Coaching from a "Millenial" Worldview : Energizing Purpose and Fulfillment
Posted on June 03, 2013 by Lotus Thomas, One of Thousands of Life Coaches on Noomii.
There's great value in bringing a purpose-driven "millenial" worldview in coaching clients of all ages wanting a more fulfilling life and career.
I am inspired to explore the cultural issues of being a coach from the “Millenial” generation (those of us born after 1981). According to Lisa Haneberg in her book “Coaching Up and Down the Generations” the current issue of having four generations in the workplace has become the “most common answer to questions exploring why it is hard to improve our organizations” (2010).
Millenials often get a bad rap from previous generations due to our much greater focus on personal satisfaction over company loyalty as demonstrated in the infographic at http://tinyurl.com/mheds6s which shows that 50% of Millenials would rather have no job than a job they hate.
I resonate with most of the views outlined in the infographic, and agree with the assertion that the Millenial generation’s commitment to personal fulfillment is also supporting a new paradigm of purpose-driven business (Sneed, 2013). The old paradigm of people sacrificing their personal values for a paycheck has contributed to the dwindling of social ethics in business, and has contributed to an all-time happiness low according to the 2011 Gallup Poll (Sneed).
This exploration has helped to reinforce the niche I’ve chosen as a “purpose” coach, and it also brings up considerations in terms of intergenerational coaching. What much of the research seems to be saying is that trends often stereo-typed as “millenial” are actually widespread across generations in response to changing conditions in the world of business. For example, “the general weakening of the employment contract in our society” is an issue that people from all generations face (Valcour, 2013).
With this in mind, there is great value in bringing a purpose-driven “millenial” worldview to clients of all ages who are wanting a more fulfilling life and career. As Haneburg alludes to in the intro of her book, it is possible to coach “up and down the generations” by taking an unbiased, client-driven approach (2010). This means that regardless of the age distinctions, a good coach will meet their client where they are and help them get where they want to go.
There is also tremendous opportunity in paying attention to generational distinctions, and gaining first-hand expertise in ways to create bridges in response to what seem to be growing challenges in the intergenerational workforce.
Haneburg writes “I want the 45-year-old to jump in and love—feeling alive like she has not been for years—being coached by the 21-year-old whiz kid…” (2010). I can speak from experience that it is indeed possible to coach “up the generations” in helping to bring a fresh perspective than a client may be getting from their regular peer group.
When approaching coaching from a transformational perspective, it can be even more valuable to have a coach with characteristics outside of your comfort zone than it is to be coached by someone who might agree with you at the outset, but have little to offer in terms of stretching you into uncharted territory.
There are many elements to consider in choosing the best coach, but seeing beyond conventional stereotypes in choosing a coach will maximize your potential for transformation. Choosing a coach from the millenial generation will likely provide you with a new level of energy and vitality in your pursuit toward a more meaningful, liberated, fulfilling and balanced life and career. Visit my website www.groundedmuse.com to see a millenial career in action, and contact me to explore how purpose coaching might be right for you.
References
Haneburg, Lisa. (2010) Coaching up and down the generations. ASTD Press. Alexandria, VA. Retrieved from: http://managementcraft.typepad.com/Coaching%20Up%20and%20Down%20Generations_promo%20(2).pdf
Sneed, Simone. (2013) “How the me, me, me generation has freed purpose.” Huffington Post. Retrieved from: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/simone-n-sneed/life-purpose_b_3304103.html
“The return of the millenials”. (2012) Red Tree Leadership and Development. Retrieved from: http://www.redtreeleadership.com/blog/NewsItem.html?NewsItem=604
Valcour, Monique. (2013) “Hitting the intergenerational sweet spot.” Harvard Business Review. Retrieved from: http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2013/05/hitting_the_intergenerational.html
