It used to be that my leadership coaching clients would start out with leadership topics, and then months down the line we’d shift our focus to the rest of their life:
- I’m not getting enough free time.
- I want to have more of a relationship with my family.
- I can’t keep up with this pace.
These days, we’re moving there much quicker. Life issues are front and center, with the most common topics being feeling overwhelmed and having trouble focusing.
While people have been overwhelmed for years, I’d say this trend has really spiked since Covid. And it’s no wonder, when you consider the volatile and upsetting range of current events we’re all dealing with these days.
Another trend that’s contributing to these feelings is something called quiet promoting. You may have heard of quiet quitting, where team members show up and put in their time, but without much enthusiasm, initiative, or willingness to take on any extra tasks.
Quiet promoting, on the other hand, is when employees are given more responsibility, but without more pay or the recognition of a new title.
This is a problem for both parties. Those making these difficult decisions feel like their hands are tied. “We can’t afford the staff level we had before. We can’t fill spots as quickly when someone leaves, but that work still needs to be done.”
It’s unfair to put that pressure on someone, yet that manager or leader has equal pressure to make sure the work is done. Everyone has more to do.
What I’m hearing is loud and clear, not quiet at all. People are done with more work for the same pay, more responsibility with the same job title. They don’t want to talk about how to tolerate it or get through it. They want to talk about what actions they’ll take.
Not only that, but they also want to talk about how to not let these work pressures create turmoil in their family and personal life. And that’s where coaching comes in.
One of the biggest benefits of coaching is that people get to process out loud what they’ve been thinking about (often overthinking). In many cases, simply getting it out of their head is a positive step forward. They get a slightly different perspective as they hear themselves say what they’ve been thinking. Add to that the value of a coach who is following up with questions and observations—not fixing, but instead encouraging additional exploration and options.
In other instances, my clients will want to strengthen their life-work boundaries and develop new strategies to leave work at work. Or, they might do a practice run-through of a conversation they plan to have with their supervisor about quiet promoting.
What are you noticing about the balance between leadership coaching and life coaching? What do your clients need more right now?
The Quarter-Life Coaching Trend
Val . . . thank you for these insights. I have definitely seen this trend of “quiet promoting” with my coaching clients in county governments. The pace is intense and the expectations from the organization are very high but unsustainable. Being able to name this trend is very helpful!