Psychology used as an Atypical Foundation for Career Coaching and HR Services
I understand that my approach to Career Coaching and Human Resources (HR) services is not typical. Recently, using a Spoken Word video and a blog post (Part 1), I explained why I use psychology as my foundation for offering Career Coaching and HR services. If you missed the video, you can watch it here:
Now that you understand why I do what I do, I’ll explain what I do and how I do it.
What Do I Do with my Expertise in Psychology?
I build resilient careers and organizations by applying all that I have learned about psychology within the workplace and all that I have done professionally in Career Coaching and in various HR roles that I’ve held in the private and public sectors.
I take stock of my client’s situation – whether it is their personal situation within the context of Career Coaching or their business/organizational situation in the context of my Human Resources practice. I rely on my ability to listen carefully and use the theory and practice of psychology to understand things in a thorough and nuanced manner.
Which Way Are You Headed?
After understanding the key issues, I develop a strategy to address the issue. The strategies that I propose are always created on a case-by-case basis; each client gets a customized solution that yields results in the shortest time frame possible. Whenever possible, I apply what I have learned professionally over the past 16+ years of working with organizations and individuals. This means that I can solve problems and create solutions quickly using what I’ve seen both in theory (i.e., books and research) and in practice. It also means that I don’t rely on boilerplate or template style solutions; rather I count on my training and professional experience.
How Do I Do It?
Whether I am working with a business, another type of organization, or an individual client, I rely upon several domains. First, I count on what I learned while earning my doctorate in Industrial / Organizational (I/O) Psychology which is sometimes referred to as work or business psychology. I’m grateful to have access to the best practices and processes that are also used in some of the world’s most successful companies and by I/O psychologists who share their applied research findings. Besides learning a lot of psychology content while a student, those years taught me how to get to the root of problems and solve them using reliable information and analysis. More importantly, those years also prepared me to be able to come up with things that hadn’t been done in the past. This form of innovation is an exceptionally useful skill when trying to resolve issues and challenges when there’s no clear path forward and there’s no playbook to follow.
Using Psychology to Get Great Perspective
Secondly, since 1999, I have gained firsthand experience at selecting employees for various jobs, promotions, and leadership development programs that were part of succession plans, in small and large organizations across the public and private sectors. More recently, I’ve been using that experience within the context of career coaching and HR Consulting.
Finally, I’ve advised other leaders and held leadership roles in various contexts (e.g., the private sector, federal government, and non-profit organizations). As a direct result of the range of experiences that I’ve acquired over the years, I’ve developed an extensive network of professional and personal contacts in a range of fields. This means that I have access to accurate and insightful information that benefits me and my clients.
Interested in next level Career Coaching or HR Services? Let’s connect by email, phone, or via direct message on Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn.
More than career coaching, it’s career psychology®.
I/O Advisory Services– Building Resilient Careers and Organizations.™
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