Don't Settle.

Watch the video here.

My clients tell me that I refuse to let them settle. I recently realized that this is the essence of all coaching. All coaches, whether athletic, academic, career, or life coaches, challenge their clients to not settle. Instead we coach people to push through to the next level – and we support them as they reach for it.

All coaching is about mastering skills that you do not think you can master. Maybe it’s cutting 2/10 of a second off a 40-yard dash time, or recognizing and hitting that slider that’s been fooling you. In life coaching, maybe it’s learning to ask the hard questions when you’re in a relationship, or learning to count to 5 before you react to a situation that sets you off. In career coaching, maybe it's learning how to network, manage your time, ask for help, or ask for a raise.

My client didn’t settle. Believe me, she wanted to, but she didn’t. Frances is a college professor. She emailed me about a couple of positions that she was interested in. Both positions were at the same college. Frances has been adjunct faculty for a while. Both of these positions offered her the opportunity to move up to associate faculty status. Frances could have handled one of the positions with her eyes closed. The job was in her area of expertise, and included some of her favorite things to teach (Frances teaches teachers). She was a shoe-in for the job. Easy process, perfect fit, right in her comfort level.

The other position was right in her career sweet spot – but it had some requirements that Frances felt she didn’t meet. So, she was reluctant to apply for it. We talked. I pointed out one of the great truisms about job descriptions. Companies and schools create a job description for their ideal person, frequently including criteria that no one can meet. Usually, no such person exists. But here's the deal, if you meet 50% of the job requirements, you should go for the position.

Here’s the cool thing. She met the most important criteria for the job. Every single one. And it’s her dream teaching job. At a great school. She still pushed back. So I pushed back harder. We created a cover letter that described how she believed in this school’s mission and described how she was a perfect fit for some parts of the job. We totally ignored all the other parts of the job.

She got the phone call. She got the interview. She got the job. She got the job and they took away the parts of the job that she wasn’t comfortable with. Win, win, win.

Here’s another universal truth. When a company wants you to work for them, they will find a way to make a position fit you. Yes, they are hiring you for your skills. They are also hiring you for your personality and how they picture you adding value to their company.

Frances took a risk and didn’t settle for applying for the comfortable job. She pushed through her doubts, applied for the job she really wanted – a job that lets her live out her passion – and got it. And she loves it.

Don’t settle. Push through. You can do it. If you need help, I'm here.

Becky

www.beckyberrycoach.com

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