As we mentioned in the FAQ’s, people come to coaching for a variety of issues. Sometimes the main focuses are clear from the start of the process. At other times they may be uncovered as we learn more about each other, confidence increases and new themes emerge.
There is no ‘right reason’ to find a coach. Everyone is different. We are all on our own paths, yet there will often be similarities between your reasons and others. However, if you seek coaching, by yourself or through your organisation, you do need to be open and receptive, ready to challenge yourself and gain further insights.
Looking over the last two years, and consulting with colleagues in the International Coaching Federation branch in Kenya and elsewhere, there are some common reasons people come to HAS or elsewhere for executive coaching or mentoring. Few people have only one thing they wish to focus on, so it’s hard to rank coaching conversations in any kind of order by subject.
The majority of our clients come to HAS either as executives or as someone wanting to transition into such a role. Some will be CEOs, or waiting in the wings. A number are also looking towards the end of their careers, looking at legacy and asking themselves what next.
In no particular order, what follows is a list of the main reasons we see people come to coaching and a brief comment about it. Remember, very few people come to the coaching process to discuss only one thing and we will always be working with you as a whole person.
- Managing and navigating complexity.
We live in a complex world and we operate in complex systems at work. Many of our clients work in large, multi-country organisations, working across different cultures and often disconnected through time and space. We adopt a system and stakeholders-based approach with such clients, working through with them on how the wider system impacts them, who their stakeholders are, and where there are opportunities and system blockages. We try to help the client break down the complexity and see the whole system and their part in it as well as develop a greater tolerance for ambiguity.
- Working with Emotional Intelligence (EQ)
Increasingly, organisations are looking for team members, especially perhaps at more senior levels, who have well-developed EQs. They know more than what to do, they know how to do it; they work with people rather than against them. They are collaborative colleagues, working with empathy, good listening skills and, critically, with self-knowledge and self-awareness. We work with the majority of our clients on some aspect of EQ, although it is not usually the main reason they come to HAS. We often find that understanding EQ can be a highly useful way of addressing other issues in the workplace or life in general.
- Transition
Many clients come to coaching when they are in a career transition. Perhaps they are moving into a CEO role for the first time, or taking up a new executive role. This could be within the existing company or they may be joining a new one. We all have uncertainty and anxiety in these situations. Coaching helps you develop a plan, establish priorities and work on what you need to do to transition successfully.
- Being a CEO
About thirty per cent of our clients are either existing or soon to become CEOs. We know from personal experience it can be very lonely at the top. We provide a non-judgemental sounding board as you develop strategies, consider values and how (not) to spend your time. We also have coaches who are experienced working with and serving on boards. We can work with you on how best to serve boards, understand where the line between executive management and governance is and how to work with your board for mutual success.
- Becoming a board member
A good number of our executive clients are looking at becoming a board member, both as a way of earning income and as a way of giving back to community organisations. What steps do you need to take? What skills and attributes do you have that will be valuable? Where do you need to grow? At HAS we have coaches who serve on boards, both locally and globally, who can work with you as you develop your own particular niche.
- Work-life balance
It is rare for anyone in management not to have these challenges. We will work with you on your values, what you want from your work and other aspects of your life. We may challenge assumptions you have about what you need to do and how you need to be seen to behave. We will help you unearth strategic approaches to achieve the balance you desire.
- Assertiveness/lack of confidence/imposter syndrome
It is normal for senior executives to ask themselves the question ‘Do I belong here?’ Because of the society we live in, women more often find themselves with this feeling than men. About 60% of HAS clients are women and we have found more than half of those are doubting their own abilities. We can help you work on your assertiveness, often using a values-based approach. You will unearth strategies, and tactics and develop your inner strength.
- Leading/managing a team.
We all wonder about the ‘right’ approach to leadership and how we should lead both ourselves and others. At HAS, we believe that what ultimately matters is authenticity and values. And those values are yours. Clients often have very practical challenges too, such as how to manage challenging teams, strategies to deal with performance issues, as well as much broader issues on style and approach to leadership.
- Bullying in the workplace
This remains a distressingly common theme. It is often not dealt with well by organisations, especially if the perpetrator is senior to them (as is usually the case). Clients often need to find coping mechanisms as they navigate a way forward. While recognising they are the victim, it is often hard to balance career, reputation and other pressures as they deal with the bullying/bully. Some HAS coaches have very direct experience of this and all of them can stand beside you as a way forward is found.
- Discrimination in the workplace
Again, we find some version of this issue is a frequently raised concern by our clients. Most of the concerns we work with are related to sexism, regrettably still a major cause of organisational dysfunction in 2024. Sometimes this is unconscious bias, and at HAS we always invite clients to examine how this may appear in their thoughts and actions. We often work with people in multinational, multi-ethnic organisations, navigating the complexity of covert and overt discrimination on ethnic grounds. We have also helped LGBTQ+ clients to chart their own paths through these complexities. We have coaches who are trauma-aware and/or trauma-informed who can work with you on these unpleasant issues.
- Navigating Careers
This is something that, in some ways, is of concern to just about every client we see. A younger, ambitious client wondering how best they can move into more senior positions. Those in senior positions often asking what is the next step. And those at the top nearing the end of their of their conventional careers wondering how to transition out of the workplace into whatever they want for themselves next. A new business venture? Several side hustles? Working on Boards? Learning to relax?
- Finding the ‘why?’
Many of our clients are looking for the ‘why.’ How are they adding value? Are they making lives better? What can they be doing that they are not? How do they find that value? Is what we do really meaningful? Is it what we want to be doing? These are questions we all ask but as HAS we find they become asked even more as we move through our careers and start to contemplate legacy.
- Legacy
What is all for is something we all ask ourselves sometimes. There are, of course, many different answers and your answer(s) are personal. What do we want to leave behind as we transition from an organisation or from our more conventional careers? What do we want to be sustainable?
- Setting up a business.
Some of our clients are already running their own successful businesses. Others are thinking about how to transition from their workplace to their own business. Sometimes it is immediate, often over a few years. At HAS we have coaches who specialise in this area and, as well as coaching, can offer very specific mentoring advice for those embarking on start-ups.
- Living with environmental and political upheaval
Again, this is becoming a common theme with an increasing number of clients at HAS. It may not be the number one reason to come to coaching, but it frequently rises close to the top. Younger clients wonder what sort of world they will live in in the future, and older ones worry about the legacy they are creating. Climate change, environmental degradation, population growth and population decline (depending on where you live), forced migration, food shortages, water crisis, and the list goes on, concern us all to some extent. At HAS we have coaches well-versed in navigating these issues, helping both with perspective and intentionality.
- Coaching for artists
Last but not least, part of our mission at HAS is to work with creatives, whatever their medium. We know this brings special challenges, either as a full-time job or as something you work on when you can. We also know that many of you have to balance the creative with the practical, the art with the income. We have coaches at HAS who are in this position themselves, as well as others who can look at it objectively from the outside as they work with you to maximise your potential, your time and your conflicts.
This is definitely not an exhaustive list. But just about every client at HAS wants to discuss at least one of these issues and the majority will bring up a number during their coaching journey.
No comment yet, add your voice below!