In your executive coaching practice, you most likely keep hearing versions of the same story: the practices and frameworks that our clients learned in business school or from mentors no longer work. Many leaders are frustrated and anxious, wondering why they can’t get their organizations to respond and execute as they once did. Their strategic plans keep getting upended by unforeseen circumstances. They conduct detailed analyses, build consensus, and execute accordingly, only to be disappointed by the results. In surveys, a third of these executives say they’re extremely burnt out.
Healthcare professionals are very engaged despite the extreme stress they face day in and day out. It is no surprise that burnout is on the rise in healthcare professionals, nurses and doctors alike. Burnout is a syndrome of mental and physical exhaustion, mental distance, and reduced professional efficacy, all of which pose a risk to healthcare professionals but more importantly to their patients, as burnout is linked with reduced quality of care. How can we combat burnout and foster engagement? Coaching may be part of the solution.
As humans, we have a natural desire to strive for better and more. When used well, the desire nurtures our potential, fuels our curiosity and creativity, helps us build deeper relationships, and allows us to reach higher levels of self-actualization.
However, this is often not the case. In the homes we grow up in, and the societies we live in, many of us become disconnected with our true potential and pursue goals that do not lead to growth or fulfillment. The pandemics of anxiety, burnout and depression are no coincidence.
The work-family conflict that mothers experience today is a national crisis. Women struggle to balance breadwinning with the bulk of parenting, and stress is constant. Social policies don’t help. Of all Western industrialized countries, the United States ranks dead last for supportive work-family policies: No federal paid parental leave. The highest gender wage gap. No minimum standard for vacation and sick days. The highest maternal and child poverty rates. Can American women look to European policies for solutions?
There are approximately 200 million 1:1 meetings a day around the globe. Yet, the research clearly shows that 1) the effectiveness of these meetings is far from optimal; 2) that managers self-ratings of their skills in conducting these meetings is inflated and not aligned with their directs. Hence, an incredible opportunity exists to fill the skills gap and maximize return of a tremendous time investment.
For many coaches, there are universal issues that their clients face: relationships in and out of work that are on the fritz, the affliction of doomscrolling and lack of engagement, navigating major loss and grief, and being held back by past hurts, that extend all the way to childhood. In order to move through these pain points and unleash connection, healing, and personal growth, coaches must find a way to explore topics that elicit BIG feelings in their clients, like fear, anxiety, and discomfort.
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