Let’s Fix Work Episode 8 — WTH Is Life Coaching with Ben Brooks

Ben Brooks was THE guy in HR. He had it all, but then he left it all to became an entrepreneur. Today Ben and Laurie talk about how executive coaching can help you fix yourself AND your work. Not sure what life coaching is, how it differs from executive coaching, or why it matters? They’ll answer these questions and more in today’s episode.

• Ben talks about this ‘arranged marriage’ to corporate America, and how it really didn’t fit with his ideas of innovation and making things better. In fact, one of his peers told him point blank: he had outgrown a 50,000-person company. Ben shares what a gift that message was.
• Ben took a little time before beginning his journey into entrepreneurship, and what finally changed his mind about it was a name tag. Would he choose unemployed, entrepreneur, or employee? After a week among entrepreneurs, Ben realized he’d found his tribe.
• Ben did what a lot of new entrepreneurs do: he started without a real business plan. He reveals what he learned about business plans, what his first little while was like, and when things finally took a positive turn for him. He shares his thought about generalist advisers, and what he says will surprise you: you don’t absolutely NEED to be in a niche, not in today’s world.
• Ben talks about what he calls ‘democratizing executive coaching.’ In a nutshell, it means getting coaching to more people, when they need it, and at prices they can afford. He explains why he was driven to do this rather than set up a $500/hr coaching practice. Ben’s revelation about group coaching surprises Laurie, and it will probably surprise you, too.
• One of the problems Ben ran into with Pilot, his coaching company, was that people loved it but they believed their company should pay for employment coaching. So he turned to companies, and while many of them won’t invest in it, there is a distinct group of forward-thinking leaders who have, like those at MetLife.
• Do you need an executive coach? Before you answer, listen to what Ben has to say about it. He likens it to marriage counseling. If you’ve ever been fired or left a job, are you able to see past your emotions and understand what really went wrong? Are you able to fix it for yourself? The answer may not be to start your OWN business, because if you aren’t able to fix yourself, entrepreneurship won’t do it for you.
• According to people smarter than us, one of the biggest factors of happiness at work is self-advocacy. Ben and Laurie discuss what that means and why it seems to be more difficult for women. They also reveal what to do to be a better advocate for yourself.
• Ben leaves his final message that everyone needs to hear: Take command of your career. It’s the tagline of his business, Pilot. He shares the inspiration behind it, and why it will change your life.
• Listen to the Spotify playlist.

Want to know more about Ben? Find him here:

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