There is a great article by Philip Cenere in the December 2014 issue of Company Director (published by the Australian Institute of Company Directors – www.companydirectors.com.au) that talks about the value of coaching and mentoring, and discusses how executives can navigate critical turning points in their careers.  The article highlights the role that Phil Crenigan, the principal of Executive Turning Point, has played in Philip’s personal journey.  I had the privilege of being coached by Phil as I made the transition from full time work at IBM to the portfolio career I now have.  He helped me take stock of where I was, work out what I wanted to do, and develop a plan to execute.  Eighteen months on from that change, it is fair to say that I have achieved virtually everything that I set out to do – in fact over achieved, but not to the detriment of the personal balance in my life that I have enjoyed so much in the past eighteen months.  How did Phil help?  Firstly, by putting a structure around my thinking – helping me to reflect on what I had achieved, and what more I wanted to do. Secondly, by giving me confidence in myself – the confidence to move on from what I had been doing for 25 years and the confidence to embark on new initiatives.  Thirdly, by helping me understand that there was so much more to life than work and career – I thought I had a good balance before but I have a much better balance now.  Phil and I have since worked together in running sessions for young executives to help them with their career planning.  Beyond the usual focus on leadership traits, and together we have developed a very powerful list of “The Ten Principles of Becoming a Great Leader – and Having a Successful Life…”, the most important thing we have done is challenged the participants about what they want to get out of life, by starting with the principle of “no regrets” – don’t end your career and life with regrets and saying “I wish I had….”.  This really challenges participants as to what they truly want to get out of life – and makes them realize that there is so much more to life than becoming a senior executive or CEO.  Sure, you can aspire to these career goals, but make sure at the same time you are also assessing your own life goals