Yesterday I had introductory meetings with two potential new coachees on the same day. As I reviewed the two sessions I was struck by how much, for each of them, their specific concerns reflected the more general concerns of their ages.
One was just in the 30 year old's transition from "experimentation" to "commitment", needing to work out how to establish himself in his career. The other was in the 40 year old's transition from "commitment" to "fulfilment", when people need to work out whether, and how, to do things differently (or possibly do something different). The latter is a very common concern of my coachees as they are stepping up into senior leadership positions... but it was a good reminder that this is partly because that transition into leadership so often co-incides with the age-related drive for fulfilment.
And then I was led to thinking about myself and how I have just been through another of those age-related transitions, the 50 year old's transition from "fulfilment" to "meaning"... partly why I now do what I do. And my last thought was that I do my best coaching work for my clients when I approach it authentically from this stage of life, rather than from the perspective of a 30 year old trying to build their career, or a 40 year old seeking personal fulfilment from it.
