Name: Janet Miller Evans
Job / Title: President & Founder
Company: Entevos
Industry: Coaching and Training Professional Services
Q: From your perspective, what are the most important trends that will take place in your industry in the next ten years?
Janet: In my viewpoint, the perception of coaching has changed from a luxury reserved for Executives to that of a necessity for the continuous development of high achievers.
Baby boomers and millennials will be the most significant percentage of the client base. Coaching is being used in all aspects of business training, as well as in diversity/inclusion and unconscious bias training, and top potential performers. Corporations are finding the return on investment, increased profits, employee contribution, and high levels of customer satisfaction, far outweigh the cost of the Coach. Certification by well-established coach training organizations will become a requirement. Coaching combined with scientific research and artificial intelligence-based assessments will become standard.
Statistics on business coaching have proved that using a business coach can increase profit margin by an average of 46 percent. Statistics published by MarketResearch.com [1] reported the “U.S. personal coaching market was worth $1.08 billion in 2017, up 6.5% from the prior year.” Drawing upon estimates published by the International Coach Federation, they also went on to predict that the “total market is forecasted to grow at a 5.4% average annual pace, to $1.38 billion by 2022. Per an ICF study in 2019, 70% of respondents believed business coaching to very valuable. People don't just use business coaching to make more money; coaching is useful for anyone who wants to improve their personal and professional life.
Q: If you can share one piece of advice that you know now about navigating your career, what would that be?
Janet: Always be in a learning mode. The more you know, the more you grow, personally and professionally. I was readily open to change. When offered opportunities for advancement, I said yes. I agreed with my male counterparts, who took promotions in areas where they had not performed all of the jobs reporting to them, that you don’t have to know every detail of the job your team members perform. You do have to understand the role that members of your team play and how that fits into the big picture. You must know the basics of the areas you are driving; however, there is not a leader that I know that did not learn on the job. Being in a state of constant learning has helped me navigate successful careers in five Fortune 100 companies. Having diverse experiences in IT, logistics, telecommunications, healthcare, utilities, government, and professional services has helped me understand survival tactics for business and personal development. I can now be a better Coach.
Q: How have you grown your professional network?
Janet: I have increased my professional network by joining professional and networking organizations. I show up at events related to my core business. I invite those who I would like to get to know to coffee to develop deeper relationships.
Q: How do you approach someone who you may want as a mentor?
Janet: I approach someone I want to be a mentor by asking questions about areas that they have excelled which are of interest to me. I allow them to talk about their journey first before sharing my story. I want to develop a relationship with them of mutual respect. I then ask their availability for a brief phone call or meeting. During that face to face meeting, I use body language, facial expressions, and our chemistry to determine whether there is a good fit. At that time, once we have established rapport, I then ask if they would be willing to be a mentor me. My request focuses on the areas I wish to develop and in which they have succeeded. I am specific with my ask.
Q: What are the hallmark traits of a great leader that you have observed in your career?
Janet: I have found the hallmark traits of a great leader to be one who cares about others, is a good listener, can motivate, not only by their words but also by their actions. The best leader is the leader who is excellent for you. We all have different styles, and personality traits resonate differently with each of us. Once you decide a person is a great leader, based on outward signs of leadership; the next step is to determine if your values align, followed by does the person live the life, as it outwardly appears, both personally and professionally. If all elements are present, then you can genuinely say this is a good leader for me.
Q: What do you like to do to unwind?
Janet: To unwind, I like to hike, practice mindfulness meditation and breathing exercises, read, and travel.