Canadian Small Business Women

Connection, Synergy, Community

Secrets On The Job – My Experience With Discretion

A secret’s worth depends on the people from whom it must be kept. – Carlos Ruiz Zafón, The Shadow of the Wind

Over the years, I’ve developed a few friendly relationships with family lawyers. Eventually, I’ve said to the ones I know well, “I don’t know who holds more secrets, is it you or is it me?” More often than not, I’m met with a curious furrowed eyebrow or a soft, knowing, chuckle.  It’s easy to grasp why lawyers keep a client’s personal information to themselves. They deal with a variety of intimate matters such as divorce, separation, child custody, wills and estates, trademarks, copyrights, etc. Their success relies heavily on being discreet. What is less obvious is that I too have access to sensitive information when working with my clients.  This means that I also share the task of keeping things quiet in my line of work.

For me, Discretion is a Little Word that Carries a Big Obligation

Morally, I am someone who understands the importance of keeping what has been shared with me with in the strictest of confidence.  As a specialist in I/O Psychology and a member of the Society for I/O Psychologists (SIOP) since 1999 (and also a member of the Canadian Psychological Association [CPA]), I am ethically bound to maintain clients’ privacy and confidentiality.

 

SIOP Members use discretionSometimes, when people hear the official title of my job, I/O Psychologist, they don’t really appreciate many of the nuances of what I do. So, I started using labels like ‘Career Coach’ and ‘HR Consultant’ mainly because they are more relatable and they also describe how I use my training in psychology.

 

However, what is even less known about my profession is that I am qualified to work in complicated and often deeply personal situations that most people would not want to have discussed openly in their community, family, or in front of their colleagues/peers. These are serious matters that I have taken on when other ‘normal’ Career Coaches and/or HR Consultants are reluctant or lack the training and/or experience to take on.

discretion practiced in psychology wordsFor instance, during consultations, I’ve had clients reveal complications related to their divorce, separation, workplace bullying/harassment, discrimination, burnout, and mental health issues (especially depression and anxiety). On any given day, a client may tell me that they are accessing my services to improve their career and livelihood before separating from an abusive spouse. Likewise, people seek my advice on how to leave a toxic or unpleasant work environment without putting a dent in their resume or jeopardizing an important job reference.

In all my interactions with clients, I am honest, hardworking, and trustworthy. From the beginning, it is clear that I never divulge our private discussions or (their) plans to anyone without their permission. Staying discreet is both an ethical and a professional must, and it’s how I represent myself in everything I do. Just as a lawyer or medical doctor would have to remain tight-lipped about their client or patient confidentiality, I will not compromise a client’s reputation or their ability to get themselves out of a bad situation.

 

Bouquet of Yellow Roses

Yellow Rose Bouquet by FTD (also symbolic of friendship and Zonta)

“A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” – William Shakespear, Romeo, and Juliet.

Not all career coaches are created equal. I have to comply with the CPA Code of Ethics for Psychologists. This is not true for the vast majority of career (or business) coaches. As a client seeking coaching or HR services, it’s important to know who you are trusting with your high stakes situation.  I won’t argue that others who are not governed by a professional association are unethical, but I will say that I/O Psychologists like myself have a lot more to lose when we don’t honor these Codes of Ethics and Guidelines.

 

There is a wide range of skill and approaches in the coaching industry. It’s fair to say that some designations are significantly less rigorous than a reasonable person would expect. My expertise is based on 10 years of formal education and many more years of experience dealing with difficult and often complex information.

Covert Assignments

When I have revealed the ways in which my work involves ‘covert assignments’ I’m usually met with a surprised response of “Wow … I didn’t realize the scope of what you do or the level of discretion that you must use.” In those moments, it is nice to have my profession properly understood and to receive some recognition for my hidden efforts. Another unknown fact is that because I value my clients’ need for discretion, I readily accept that sometimes it isn’t in my client’s best interest to publicly acknowledge the support that I have provided them. This means for every 5 or 10 public reviews or recommendations that I get, there may be 30 or 40 cases that will never be known. These are the hidden implications of maintaining discretion even after the job is done … and it’s always worth it.

Do you have a sensitive career or HR situation to discuss? I invite you to contact me 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.

Give Your Audience an Experience They’ll Remember

CHuntly

We’re all familiar with the major stunts that brands have pulled off. Whether it’s a guy free-falling from the edge of the atmosphere, a horror scene in a coffee shop, or an elevator with a false floor, the one thing all of these stunts have in common is that they leave a lasting impression on anyone who experiences or sees them. These public stunts, also called brand activations or experiential marketing, can result in a huge bump in your brand awareness growth.

The good news is that you can create an amazing experience at any budget.

Here are 6 things to consider when you are building experiential marketing into your overall marketing strategy:

  1. Clearly define your objectives: This goes for any strategy you build, however, it’s very easy to get carried away when you are doing experiential marketing. When any new idea comes up, you always have to ask yourself how it relates to your strategic objectives and if it helps you reach your overall business goals. If the answer is no, then the idea should be off the table.
  2. Budget: This should come up whenever you discuss strategy. Most small businesses are limited when it comes to budget, but that doesn’t mean your strategy has to have a small impact. It just means you have to plan carefully within your budget.
  3. Concept: This is the thematic idea that will tie everything together. Your concept should represent your brand and its values. This is the overall story that you will pitch to media, and it will shape the activities that happen on the day of the activation.
  4. Connection: Remember that you are creating an experience, so you should tap into all of the senses and emotions that will resonate with your audience. The idea is that when people remember the experience, they immediately associate it with your brand. The first step is making the experience memorable. They need to feel a connection with your brand, so any activities you do should make sense for your brand.
  5. Cross-channel integration: Utilize all of the resources you have available. This means integrating social media, media relations, influencer relations, and content creation into your planning. The event shouldn’t just live in one place. Why not stream it live or have attendees upload photos to Instagram?
  6. Continuity: What happens beyond the day of the activation? Many brands forget that it takes more than one event to put your brand on the map. You might generate a lot of social media buzz and maybe some media coverage, but what next? You have to keep thinking of ways to keep your story fresh and encourage people to keep talking about you.

Candace Huntly is the Founder and Principal at SongBird Marketing Communications, an award-winning agency working to take organizational and individual brands to the next level. With a passion for all things related to creativity and strategy, she specializes in business intelligence, marketing & branding, content strategy & development, media & influencer relations, and social media. Basically, if you need to put your brand, product, or cause in the public eye, she will find a way to do it, while making the approach unique to you.

Connect with Candace

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Working With A Business Coach Is Like Psychotherapy

 Martina-R.

I was squirming in my seat, sympathising with the challenging questions a fellow entrepreneur was struggling to answer. She had volunteered to go on stage in a so-called “hot seat”, whereby my business coach and today’s event host was grilling her about her business and what might be holding her back from greater success.

It was in no way meant to be mean, though it was challenging, as this small business owner was nudged to not only think hard but admit to herself where and how she may in fact be sabotaging her own success.

This made me think that working with a business coach has many similarities to getting psychotherapy. (Don’t ask how I know that…)

I have been working with business coach Odette Laurie as part of her group coaching program for the past 14 months, as well as a few months with Jason Reid for one-on-one coaching.

I too have squirmed, questioned, resisted, and faltered. I have also had many “a-ha!” moments, made changes and improvements in my patterns, received excellent feedback from colleagues, prospects, and new clients, and experienced personal growth and business successes.

Business coaches of course share their wealth of knowledge and experience as successful business owners themselves, and yet working with one ends up being about so much more than your sales and marketing strategy, your client conversations, and business goals.

You are asked to ‘dig deep’ about your motivation for being in business, have to identify and work through inner demons and past baggage that may be holding you back from success, and implement strategies and new ways of working that will help you succeed. Our past baggage can be anything from low self-esteem, fear of failure (or fear of success!), not feeling worthy, downplaying our successes and skills, fear of public speaking, and a ‘scarcity syndrome’, which can be the cause of under-charging for your products or services.

Pretty cool actually; not only have I received incredibly valuable business tips and guidance from my business coaches, I’ve also had indirect counselling!

When we grow as a business owner, we also grow as a person. I highly recommend working with a business coach, even for a short while.

References:

Odette Laurie, Business Women On Top, www.businesswomenontop.com

Jason Reid, The Rechargeable Entrepreneur, www.rechargemymojo.com

Martina Rowley is the Chief VA of Beach Business Hub Virtual Assistance Services. She can handle many of your recurring or one-off administrative tasks, client and project management, organisational challenges and more. Let this VA give you a hand! Contact her at:http://www.beachbusinesshub.ca, on Facebook and on Twitter