The Top Three Questions My Clients Are Answering In The Summer of 2021
The top three questions my clients are answering in the Summer of 2021
Welcome to the summer of 2021. I don’t know about you but my summer is going a bit better than last summer. Don’t get me wrong there are a lot of problems and hardships out there to be addressed in the months to come but most people I talk to in my coaching practice are optimistic about their futures and are prepared to do the work to explore their options.
What is the plan?
For many it is growth and advancement in their current roles, getting their careers on track after the pandemic. Others are thinking about making some changes in either what they are doing or how they choose to work. In all cases, they are prioritizing either individually or altogether the What, Why, and How they do what they do.
In a word, they are planning for what comes next. Thinking about whether they are challenged and happy in their work, considering the impact of what a return to a commute or travel will have on their newfound freedom. Others are feeling restless, bored, and unsatisfied and are feeling motivated to do something else.
Back to work?
Many clients are happy and ready to head into the office and get back on track. For them, their coaching journey has been about examining and re-affirming their choices, adjusting their timetables, and going all in. They have rekindled their passion and energy, weathered the pandemic, and are ready to go business as usual.
Others are equally excited to get back to work, into the office, on the road, etc but they are taking a different kind of energy and will be modifying their approach. They are taking a more discerning view. Anxious to learn about the hybrid models their organizations are adopting and in some instances taking a seat at the table to plan what comes next. They are returning but not heading BACK to what was, They are making changes in how they will work in the office vs virtually, looking for ways to cut back on travel and to maintain some of the balance they achieved over the course of the pandemic. In many instances, they have recalibrated their timelines to reflect a shift in priorities. Their learning is that they have developed a new series of criteria to measure their satisfaction and will be more likely to explore other options to achieve their desired outcomes.
Really? Is that all there is?
My clients in this group are restless? Like all my clients they are challenging all aspects of their careers and are committed to either charting s new course, pursuing an old passion, or career aspiration in terms of a career or business that once again feels very real to them. Many have been thinking about a change for a while but the timing or situation was never quite right. These individuals are developing a plan for what comes next. The change may be one, three, five, or ten years away as they reach retirement but they are focus on realizing their dream. They are charting their next steps with a purpose. They are learning new skills, cultivating and building their networks, or saving the money needed to make the critical investment in themselves.
So how are you spending your summer?
Summer is a time to relax, recharge and recalibrate.
Fall is just around the corner and for many of you that will mean heading back to the office for the first time since March of 2019. Have you thought about what that means for you?, What it might look like? Do you need a plan? What does back to work look like for you. What are you heading back to? Is that really what I want? Are there other options? I am ready for a change? Why will it be different this time?
An observation and a success story
As a coach and thinking partner, I can tell you the answers to all of these questions and the others that will come to mind are within you. My role as a coach is to help you unlock your thinking to explore the possibilities and create meaningful action plans.
I recently had a chance to catch up with my client Jon. We worked together last fall as he was seeking to redirect his career and gain greater alignment with his passions. He has a new job that he is excited about. He described a new wave of energy across multiple areas of his life. He shared with me that he still refers to his notes from our sessions to stay grounded and on course. He also shared the greatest benefit of his coaching journey is that he has reclaimed his power. He has re-imagined what is important to him and developed a plan to get back on track. He told me “ I am asking myself a lot more questions and when I don’t like the answers I realize I have options. Those options include our check-ins to recalibrate my thinking.”
If any of the questions I raised today have you thinking, please reach out to me at alec@aronscoaching.com. It would be my pleasure to gift you 30 minutes to explore the power of coaching.
