It’s Never Too Early To Own Your Career

HORNE describes our Full Potential (FP) Coaching Program as a strategic investment by the firm that reinforces our commitment to our people by empowering team members to reach their Full Potential, in both their personal and professional lives. More specifically, our FP Coaches engage with team members in one-on-one sessions to discuss career aspirations, then assist with targeted goal setting and action steps designed to accelerate development and bring sharper focus to individual growth and potential. While this certainly sounded like something I wanted to sign up for, I wasn’t really sure what I was getting myself into.

Honestly, I was pretty nervous walking into my first coaching session as I wasn’t sure what to expect. I first met my FP coach in a group setting and she gave us an overview of what the coaching process would be like. However, if I’m still being honest, I wasn’t sure how much I would actually benefit from this session. I was still relatively new to HORNE, so the idea of being “coached” sounded necessary, but I didn’t grasp the full concept of owning my career yet. How could I take control of something that I was still trying to figure out?

Over the timespan of a year, we met multiple times and I immediately started to notice transformative effects from my coaching sessions. I realized that just because I was new to my field, did not mean that I didn’t have the ability to set personal goals and standards for myself. Not only did I begin to focus on growing based on the firm’s standards, but I was also considering what I wanted to achieve on a personal level.

Coaching was personal and customizable, and with my coach’s help, I was able to develop action items to achieve anything I’d set my mind on. I stopped seeing myself as an employee that just churned out work, and instead, as an empowered individual with a vision. There were several instances where we had to address problem areas and fears, too. Surprisingly, I found these fears were not usually immediate but had more to do with the future. These were issues that I didn’t want to worry about at the moment but were lying dormant and just waiting for the right time to appear. Once we laid everything out on the table and discussed ways to tackle it, the fear started to subside. I walked away with a peace of mind feeling stronger and more prepared. Throughout coaching, we’ve discussed failed attempts, developed new ideas, combated doubt, celebrated achievements and maintained faith that I had the ability to make my future as bright as I wanted.

Working with my FP coach has given me career confidence. It’s brought me a sense of awareness while also pushing me to strive for my best. Thanks to these quarterly sessions, I’ve been able to fight against complacency and sustain passion for my work. It is incredible to witness the positive effects of someone investing in you. I’m blessed to be a part of a firm that does exactly that. I am even more thankful to have people like my coach that pushes me to reach my Full Potential.

About the Author

Caitlin is a healthcare senior associate focused on reimbursement and advisory services. Her career at HORNE has been marked by creativity, flexibility and the ability to see obstacles as infinite opportunities to be even better.