Why do I do this job? I do it for my Dad.
Motivation is everything. If what you do really matters to you, then you will give it absolutely 100% and do your utmost to be successful. My motivation for the career coaching work that I do is deeply personal. I do it for my father and for people who find themselves in a similar situation. I have two pictures of Dad in my office and I look at them every day. My greatest reward is being able to help someone manage their career more effectively than he was able to. That’s what drives me.
My father was a successful marketing executive with one of the world’s leading consumer companies. He was my role model. From the age of 13 I knew exactly what I wanted to do with my career: I wanted to do what Dad did. It all blew up when he was 51. Dad was laid off after a successful 27-year career with one company and everything changed. At 51, it transpired, Dad’s professional career was over. Losing your career like that was tough for him then and it’s tough for other senior executives today. Helping these executives to successfully manage their careers means so much to me.
Like each of the executives I work with, Dad had so much more to give. He had great experience, spoke three languages fluently, and was full of drive and energy. He just didn’t know how to find the role where he could usefully deploy all of that experience, the skills and the energy. I see senior executives every day who face similar frustrations. Every time I meet someone struggling to find a meaningful role, I look across to the pictures of Dad on the wall. This is my opportunity to help someone to manage this next stage of their career more effectively. Whether it’s a one-hour conversation or a three-month consulting engagement, I will try to help. I know how bad it was for Dad, the pain and struggle that he went through, and I just want to make it a bit easier for somebody else.
I’ve been doing top-level executive search for over 30 years. Here are some things I’ve learnt:
- We all need to manage our own careers. Nobody else is going to do that for us.
- A fluent, adaptable and distinctive career story is fundamental to any successful career transition.
- The digital story (LinkedIn, Twitter, personal website, etc.) needs to be aligned with your verbal story. The written story (CV, résumé) comes last.
- Building relationships with relevant people in executive search takes time.
- Effective career transition needs to be managed like a full-time job.
- Pro-active career management is better than waiting for things to happen.
- Working with a competent, motivated career coach may turn out to be the best investment you ever made.
Just because one stage of your career is over, doesn’t mean that this is the end. You just need to be ready and equipped to manage the process that will take you to a new and exciting challenge somewhere else. I wasn’t able to help Dad, but I will always try to help someone else.
Anthony Harling
Managing Partner, Archer Mann
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