Beloit College Magazine: Barbara Z. McRae
PUBLICATION: Beloit College Magazine
AUTHOR: Marie Dries'92
PROFILE: Barbara Z. McRae
B.A. International Relations, German
World Outlook Program participant (Hamburg'73)
When Barbara Z. McRae'76 was an undergraduate at Beloit,
she
thought she knew what her vocation would be. As a double-major
in
international relations and German, she intended to become
a professional
translator, with an eye toward working for the United Nations.
However, a
field term in the English/German translation department of
the German
company Siemans AG changed her mind.
"I quickly discovered that I was not cut out to be
a translator of
technical literature," she explains. "I adored working
in a cross-cultural
setting, but the job content was a mismatch for me. The repetition
of
translating boring texts zapped my energy."
McRae credits that experience with setting her on a new
path.
"My field term was responsible for redirecting my career
choice to match my
talents in communicating, leading, and developing adults,"
she says.
Today McRae taps into those talents as a Master Certified
Coach who
specializes in "personal business coaching" ---
mentoring individuals and
teams to improve and integrate professional and personal performances.
The
founder of EnhancedLife Coaching (based in Colorado Springs,
Colo.), McRae
is author of the book “Less Drama, More Fun,”
which outlines her coaching
philosophies. In addition, she has been a newspaper columnist,
a guest
radio commentator, and a workshop/seminar leader.
Elements of her work are grounded in the days she spent
studying German,
French, Spanish, and Italian at Beloit. During one semester,
she served as
an assistant in the German department and discovered her affinity
for
teaching. After graduation, she spent 20 years in human resources
management before making the transition into professional
coaching. Now she
uses her familiarity with diverse languages and cultures to
help executives
work more productively with international partners. She cites
one example
of how a lack of cross-cultural understanding hinders business
relationships.
"I learned that the style of deductive thinking that
derives from ideas and
theories is more prevalent in Europe," she says. "However,
the style of
inductive thinking that derives from analysis of data is popular
in
America. As a professional coach, I help clients leverage
both styles by
combining them into a dance between concepts and real-world
situations.
Together, each style creates a powerful circle of thinking."
McRae also uses her insights to help develop the field of
coaching
internationally.
"There is a huge need for certified business coaches
with foreign language
skills," she says, noting that she has worked with seasoned
coaches from
eight other nations to judge candidates and schools. "I
assess coaches in
Germany, Austria, and Switzerland for accreditation through
the
International Coach Federation (ICF) --- the gold medal standard
of
coaching today."
McRae looks forward with great enthusiasm to new opportunities
for using
her skills.
"There are endless possibilities to be a bridge-builder
for people of
different cultures," she says.
Learn more about EnhancedLife Coaching online at www.enhancedlife.com.
|
