Why do people work with Jeff?
Get Help Finding a New Perspective
“Jeff Plotnikoff gets my highest recommendation as a life coach – his work goes beyond career coaching. His unique ability to recognize, understand and explain how words affect our thinking has changed my words, and more importantly, my actions. Jeff never hesitates to point out areas that need to be considered in a different way – tactfully but directly. He is my go-to guy when I’m stuck on a big decision and need help finding a new perspective.”
-MORAG JOHNSTON
Prepare yourself for a management position.
“When I was promoted to a new role (Account Supervisor), it was both an exciting and scary feeling: I had never had anyone reporting in to me and I was nervous that I wasn’t equipped to manage anyone or successfully develop them.
Fortunately, I was able to attend Jeff’s management training sessions which prepared me for my jump into a management position. We worked through all different aspects of people management including uncovering and understanding communication styles, how to motivate your team, effective conflict management, work delegation/ supervision, management strategies, employee development and career path planning!
Not only were Jeff’s sessions informative, but they were also fun and interactive – allowing us to role play and see how theory works in practice. I highly recommend Jeff to anyone who is either just jumping in to a new management role, or who needs a refresher to help them succeed with the team they have.”
-COLLEEN SPICER
Jeff is Knowledgeable and True to his Words
“Jeff Plotnikoff is an amazing career coach. He is extremely personable, knowledgeable and true to his words. He is a wonderful listener and knows what ‘career’ means to each person. When I started to plan a career change, he immediately understood my wishes and struggles, and directed me to focus on realistic yet challenging action plans.
While I was having consultations with Jeff, I got the perfect job! It was like magic! When I get to the next stage of this new career, I will definitely go back to Jeff again. Thank, Jeff, for being there for us!”
-ISAKO SHIGEKAWA, Assistant Accountant
Authentic
I first met Jeff when he interviewed me for an ad agency role; he was a breath of fresh air! Arriving at the agency, I was naturally stressed (I really wanted this job!), a feeling compounded by a lack of available parking; argh! Having been used to the typically formal interview style, I was happily surprised by Jeff’s authenticity and ability to connect; he made me feel welcome and comfortable. I actually ENJOYED THE INTERVIEW – can you imagine? Jeff’s easy style made the tough interview questions a breeze to handle, and feeling comfortable gave me the sense that this would be a company I’d like to work for – which I did, for several years.
Jeff is the kind of leader who listens actively, coaches objectively – and always gives you options so that you are in control of the scope of your deliverables, making accountability easier to foster. I’ve worked for companies in which “uh oh, watch what you say, here comes HR” was a common whisper. Pretend you’re happy and get on with the job. When Jeff was our HR lead, life at the agency was different. Jeff was a part of everyone’s conversation and encouraged people to find what they love – find themselves! Makes sense really, because if you don’t love what you’re doing, maybe you shouldn’t be there… your presence isn’t serving you, or the organization, in the best possible way. Having a leader who can facilitate these conversations, and make the discomfort comfortable, provides a powerful conduit to connecting with your employees at a grass roots level, and getting the most out of your team.
If these kinds of things matter to you (and I hope they do!), I highly recommend Jeff’s skills as a Coach and HR consultant.
-Aileen Provan (Brand Story-Weaver, Comma & Dash Communications)
Honest and Objective Opinions
I reached out to Jeff Plotnikoff when I was at an all-time career low. Jeff is an active listener with a wealth of HR knowledge and people skills. From our first meeting, I knew Jeff would be honest and objective in his opinions, even if they ran contrary to my point of view. Jeff essentially showed me the forest for the trees at a time when I was eating bark.
With his knowledge of Ontario Labour laws, Jeff empowered me to make comfortable decisions that best suited me and my family. In short order, Jeff helped me regain my footing and was there every step of the way, even ensuring the words I chose accurately presented my situation in my work correspondence to my manager and employer HR. He laid out a number potential outcomes that my choices would bring, which helped inform my decisions.
Jeff Plotnikoff rebuilt my self-esteem at a time when I needed to speak up and be heard. I cannot recommend Jeff highly enough as a career coach and HR professional.
Warmth and Kindness
As a self-employed creative, there are areas of my business where I’m not as strong as others. Jeff knows the marketing and advertising world from several different angles, and his insights help me bring a stronger presence to my work.
I was in a difficult client situation that was taking a lot of energy to manage. Jeff helped me resolve it positively by coaching me to articulate and address it more effectively.
He doesn’t BS, yet his warmth and kindness always shows through, even in the toughest conversations.
-Heather Finley (Senior Writer & Editor)
Providing actionable steps to achieving goals
I had the pleasure of working with Jeff initially as my colleague at a medium-size Marketing Agency, and then years later as my instructor at the Institute for Communications Agencies. Jeff is a knowledgeable, passionate career coach and just overall wonderful human being. His way of working with people is one that shows interest and complete attention for every person he deals with.
There is no cookie-cutter approach with Jeff, all of his clients and students are individuals and treated accordingly. Jeff has a gifted ability to connect with people on an emotional level, while keeping his coaching and training highly professional, providing functional and actionable steps to achieve your set goals. Jeff is a fantastic resource, whenever I find myself at yet another career crossroads, I reach out to Jeff for his valued professional opinion.
-Lindsay Van Fleet (Marketing Manager)
Help you think deeply about your role
I initially reached out to Jeff while in the process of negotiating a leave of absence from my workplace, wanting help in illuminating aspects that I knew might otherwise be missed. The value in working with Jeff became apparent very quickly: he was able to help me think more deeply about my role and reframe my thinking both about my work as well as my role & responsibilities. His ability to provide a productive framework, ask thoughtful questions, and bring both levity and weight as appropriate to our conversations made all the difference in helping me understand the direction I wanted to move going forward and make the necessary changes. I won’t hesitate to reach out to Jeff again when facing similar issues.
-Heather McGaw (Senior User Experience Researcher