Why the world needs more coaches

Especially these days!

“Really though?” — by Leon Pawelzik, 2019

In 2016, I made the decision to move out of corporate life and into freelance consulting, focusing on employee engagement and team development.

I also made a decision to offer professional career coaching, as well as motivation coaching, to understand motives and where an individual gets their energy.

Like many readers, I confess, I too, question the need for yet another coach when the marketplace is flooded with them — life coaches, business coaches, performance coaches, skills coaches, public speaking coaches — what does the world need with another coach?

Then I embraced the idea, and here’s why.

. . .

People feel disconnected

We are becoming increasingly disconnected as technology advances, and the pandemic and social isolation did not help. Disconnection has reached new and unparalleled heights. We could argue the positive or negative aspects of this, but the fact is it is happening. Technological advancement is not slowing down. Another critical world event, like another pandemic, could come again.

We now feel more comfortable conversing through social media and virtually than meeting in person. Even when an in-person meeting takes place, we are likely to see all the attendees paying more attention to their phones than each other. We sit behind our desks, answer emails, and stare at screens disengaged and disillusioned, only to go home and watch Netflix until bedtime.

The skill for developing deep and meaningful relationships is dissipating, and with it, our ability to understand ourselves, understand our emotions or connect with the world around us.

People need people

The danger is that if we do not find a way to feel useful or engaged at work, we don’t feel connected, and this can damage our personal lives as well.

As the feeling of disconnection increases, one thing persists, the human desire to feel useful, engaged, and connected. We have a plethora of information at our fingertips and infinite opportunities available to us, yet it seems increasingly difficult to determine what to do with ourselves, how to fulfil a purpose or add value in some meaningful way.

Coaching is a personalised tool conducted with another human being who can help you figure out how to do that.

“A coach is someone who tells you what you don’t want to hear, and has you see what you don’t want to see, so you can be who you have always known you can be.” — Tom Landry

Career coaching is people coaching

Over the past few years, I have informally provided advice on a range of career topics, including CV updates, LinkedIn profiles, interview coaching, network and community building, career decisions, and work relationships. While each of these is useful in finding a job or being successful in a current job, they don’t address the larger problem, i.e. that most people don’t know what they want to do or what motivates them.

If I can help people identify what motivates them and give them energy, personally and professionally, then aligning that to their career can have a positive holistic impact on their lives.

Understanding what motivates us enables us to make different choices, set up action plans and goals to feel more productive and engaged, to create real and lasting fulfilment.

If we can achieve this, we can increase our capacity to connect with others, and ultimately this translates into a positive corporate culture, increased employee engagement, real team development, and improved customer experience.

. . .

Leveraging my own experience, utilising motivation tools, and having honest conversations with people has made an impact. My fulfilment comes from helping people identify their motivators and use those to achieve their goals and deepen their relationships. If I must accept the mantel of the coach to do that, then I happily concede I am a coach.

Understanding motivation and motives can help improve a current role or help find a new one — to engage, create, or connect — but do not accept disengagement or disillusionment as the norm.

There are tools and people to help; find those that work and improve the happiness quotient; it’s never too late. We all have value to add.

Wishing you success in your career and life, signed by one more coach in the world.