Q: I am a 53-year-old HR Director with two more years to go before I retire. Honestly, I really fear being useless with nothing to do when the time comes. I cannot see myself ‘reading the newspaper all day in an armchair’ with nothing else to do.
I want to start planning well so that I will not end up this way. I am seriously thinking and wondering whether a career like Coaching is good for people with my kind of background. What advice do you have for me?
A: I too, have been in HR for many years. In reality, HR practitioners will find Coaching suitable for a number of reasons. First, Coaching and HR are people-based professions that entail devoting our time to people. Second, both involve helping people achieve goals, improve performance and raise motivation, etc. Third and most important is both rely on a variety of people strategies to help them overcome their obstacles, uncover their strengths and empower them to pursue their goals in life.
Essentially, a Coach is a deep learning partner who helps people gain courage, capabilities and commitment to achieve their goals. If you feel this definition resonates with your values where you enjoy helping people grow, then being in this profession may be a logical continuation of your current career.
If this is so, take up a formal Coaching programme to prepare yourself for your retirement.
POWERFUL QUESTIONS
- Do you have a love to help people grow?
- What special strengths do you have in the profession of helping people grow?
- How can you leverage on this to make the coaching career a success?
- What do you want to plan to make this a success?