Many executives begin their careers with clear guidelines; consciously or unconsciously, they model their development after role models—both personally and professionally—such as their own supervisors or mentors.
By the mid-40s, this system quietly begins to shift: professionally and personally, most people are then on equal footing with their own supervisors. They make decisions at a comparable level, bear similar responsibilities, and have weathered enough crises, projects, and waves of change to know what they’re doing.
Then a period of confusion and uncertainty sets in: What now? Some people also experience a sense of meaninglessness because, as their own skills improve, the challenges fade away—it feels as if everything is just repeating itself endlessly. A common concern these executives bring to my coaching sessions is: “I no longer feel a sense of purpose. How am I supposed to set the course for the next 15–20 years?” It is quite possible that this will be the final turning point in one’s working life, and it is therefore significant.
In goal-setting processes with executives, I consistently observe two approaches. They are not mutually exclusive, but they can complement each other:
Upskilling —Expanding the Role in Terms of Quality. Based on a thorough personality assessment and your personal preferences, we’ll determine: Am I the kind of person who needs more creative freedom? Or do I particularly enjoy working with people and helping them grow? Assigned roles can be shaped and developed. The especially good news is that, in my more than two decades of work, I have never seen a company put the brakes on role expansions.
An orderly transition. When setting goals, we often hear the phrase, “That would be too good to be true.” It’s a delicate moment—all too often, we dismiss ideas that sound “too” great. A German bad habit, I’m afraid. Thinking through preferred scenarios together also involves thorough action planning—a step-by-step plan that bridges the gap between aspiration and reality and takes into account the need for a systematic and secure approach. This brings desired scenarios closer and makes them more tangible. We counter the inner critic with an integrative approach: “Let’s try to integrate your past experiences and skills. After all, what you’ve done so far is valuable and often plays a significant role in the new scenario.” Or, what you’ve done so far can also help ‘cross-fund’ the implementation of an entirely new life and work plan. Let’s thoroughly clarify the ‘how’ question.” I’m a big believer in setting goals, but I’m just as committed to giving them a realistic chance of being achieved by applying a certain sense of realism.
By the way, I include aspects such as a sense of reality and feasibility in my modular coaching training program. Goal setting, analyzing one’s own potential, identifying one’s USP, and planning actions, including I believe the marketing strategy is important so that we can later be truly successful in the market with all these effective interventions. A real option for leaders: Supplementing their leadership role with coaching. And then, at some point, perhaps make a smooth transition and switch sides: into an advisory role for companies and their teams. A good way to start this training program is the ID37 Master course, which I teach and which will later count toward the full coaching training program.
For more information, click here: https://sabinehappe.de/masterclasses/
