Research Paper By Sabine Röthlisberger
(Leadership Coach, SWITZERLAND)
Time for a reorientation in your professional career
More and more managers between 35 and 55 years old are not happy with their professional situation anymore. Often they hold a very good leadership position in a corporate environment with a high salary and enjoy their status in society[1]. However, they experience a latent dissatisfaction and notice that their potential is not fully used. Coaching is one possibility to create the necessary self-awareness to change the situation.
For many people the career path seems to be clear. After their studies, they join a big company and work hard to climb the job ladder. Often their social life does not really exist or is kept at a minimum, as they are working day and night. When the next job opportunity comes up, they go ahead – in many times without even a break or vacation in between.
This article describes the point, where people start thinking about their situation, the reason, why it comes to that situation, why some people are caught in this situation and what a possible coaching approach is. In addition, it lines out what companies can do in this regards, how the future with the generation Y looks like and how future working models could be to meet the requirements of the generation Y.
The point to think
People at that point often describe their situation as taking the fast train to somewhere you do not know, without stopping at a station and visit the city. Others describe it as a hamster wheel, where you run in circles and every year you are asked to run faster.
When the level of suffering is too high and people realize that they miss something in life if they continue the same way[2], they stop and start to think. Often a setback in the career or a lay-off does force this thinking as well[3].
People start questioning their situation and themselves. They feel unsatisfied with the current situation, but do not actually know what to do else. They focus on what they are already doing and consider the same job position in another company, which would not change anything about the dissatisfaction. At that point, many people start looking for a coach.
The reason
Why do many people find themselves in a similar situation? It starts already in school, where a certain path is foreseen for the children[4]. They are forced in a system, where the learning topics and procedures are given and the child needs to follow this route. There is no space for the children to experience themselves and therefore no space for building up real self-confidence through their own chosen experiences.
It is no surprise that many adults do not have visions anymore, or do not have the confidence to realize them.
At university, they choose normally a subject that promises a good job after the diploma, usually economics, law or engineering. Often the parents told them, that they have to do study a subject that is “useful” in their eyes. When finished with the studies, people take often a job in a big company and follow again a path in that organization. Climbing from opportunity to opportunity, they reach a certain level in the hierarchy. This is what our society calls success and people are admired for their high salary and their status.
However, looking behind the scenes, those people realize that they are not happy, because they live a life that seems to be admirable for others, but it is not their own life. They find out, that many skills they have are not used and they do not feel passionate about the work they do.
The coaching approach
When the affected people take action and come to the first coaching session, they normally complain about their situation and explain their dissatisfaction. When asking them what they want to do else, they usually cannot tell. For many people who feel stuck, it is difficult to think outside their current environment, so to speak outside the box. Often they are convinced that they are not able to do something else than they are currently doing. They see many barriers from lack in experience to being too old for a certain change in profession.
The coach would listen to their story and start elaborating with the client on the values and skills they have. When the client can think outside the work environment, often the client mentions many skills she/he was not aware of anymore.
After the skills have been elaborated, it is time to find out what the client wants to do and what her/his passion is. Very often, this self-awareness is the point in a coaching session where clients become energized and enthusiastic about their future.
It is not surprising that in leadership coaching the most frequent topic on C-Level is self-awareness, and for business unit and mid-level leader it is one of the top five topics[5]. Self-awareness is the beginning of change; it means to discover who you are, where you want to go and what needs to be changed. It is like waking up and asking yourself, what you expect from the rest of your life.
After the vision, where the client wants to go, and the according objectives have been defined, it is important to verify whether the values and beliefs of the client support that vision. It does not work, when reaching the vision means acting against the own values. Understanding where the motivation comes from can help to overcome times when the client is struggling. The process can be similar to the logical levels of Robert Dilts[6]. The client is now able to plan the actions to be undertaken to reach the vision. These actions can be diverse and creativity is very welcome. Thinking out of the box and doing something differently than before might bring new opportunities. Clients are often very innovative in their actions and gain trust in reaching their goals.
The last area to discuss is the environment. The client has to think about when to take which action. When would be the best time to talk to someone? Where is the best place to meet this person? How can family and friends support them? All this together brings the actions in a timeline and results in a plan.
In addition, it is crucial to discuss possible barriers to the plan or fears the client may have. Usually a workaround is defined for barriers or even a plan B that comes into place should the direction change.
Having this plan makes most clients confident to implement the defined actions, and they are looking forward to what the future might bring. With the positive energy most clients generate, they are more likely to find a long-term solution for their situation.
The progress is regularly reviewed with the client and if necessary adaptation to the plan will be conducted. Clients often start with the planned actions, and as soon as the first actions are successful their pace of implementation increases. The self-trust and confidence comes back and they realize that it is possible to reach their goals.
When meeting clients about a year after they changed their situation, you can see that they feel better and enjoy working again. In most cases, they tell you that it has been the best move ever in their life. Moreover, it has also a positive effect on their environment. Dissatisfaction can be a huge burden for a relationship and a family.
People caught in their position
As some people are seeking help in a dissatisfied situation, some others do not. They are staying in their position; keep complaining and thus their frustration increases. Why are they not changing their situation? For a change, you have to come into action and this needs energy and courage. You have to admit that you are in a situation where you do not want to be and you have to justify why you did not react earlier. This is not comfortable and it can feel like a personal failure. Some people even suppress their thoughts about the situation, as self-awareness would force them to change. As soon as you realize the fact, that only you can change the situation, this produces pressure on yourself to come into action.
For managers with dissatisfied people in their team, it is important to talk about the situation with them. No change within the current setup would solve the real problem – the dissatisfaction with their current job. Looking inside companies it is surprising how many people are not satisfied with their job. They pull themselves to work every morning, which needs a lot of energy to do so. Having many dissatisfied people in an organization can bring a very bad atmosphere and destroy the motivation of the rest of the people.
However, once people are in motion to change their situation, it creates new energy and creativity. They are motivated and driving their actions to reach their vision.
What companies can do
A company is expected to be innovative and is under pressure to come up with new ideas and approaches to serve the market. Initiatives are started, implemented and reviewed, if the defined goals have been reached.
The same should apply for an individual. People should have defined their goals, where they want to be e.g. in five years and they should come up with innovative and creative ideas how to reach these goals. After a while implementing those ideas, people should lean back and review the contribution of the conducted actions towards their goals. This is at the same time a good opportunity to check if the vision is still valid and aligned with the values and skills. If necessary, the vision and the goals need to be adapted and new actions to be defined.
This can be included in the performance management process within companies. In most cases, the objectives defined in the performance management process cover financial and operational goals. Some companies have integrated a few personal development goals regarding training, management style or similar. Very rarely a company captures the skills of employees, which are not necessary for their current job position.
Of course, the financial result of a company is crucial for their survival and has to be fulfilled first. Nevertheless, focusing on what employees are able to do and where they want to develop can enable people to use their full potential. Motivated people create a culture that empowers an organization to drive for better results.
In addition, more and more companies support their employees with coaching. There are many positive effects of coaching as creating new perspectives, improving communication and leadership skills as well as increasing the self-reflection[7]. Employees who have been coached are acting often more effective and efficient for their organization.
Moreover, coaching can be a good way to support people on their career path. Some people might be stuck on their career ladder or experience a setback in their career, which forces them to think about their situation. Addressing these topics at an early stage could provide benefits for both parties, the employee and the company.
For the affected people it is important to analyze the situation, to find out why they did not have success, to think about new possibilities and to take the right chance[8]. While working with a coach and analyzing the situation people often find out that they e.g. do not like to take over a management position or they would like to work in another area of the company. Knowing this early in the process can prevent frustration in the job, and actions in the right direction can be initiated. This keeps people motivated and increases the flexibility of an organization.
The future with the generation Y
The generation Y is very well educated and grown up with technology[9]. Instead of status and prestige, the focus is on doing a meaningful job and having fun at work. They ask for more freedom, the possibility of self-realization as well as more time for family and leisure activities. This change of values takes already place in our society and advances into the professional world.
For companies it requires a rethinking. How can they attract people from the generation Y for their company and how can they retain them? The rewarding system used today does not fit anymore tomorrow. People from the generation Y want to determine their work time. They do not want to work many hours just to demonstrate that they can stay until late in the office, and do not want to feel bad leaving the office early to get the children from school[10]. The new status symbol is self-determination. Is this generation to be considered as lazy? Not at all. When they are convinced about a certain project, they can work day and night for it.
For a company this means a change in culture and in the structure of an organization. The demography in Europe supports the generation Y, as there will be more old people leaving the labor market than young people entering it. In ten to fifteen years, there will be a huge lack of subject matter experts on the market. The generation Y will be in the position of choosing the right job and setting the requirements.
Companies are faced with a cultural clash of the generation Y with the generation X. The generation Y taking over responsibility very early and having the need of being convinced about a project meets the generation X believing in hierarchy and seniority as well as having work as a priority. Today the generation X has discovered the advantages of self-determination and is starting to develop in that direction, whereas the generation Y is already requiring it from the beginning on.
Some years later, the generation Z will enter the labor market. Compared to the generation Y, they are even more in technology and are called digital natives as they use smartphones since they were born[11]. They want to represent something to the outside and networking is very important for them. They like to climb the career ladder and to take over responsibility. The generation Z strives for recognition.
Future work models
For people from the generation Y the own performance is very important and they prefer to work in virtual teams. The outcome is relevant for promotion and not the age. This generation grew up with mobile devices and they expect to have everything available on the mobile. Their boss should be more of a coach than a manager who provides instructions[12].
A future work model must be very flexible in regards of time. They want to choose the time, when they work and decide about sabbaticals and home office. They expect a huge flexibility from their employer[13].
In the future, work models might be based on initiatives and projects, where the commitment is given for a single endeavor. After every project, people should be able to adapt the percentage of their working time.
What about the generation Z? It is too early to state today, how a model for the generation Z could look like. Once more, flexibility has come into the work environment; it will be hard to change it back. As making career and taking over responsibility becomes more and more important for the younger generation, it is to question, whether the amount of necessary management position can be provided.
Conclusion
Today many people find themselves in a situation, where they are dissatisfied with their job and they do not know what to do else. Often they do not even have the energy or the courage to change something in their life.
Coaching can help to overcome this situation and find new perspectives. It is important to find out what the client wants to do and what skills the client brings with her/him. After the client has defined the vision, it needs to be verified that this vision is aligned with the values and the beliefs of the client. The next steps are the actions, the timeline and the support of the environment. Possible barriers are evaluated and a plan B needs to be defined.
More and more companies offer coaching internally to support their employees in their development. The earlier such topics can be discussed, the earlier actions can be initiated on both sides.
With the generation Y, a change of values has been started already in our society and will be followed in companies as soon as a critical mass of the generation Y has entered the labor market. They want to have a meaningful work and flexibility in their working time. The boss has to be more a coach than a manager providing instructions.
With the change of values initiated by the generation Y, the number of people who are dissatisfied with their job should actually decrease as they are searching for a meaningful work from the beginning on. What might happen is that for this generation, it is so important to have a meaningful work that if someone has not, it is seen as a personal failure in the society. Most probably, the coaching topics will stay the same as self-awareness will always be an important area.
What is expected with the generation Z? At this stage, it can only be speculated.
Resources
[1] Interview with Evelyne Cöen – April 2015
[2] Interview with Evelyne Cöen – April 2015
[3] Lee Marks, M., Mirvis, P., Ashkenas, R.; So bewältigen Sie einen Karriereknick; Harvard Business Manager, February 2015, p. 76-80
[4] Interview with Evelyne Cöen – April 2015
[5] Korn Ferry Institute; Coaching for the 21st century, 2015
[6] Dilts, R.; A Brief Hisotry of Logical Levels, 2014; http://www.nlpu.com/Articles/LevelsSummary.htm
[7] Rauterberg, H.; HR pepper Management Consultants; Coaching bewirkt (nicht) immer Wunder
[8] Lee Marks, M., Mirvis, P., Ashkenas, R.; So bewältigen Sie einen Karriereknick; Harvard Business Manager, February 2015, p. 76-80
[9] http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generation_Y
[10] Bunt, K.; Zeit online; Wir sind jung…; http://www.zeit.de/2014/10/generation-y-glueck-geld
[11] http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generation_Z
[12] Generation Y: Potential für Arbeitgeber;
[13] Baurmann, J. G.; Zeit online; Die sind auch mal weg; http://www.zeit.de/2014/15/generation-y-arbeitsbedingungen-flexibilitaet