There are numerous compelling reasons why investing in a career coach can be a turning point in your career and the much-needed push you desire for yourself.

Careers today have become more complex than ever. From identifying the right career to managing and reinventing it along the way, career planning can sometimes get overwhelming and arduous. Often, many working professionals become so focused on earning a living that they lose sight of their goals and dreams, only to realise that their careers are not what they had envisaged for themselves.

That’s where working with a career coach can be life-changing. One-on-one coaching sessions are an excellent way to clarify your career goals, determine steps and strategies to get there, receive personalised insights to overcome barriers, and drive a strong sense of accountability towards reaching your goals.

Many professionals typically turn to a career coach in the following scenarios:

• When something unpleasant has happened to them at the workplace (e.g., disappointing performance appraisal, lay-off, role compression, delayed promotion, etc.)

• When something is about to happen, and they are trying to stay in control (e.g., organisation restructuring, merger and acquisition, and leadership change)

• When they are looking for a big change and need outside help to support it (e.g., promotion, people management responsibility, global assignment, and company/industry change)

However, that’s not all. You stand to gain from a career coach at any time if you are seeking more success, happiness, satisfaction, and a larger impact in your professional journey. There are numerous compelling reasons why investing in a career coach can be a turning point in your career and the much-needed push you desire for yourself.

1. Goal Realisation

Working professionals often juggle multiple commitments and priorities that make them put their career aspirations on the back burner. Many people are unclear about who they wanted to be at the outset of their career and where they are currently. The coach puts the spotlight on them, connects the dots, and helps them embark on an “inner work” journey, bringing them closer to their purpose by crystallising their goals.

2. Stay in the Driver’s Seat

Contrary to consulting or counselling, coaching helps clients tap into their innate wisdom and generate solutions through thought-provoking questions, gaining multi-dimensional perspectives on a problem. The coach typically avoids dispensing advice and instead focuses on introducing clients to the process of self-transformation.

3. Accountability Partner

Have you ever started with big dreams only to lose sight of them after a few days? A coach can not only act as your thinking partner but also a trusted accountability partner. They will hold you accountable for the goals and focused actions you have laid down for yourself and will challenge you to step outside of your comfort zone.

4. The Domino Effect

Getting coaching in one area of your life, such as your career, can positively impact many other spheres. The systematic way of goal realisation, awareness building, and accountability can be applied to every other area of your life like fitness, parenting and relationships, among others. It’s the perfect domino effect you need!

5. Customised Insights

In the digital era, it isn’t hard to find copious amounts of information on Google and YouTube regarding career transitions. However, since no two journeys are the same, having a career coach ensures you get coaching that speaks to your goals and needs, not someone else’s. Some examples could be that you are looking to enhance your personal brand at the workplace or that you desire communication strategies to advance your career. Working with a coach will enable you to gain specific insights, customised action plans and expert opinions which would never have turned up through a Google search.

6. A Sounding Board

Many professionals are apprehensive about discussing career opportunities with managers or others in the formal organisational hierarchy. A career coach holds an objective, impartial view of you and hence can act as a sounding board or avenue off of whom you can bounce your ideas.

7. A Change Catalyst

A coach can act as a catalyst for you on your journey by helping you uncover all potential barriers, evoke new thinking patterns, and reveal fresh perspectives by adopting a holistic approach that examines the various interrelated elements of your life that directly impact the end goal. While this may be possible on your own, having a coach shortens the learning curve and enhances the speed of change.

8. Coaching Is Action

All coaching is action and is not just limited to self-discovery or creating a wish list. It works on the premise that a combination of actions and behaviours leads to outcomes. So if you choose to work with a career coach, you will be able to identify behavioural patterns, belief systems, and inhibiting actions that are hindering you from achieving your desired outcomes.

9. Support at Career Crossroads

Whether you are just starting out in your career and unsure which path to take, or you’ve reached a stage of stagnation in your career and desperately want to move to the next level, a career coach will enable you to channel your thoughts and efforts to achieve a breakthrough. Career coaching is a forward-focused, action-oriented and collaborative process that will help you navigate obstacles, differentiate yourself, and ensure preparedness for critical career conversations you will need to undertake.

Conclusion

As Les Brown rightly quoted, “You can’t see the entire picture when you’re in the frame.” That’s why professional coaching can be the fastest, simplest, and most enjoyable way to make a paradigm shift while achieving the results you want. However, this involves an investment of time, money and, most importantly, a commitment to follow-through. Coaching engagements are flexible, ranging from weekly to fortnightly calls lasting 45–60 minutes on average.