FEATURES
Success? R O A D to
SEEKING your
Consider a coach as guide.
By Ginny Marcin
IS there a speed bump on your career
highway? Maybe you’re happy in the kitchen
but can’t find the stairs to better pay or
more respect. Maybe you’d like to trade
your sauté pan for a byline as a food writer
or photographer. Or maybe you’ve moved up
to management, and wish your people skills
were as strong as your pastry know-how.
career speed bumps with the help of a paid
career coach. Why pay a coach instead of
relying on friends, family and co-workers
for advice? Coaches and the people who’ve
used them point to objectivity, for one thing.
Cannon says, professional coaches are
trained to help you see opportunities,
alternatives and options—things you might
not have envisioned. And when it comes
to goals, she says, a coach is an expert in
helping a client get from point A to point B.
In kitchens, food markets, multiunit
restaurants and more, some food
professionals say they’ve eased over
“A coach is your objective collaborative
partner, who helps you achieve whatever
your goals are,” says Kay Cannon, a
master-certified coach and past president
of the Lexington, Ky.-based International
Coach Federation (ICF). In addition,
LEARNING TO LEAD
In Columbus, Ohio, Brian Hinshaw signed
on with a coach about three years ago to
help him grow into a challenging new role.
He was at the top of his kitchen game as
executive chef of a single-unit restaurant for
Cameron Mitchell Restaurants, a $70 million
multiunit restaurant group in Columbus,
when the company spotted his ability with
people and promoted him to regional chef.
About a year into the role, and in charge
of six restaurants, Hinshaw’s confidence
deflated like a hot soufflé exposed to a draft.
“Coming into this role, I was a chef—I had
a knife in my hand,” says Hinshaw. Instead
Those who work with career coaches
experience a positive impact on their self-esteem/self-confidence, relationships,
communication skills, work performance
and life balance, according to a 2009 study.
