As the founder of Croft Coaching, Deborah Croft, has a passion for helping people overcome challenges, embrace change and live life to the full; with an ethos of “work hard, play hard”.
Croft Coaching is a Coaching and Training organisation, dedicated to inspiring and empowering Individuals and Groups to play to their strengths and honour their values; so that they are truly engaged, energised and present; inside and outside of the workplace.
Croft Coaching partners with Organisations and Individuals who are seeking to evoke positive, long term transformational change; grounded in greater self-awareness, clarity and conscious choice. In partnership with Viva Consulting, they help organisations include and embrace the impact of the transition to parenthood in their diversity programs.
By Debbie Croft, Croft Coaching
This is the first in a series of blogs, which looks at the juggling act between working professionally and becoming a parent. Accompanying the transition to parenthood requires a change in assumptions, beliefs, behaviour and motivations on the part of the parents concerned.
For a woman, it is probably one of the most challenging and exciting transitions; amplified by a great deal of mental and physical changes and unknowns, with associated fears; especially with the 1st child.
Fathers however, are often overlooked during this transition period; despite their conflicting desires to spend more time with family, whilst upholding professional aspirations. So, in Part 1 of this blog, I am going to start with how Fathers can better balance parenthood and professional work.
Image courtesy of hywards at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
By Debbie Croft, Croft Coaching / Geneva Coach Alliance
“Maximising Christmas Events and Parties!”
In part 1, we explored ‘what is networking and why even bother with networking?’. Hopefully, you took away the fact that creating conversations can lead to doors opening, directly or indirectly; in a professional search. With the Christmas party season upon us and a peak of events, this is a great opportunity to put those ‘elevator speeches’ into action. The secret is to also enjoy it and feel comfortable! Below are some useful tips to help you present your ‘best, most confident self’:
Image courtesy of hywards at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
By Debbie Croft, Croft Coaching / Geneva Coach Alliance
So, firstly, what is networking why even bother with networking? According to the Oxford English Dictionary, networking is:
“A group of people who exchange information and contacts for professional or social purposes: a support network”.
Why do it - networking is key to success during a job search process here in Switzerland! It is said that over 80% of the jobs secured tend to be a result of networking, as opposed to directly responding to a job opening. So, to maximise your job search, it is very important to build a strong and varied network.
Networking is also a very effective way of overcoming the challenges when transferring into new roles/career, or if you have had a career break; where you may have the skills and capability but not the ‘x number of years of specific experience’ in that field. On a CV/application, that can be harder to communicate. When one is ‘face to face’, connections are made and it is the personality, attitude and skills that become more important.
By Debbie Croft, Croft Coaching / Geneva Coach Alliance
At the beginning of summer, I told myself I was going to do the Sprint Triathlon at Nyon, yet it was the 3rd week in July and I still hadn't signed up. I was training but rather half-heartedly. So, what pushed me to sign up and properly commit 2.5 weeks prior to the event? It was my 8 year old daughter. She asked me if she could do the "Tri Kids" having seen a poster at the pool, and at the same time, explained that she was nervous. I heard myself ask her, “what are you nervous about?”. We discussed it and then, I shared the thought that “it's good to be scared because you feel such a great sense of achievement afterwards”. As she reflected on that, I reflected on my own question, "so, why are you holding back Debbie from signing up?".
Image courtesy of Vlado / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
By Debbie Croft, Croft Coaching / Geneva Coach Alliance
I was reflecting on my next blog so was rather surprised and delighted when an owner of a bike shop in Rolle gave me the theme without even knowing it! I had taken it upon myself to renovate my eldest's daughter's bike from blue to bright pink, for her younger sister. All went well with the renovation (the spray paint on the wheels being part of the planned look of course!) aside from I couldn't get the seat down.
I took the bike and children into the bike shop in Rolle and the owner couldn't have been more helpful - fixed the seat to the right height, fixed the bell, adjusted the brakes, all for next to nothing. In fact, he then threw in some teaching to my 5 year old, as she tried to ride the bike in the shop: "riding a bike is like life, you have to keep moving".. .
Little did he know that his advice also gave me the inspiration for my next blog.
