A Great Career Doesn't Automatically Mean a Great Life

I did the math. ~74% of coaching goals are personal.

But wait. How does that fit together with my business/leadership coaching? 🤯

Let me explain.

Most people come for professional-related topics. But after a little bit of exploring, it goes deeper:

• My business grows exponentially – but I can’t keep up emotionally.
• I need to manage my team better – but I am not at ease within myself.
• I get great feedback from the boss – but I don’t know if that role is for me.

So I analyzed my coaching processes.

Note: Before we dive in – this reflects where things stand today. The picture will naturally shift over time.

I labeled each coaching goal either as personal or professional. Yes, that’s black and white and biased. I further labeled the coaching processes by percentages of personal goals. If ≥80% of someone’s goals were personal, I labeled it strongly personal. If ≥60%, mostly personal and so on.

Nearly two thirds of coaching processes were either strongly or mostly personal.

Some people set 100% professional goals but overall I see the pattern.

My results are colored. Why? By the time we document your goals, we’re already in the process. One, we already had a pre-coaching call where I ask a few coaching questions to align expectations. This can already change the trajectory of your request. Two, you don’t formulate your goals in a vacuum. I’m asking curious questions, digging “what does that really mean?”,… – all part of our process.

So you might initially come into coaching with a highly professional-focused goal but during our conversation, you discover the impact on and relevance to your life. Which leads to more personal goals.

So what are these goals anyway?

Let’s look at the most common aggregated professional coaching goals first:

• I lead and communicate clearly, appreciatively, and with sovereignty.
• I know where I want to go professionally – and I am on that path.
• I stay calm and professional, even when things get challenging.
• I structure my professional life in a way that feels good to me.
• I know my strengths and present them with confidence.

And now, the crux:

A great career doesn't automatically mean a great life.

Especially when things go great professionally, life will be challenged. Suddenly, I need to ask myself: Oh, I got offered this position – but do I really want that role? Oh, my business quadrupled – but I feel neither mentally nor emotionally prepared for this! And that's exactly where the personal goals come in.

Here are the most common aggregated personal coaching goals:

• I know myself and what truly matters to me.
• I know my boundaries and I stand by them.
• I am calm and at ease with my emotions.
• I live with energy, lightness, and joy.
• I am okay the way I am.

You see, how emotional regulation bridges both the personal and professional goals. Also, the work-life structure goal on the professional side connects closely to the vitality/life quality goals on the personal side.

Ergo:

Professional and personal goals go hand in hand.

It’s also one of the top comments I get from people I work with: They appreciate that we not only look at the career-related topics but have a more personal, deeper, holistic view on it. I call it integral!

For me, everything is connected.

When I’m more confident, this will show at work. When I regulate my emotions, this will show at work. When I’m clear on what I want, who I am, what I’m capable of – yes, exactly, it will show at work!