My Story
If there was something you were doing or not doing that was getting in the way of you realizing your dream career and reaching your true potential, would you want to know?
When I first began coaching and teaching career management workshops 20 years ago, I had the opportunity to work for a one-stop career center that served people from all walks of life; from housewives who were entering the workforce for the first time, laid off factory workers searching for a new job in a different industry, to PhD graduates who had some “attitudinal” challenges to overcome.
I have worked for an array of small businesses, corporations, and nonprofit organizations since then and I’ve come to realize that the core principles for effective career management remain the same – e.g. developing self-awareness, clarifying direction and goals, building relationships, and taking initiative. Many myths that hold people back in their careers have persisted as well. For example, I come across many individuals who believe that working hard, keeping their nose to the grindstone, and doing a good job will result in the career advancement they desire. They are expecting to be tapped on the shoulder for the next great opportunity. In reality, only about 10-15% of positions are filled that way. Meanwhile, individuals who have taken the necessary actions to champion their own career progress fill the remaining 85-90% of job openings.
Increasingly over the years, clients have come to me exasperated and dissatisfied about their job or career prospects. Oftentimes, they are:
- Stuck and don't know what to do about it.
- Passed over for promotions that they feel they deserve.
- Unable to clearly articulate their own interests or direction.
- Unable to explain why they aspire to achieve certain goals.
- Burned out after several years and not sure which way to turn.
- Trapped by limiting beliefs about what’s possible for their future
- Unaware of available opportunities that may align better to their passions, strengths, skills, interests, values, and personality.
- Beholden to what others expect or want them to do (consciously or unconsciously).
- Struggling with how to connect and communicate their expertise in one career or industry with what’s needed in a new environment.
- Experiencing difficulty adjusting to a new leadership position.
What’s in common with the above scenarios is that we all have some blind spots that can hold us back. It's not unusual for individuals to feel overwhelmed by the task at hand and stymied by where to begin.
I endeavor to help you achieve your career dreams and goals. My aim is to offer clients a system of support with an array of career management programs and services to assist individuals in any stage of their career. At the end of the day, my clients walk away with increased clarity about themselves, confidence about their direction, and are empowered to more effectively manage their careers.
Sincerely,
Mike Gellman, Founder & Coach
My Philosophy
My experience in business started from the time I began working in my father’s drugstore since I was eight years old. The core principles of my approach to business is to understand customer needs, play fair, be transparent, pay attention to quality, customize solutions, own up to mistakes, collaborate, utilize a holistic systems approach, incorporate sustainable practices, and facilitate client self-sufficiency.
My approach to teaching students is facilitative and incorporates adult learning principles, fosters a high degree of peer interaction and seeks to tap into the “wisdom in the room.” I am fascinated by the diverse experiences, thought process, and opinions that students contribute in class. It’s truly enriching and could not have been achieved through a traditional lecturing approach. This interactive and engaging approach has been one of my core tenets over the years and has informed the approach I’ve utilized in the corporate training arena.
My approach to training employees over the years is built upon my initial teaching experience as well as newer understandings of how adults learn and apply what they learn after they leave the classroom (or virtual classroom) and are back on the job. I believe that learning is a process rather than an “event.” Most learning actually occurs outside the classroom – i.e. it begins before employees enter the classroom and continues after they leave and return to work.
To this end, a key approach I’ve adopted to maximize learning is that I typically provide pre-work in advance of the class to prime and prepare students for what they are about to learn as well as post-class assignments in order to increase the probability that learning will transfer successfully with the application of new knowledge, habits, and skills. During the class, I utilize a mix of lecture, personal stories and examples to illustrate concepts, small and large group discussions and exercises, videos, student teach-backs and report-outs, and debriefs to facilitate understanding on a meta-learning level.
Using my humanics and business background, I use a holistic approach to coaching that incorporates “mind, body, and spirit” principles. Practically speaking, this takes the form of “teach to fish” approach and facilitates a process of client self-discovery and commitment to action. While I possess career development expertise and offer my insights as necessary, I believe true power and wisdom resides within each of my clients.
As a professional coach, I see my duty as being fully present in order to embrace each client's unique nature, actively listen and build trust, ask powerful questions, and challenge assumptions. I also help clients to define success, plan, set goals, and support them in holding themselves accountable to their commitments.
In graduate school, I was introduced to many thought leaders in the field of business and psychology. Three individuals in particular, Edgar Schein (author of Process Consultation), Peter Block (author of Flawless Consulting), and Roger Schwartz (author of The Skilled Facilitator) most influenced my consulting and facilitation style that has remained a guiding force over the years.
The essence of their approaches to consulting is that the greatest value one can provide is to understand the client’s underlying needs vs. presenting needs, focus on process vs. content, enable the client to own the problem vs. the consultant taking it on, and a key use oneself as a tool for change by reflecting back what he observes via candid feedback. In fact, most of the leaders I’ve consulted with over the years have indicated that they truly value being able to get honest feedback about their blind spots.
My newest endeavor has been conducting public speaking. Inspirational, funny, warm, personable, relatable, and helpful are some common phrases audiences have used to describe some of my keynote presentations, radio interviews, and live streaming broadcasts. It’s important to me to relay messages that are relevant to my audience, insightful, interactive, and actionable.
