Is it time for a coach? This is a question that many of us grapple with, right? Today I'm talking with Bob Gerst. He has many years of experience in human resources executive leadership. He's also your career transition professor.
In addition to being a busy C suite executive in human resources, Bob also helps job changers find jobs quicker My goal with this episode is to make sure that you have the tools you need to make that decision Whether coaching is right for you at this time of your career journey Let's dive in. Securing a big salary should be as easy as asking for more, right? Turns out it's a little bit more than that. First, let me ask you, which of these apply to you?
Reading org announcements with envy as other people get promoted? Working long hours with little to show for it? Getting more degrees hoping to be seen? Don't feel bad. I made the same mistake myself without even realizing it. And it's not your fault. In this podcast, I'm going to help you master the strategy and techniques on how to get promoted, how to double your paycheck and how to secure more flexibility without adding more work or more degrees.
You are listening to salary negotiations made simple, the show that builds your confidence and inspires you to negotiate for the greater good. Do you want to double your salary, secure an ideal career, and increase your confidence to powerfully negotiate every career move? Then you are in exactly the right place. Hi Bob, welcome to the studio. Hey Dorothy, thank you so much for inviting me. I've been looking forward to this for a long time. Likewise.
Can you get us started with a bit of introduction about yourself? Oh yeah, sure. I was born in a log cabin. No, no, no. I have been blessed. I've had a great work and personal life. I've, I've started up several HR functions in the past with companies I've worked with, uh, uh, in, down in Las Vegas with two of the major hospitality gaming companies with thousands of employees. I've worked in Asia Pacific, uh, region area.
So I've had international experience and, and now I'm with, uh, one of the largest hot producers in the, uh, in the world. So I think I've touched on six or seven different industries, different sizes. And one of the things that has always interested me is coaching. I became several years ago, a certified executive coach. And my niche is people that are in transition, college senior to first job. Between jobs, jobs to entrepreneur and jobs to retirement.
It fits in nicely since I've had 50 some years worth of recruiting experience. It's been a great career overall. Yeah. I'm so happy that you're here to share and it's great that you have that recruiting background, uh, your HR leadership, as well as now you're a coach. I would love to get started right there. When do you think coaching really pays off? Should people still get a coach or with all the technology that we have out there, you can figure it out on your own.
Yeah, I think it really depends on the individual. I think that if they, if that person is, uh, uh, open to growth and open to change, I think that that kind of person can really benefit from a coaching experience. It takes the person wanting to examine their behaviors, examine their beliefs, and they need to want to have, um, activity moving forward.
So. If they bring that curiosity, if they bring that commitment, then I think that coaching can unlock some really, um, tremendous potential in the person. What kind of, do you have any examples where you would talk about that tremendous potential that did get unlocked because of the work? I'm sure you have quite a few to pull from. Yeah, I had a client who was really not being treated.
The right way by his boss and, uh, wasn't getting the kind of development, wasn't getting the titles, wasn't getting the compensation and the client was really going through all kinds of mental games. In terms of see that just proves that I'm not worth this and I'm probably not as good. So I'm fortunate that I even have a job and all of those kinds of, uh, noises that go on in our head. And we spent a fair amount of time talking about those issues.
And really uncovering that they weren't true at all. The problem really lied in the boss, not in my client. And then we, once we made that switch, then we started talking about how he was going to approach his boss. For the development plan for performance appraisal for a review of his title and therefore compensation and I just found out a couple weeks ago that that he got promoted and he got about a 25, 000 bump in his salary. He was happy and I was happy for him because he deserved it.
And what a gift, right? From thinking that you don't have value or questioning your own worth to not only making money, but also being, getting that validation from his coach that it was, the problem wasn't him. Yeah. Yeah. You really. From my standpoint, a, an effective relationship between the coach and the client, the client has to feel a mix of discomfort with their current state of affairs. And he finally. He finally got that.
And then an excitement or a curiosity about something that could be different for himself. Now, it's real important that your listeners understand we're not psychoanalysts. We're not psychiatrists. We're not, you know, trying to figure out, does this all come from Some bad childhood or someone called them a nasty name in high school or something like that. That's not what we do. My belief is that I function as a coach to help bring out of the person what they already know.
And I do that through effective questions, good listening skills. I think that a good coach needs to have some history themselves. That's why I think that my HR background is useful, because I've worked with lots of different people in lots of different situations, and I think I can help that person put their situation in some kind of context so that they can see that path forward. Yeah, that is a very good point. It's not about cognitive behavior therapy. None of that.
It's, it's really if you've walked that path before in some way, you can show somebody coming behind you the path that worked for you or what could work for them, uh, and, uh, guide them to that, uh, where they want to go. Yes, that's correct. So, uh, you mentioned a little bit about, uh, when you're ready. Can you tell me what other signs you would want to look out for yourself?
Uh, that indicates that I probably need to go talk to someone like a coach or whoever is, what are those signs that you need to be thinking about when they are, when someone is ready for a change, which is to invest in a coach? Again, I think that, uh, they need to go through a little bit of self reflection to make certain that they understand what's going on. And I think that journaling during that self reflection period is a really good idea.
I think that, again, most people know that there's something happening. And when they start reading some of their journal entries, most people that I've dealt with see a pattern. Of unhappiness or being stuck or if nothing else, that they're, they don't think that they are really using their full potential. So that self refl reflection, that awareness that they are stuck in their habits, in their role, in, in their perception, in their beliefs, and know that the, that there is.
something needed to help them move forward. And then, and then again, all of that is all fine and good, but if they're not resolved to move forward in some path, and even if it's in a small incremental steps, they're not ready for that, then coaching readiness is not meant for them. Yeah. It's great that you share that because. You as a coach or I as a coach don't want to work with somebody who needs convincing, right? Because then you're not ready to receive the messages or the accountability.
100%. I once upon a time when coaching in the corporate world used to be someone and they were earmarked, okay, at least the company could say we even provided a coach to try to work on that. The problem with that is, is that person had no interest in moving forward because they knew that was the, the red mark, uh, against them. And they came in. downtrodden and concerned and no interest in applying any positive energy to work through this.
And because they were probably out looking for a job because they knew that they had that red mark. Um, the good news is we have grown from that and actually we have used effective coaches for lots of high potential people. Many of them that I coach. are rated outstanding in their last several performance reviews. They want to be, you know, even higher potential than that, taking on new and greater roles and responsibilities.
But maybe they, they are good technically, but they haven't had as much in terms of managerial skills, leadership skills. That's one of the examples. And so we talk about ways that they can Get those kinds of experiences and have that broadening experience for themselves. Yeah. Yeah. Fantastic.
Now switching gears just a little bit, Bob, you in your website and your writing, you talk about this a lot, and I would love for you to share with our audience, uh, you focus, you talk about a problem focused mindset, uh, and then a potential focus mindset. What are these and how do you move from one to another?
Yeah, the we've all seen both kinds of individuals and in our work life and our personal life, that problem focus mindset person is always looking on what's lacking, where are the challenges that they use words like, I don't have enough experience or I always make the wrong decision somehow, I'm just not cut out for this role. And you can see it even in kids growing up when the kids say. And I get this all the time from young women that I'm coaching. I'm not good at math.
That isn't surprising, girls aren't. Well, that's a, that's going to create a barrier that's going to make it very difficult for that person to be as effective in, um, in that case in math class versus that, that potential. mindset. That's the person that says, I don't have enough experience. Leading people, but I do have many other qualities and behaviors that's going to help me compensate as I'm learning those leaderships. I'm a good communicator. I'm a good listener. I have empathy.
All of those are showing that potential and growing in that leadership area strong in that girl that I talked about in terms of math class is going to say, I've struggled with some of my math stuff, but I'm a very good student. Good analytical thinker, and I'm going to use those analytical skills to help me to be a better math person. I like that a lot. Yeah, there, I actually want to share a story with myself. So I was working with this executive.
She wants to do her own consulting work in addition to the work that she's doing. And one of her desires is to be a keynote speaker. And she told me that, She's never done a keynote speaking assignment, right? So she's not a speaker. So how is she going to do this? And then we started working together and doing some digging. And guess what? She's spoken to hundreds of boards. She's spoken to hundreds of CEOs, fortune 100.
And then kicker of all, she's spoken at the last five national sales meetings. And those sales meetings are massive. And so it's like you have, but the thinking about I've never been a keynote speaker was the block. Yeah. Yep. Yeah, that's coming at it from that very defensive, someone that is unsure, and it took a good coach to open that up. She knew, again, I keep coming back, the person, 95 percent of the time, knows that what they are saying to themselves is not accurate.
They just need to have someone help shine that light on there and, um, uh, help them in terms of those limiting beliefs. Very good. Yeah, absolutely.
So if you are feeling stuck, if you are either in that problem focused mindset, or if you're just generally stuck in your career and you feel like you're not getting put in this kind of high potential bucket, you're not getting promoted, What are some small steps that they can take today to start moving towards that tremendous potential that we all have?
I've mentioned this before, and I'm a real big believer in terms of, uh, doing some self reflective, uh, work and using that journaling to help you. You can go on AI now and get some prompts. to help you in terms of the, of your journaling, because many people, they look down at that blank sheet of paper and they freeze up. What am I supposed to, what am I supposed to write? I've got jumbled thoughts in my head and so forth.
And you can ask Chad GPT, I want to start journaling about My leadership skills or whatever it is that you want to do, and it will come back with some really good questions that you can ask yourself so that you start with a bit more of a structure as you get more and more familiar with journaling, you can get away from those. Self imposed questions, but at the beginning, I think that doing that self reflection and having those questions ready for yourself, I think is really a great idea.
I think that, uh, you talk about small steps. I think that you set small, mini goals along the way. If I want to be a great leader someday, Number one, I don't know what the definition of great leader is, but I do know that if I just say that as my goal, that's going to feel like climbing Mount Everest to me.
But if I set some smaller goals, I know that communication is important to be a great leader, so I need to join Toastmasters and really put myself through communication skills through Toastmasters and find ways that I can communicate with small groups as well as medium sized groups. Setting those small goals that align with what it is that you're trying to get to, I think, is really one of the steps to help make that happen. That major change, much more doable.
I think that it's important that you find out from people that you trust and get some feedback from them. I think that they can highlight some of the areas of, of your strength so that you can continue to build on those and maybe some of the areas that, that you're not as that strong at, if you can't find someone that you think can be pretty. Open and thorough with you. That's when that coach can come into play for you.
And coaches can use lots of different techniques to help find those, uh, those areas that you need to grow into. And then I'm a real big believer. Give yourself some grace. Don't beat yourself up and in terms of areas that, uh, that you're not as strong in or that you. Fall back in when you have some of those small victories. I remember the first time that I had to run my own meeting. Yeah, it was 48 years ago, but I remember that.
I remember my, uh, manager at the time describing for me what a good meeting was going to look like, what are the component parts, and I pulled it off. And she sent me a note that said how proud she was of me. And I. Went out and bought myself a cupcake, uh, that day to celebrate that. It's okay to, uh, to sell, to positively reinforce those experiences that, uh, that have turned out well for you. Oh, I liked that a lot. That is fantastic. Yeah. Celebrate the small wins, right?
We tell people and we just don't do it for ourselves. So that's a great reminder. Thank you for that. Yep. Yeah. When you're journaling, just one more question on that. Are there some problem focused mindset things that could come up for you that you need to be on the lookout for? Just I'm not good at math. What are some things that you could be like on the alert for? Yeah, I think it's all in the language used and the directional that I doubt if anyone's going to say I'm bad at math.
But I do think that they're going to say things like, I really enjoy history, and I'm good at phys ed, but I don't look forward to that third period, which is my math class. Then, Again, if you were with a coach and you started talking about that, the coach would ask you, now what is it about math that you don't like as well in your schedule? Because you have that down in your journal in a couple of different places.
It just doesn't work with me and, and I'm slower than the rest of the class and, and so forth. Spend some time, a good coach will say, let's spend some time Really thinking in terms of that, if you're good in history, that means that you're good with details and you're good in terms of connecting things. And isn't that what math is really about to do equations? And so you probably do have some skills that you can use in your math to help you with that.
You just need to go into it thinking that you have those other skills that can help you with that. Fantastic. I love that. Thank you very much, Bob. All right, very last part of our podcast, Bob. This is the rapid fire. What is your favorite book that you would want to share with our audience? I'm an oldie classic. And maybe many of your listeners have not seen this one or read this one. But Victor Frankl's book, Man's Search for Meaning, Speaks to me.
It's all about resilience and purpose, um, and, and about, we can't control our circumstances, but we can control how we respond to those circumstances and the environment. So it's a pretty easy read. It's a hundred and some pages. But I want to tell you when you get done with it, my experience is that you want to read it again and again. I had a manager one time that it was their new year's resolution every year. They reread it sometime during January. That's how much it spoke to them.
Wow. And such a story of resilience there with Viktor Frankl. So amazing. So of course I'll put that in the show notes as well. Uh, and the next one, are you ready for this one? Yes. Shoot. Favorite movie. Again, this isn't a current one, but it's been around for a while. It's the pursuit of happiness. Will Smith. And again, there's a common theme for me. He's a sales guy, single dad, really has a tough life. But he shows, again, with that resilience, with that determination.
Uh, and I think a very important, he shows how critical it is to hold onto one's dreams and don't let anyone get in the way of your being successful in living out your dreams. It's a, it's not one of those Saturday night with popcorn. It's going to make you think, yeah. And lots of tears. If I remember it from when I watched it, thank you for sharing that. Absolutely. So, where can people reach you if they want to work with you, Bob?
Yep, I'm on LinkedIn and I have a contact page on LinkedIn, my podcast, uh, people in transition. I'm up to 115 episodes now. And so I forget about that. And you can find that on Apple, Spotify, YouTube. And I'm very interested. I'm very committed to helping everyone find their next great job easier and faster. The good news, Dorothy, is that most people are not very good at finding jobs.
That's because they don't have a lot of experience at it, which I guess is good, but there is a way that you can find that next great job and not be as stressed out about it. And I try to help people through that, uh, that journey. Yeah, of course. I'm a huge fan, Bob, and I love your podcast and congratulations on a hundred plus episodes. Thank you for joining. He's one of my guests on there. Make certain you find that one. She did a great job. Thank you very much.
And thanks for sharing your insights and I'll speak to you soon. Thank you. Take care. Bye. There you have it, my friends. Some real life experience based answers on when do you think coaching really pays off and some fantastic tips on what to do if you're feeling stuck and unsure of where to begin. Thanks for listening and bye for now. There you have it, my friends. As you know, I'm on a mission to close the pay gap.
Every podcast episode is designed to give you the tools, techniques, and inspiration so you can bravely advocate for yourself. Thank you for listening and bye for now.