. 1, The Platt Consulting Group, www.plattgroupllc.com. Subscription $389 per year; back issues—nonsubscribers $50. 317-733-1920.