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We are often arrogant about history.
Somehow, we seem to assume that the people of earlier times were not as intelligent as we are today. In fact, many of their problems and needs must have been similar or even identical to our issues today. Nevertheless, old things are often not appreciated.
That’s why you hardly see marketing for classic things. Who gives books, music or fashion from the seventies or eighties for Christmas? Many of these things have long been retro classics, characterized by timeless elegance and modernity. Nevertheless, when it comes to gifts, we often reach for the latest products of the 2024 model year – they seem to be the safer choice. Deep in our subconscious, we believe that only the new with a lot of marketing effort is really better. But sometimes, when the advertising backdrop becomes quieter and the marketing fades, we realize that classic things often fit our real needs much better.
Old school is cool. Not only at Christmas.
Coaching is just such a thing: modern and thousands of years old at the same time.
Coaching is simple and complex at the same time. At its core, it doesn’t take much: an attentive, self-reflective and life-experienced coach who asks the right questions and listens actively. This creates a structured, personal conversation that can ultimately lead to an invaluable, potentially life-changing insight. This dialogue opens new perspectives that help to understand deep-seated and complex problems differently – and perhaps better. This changes the way of thinking, which makes solutions visible and allows new habits and behaviors to appear.
This mechanism was systematized by Socrates (470–399 BC) and used specifically for his students’ personality development. So, coaching is not an invention of modern times but an ancient concept with timeless relevance.
Industrial society professionalized services and established the profession of “coach” in the 1990s. Today, coaches are closing an ever-widening gap between support groups and therapy services. According to ChatGPT, there are an estimated 24,500 to 31,800 coaches in Germany alone – exact numbers can hardly be found due to the lack of registration requirements. Interestingly, this is roughly equivalent to the number of psychological psychotherapists licensed by health insurance companies in Germany. This shows how great the demand for support already is.
But in this oversupply, the crucial question arises: How do you find the coach who really suits you?
This works in a comparable way to Christmas gifts: If you let yourself be seduced by marketing, you can spend a lot of money – and with a little luck, you can also be successful. But if you know your own needs exactly and are specifically looking for coaches with classic, proven characteristics, you take responsibility for your own success.
That’s exactly what this newsletter is about.
Coaching in times of reorientation: The power of coaching.
The way we live together, and the dynamics of today’s working world mean that the need for coaching is growing continuously.
In times of economic uncertainty, such as the current one, this is particularly noticeable. Many highly qualified automotive industry specialists must reorient themselves, either because of restructuring at manufacturers and suppliers or the change towards new technologies. In such phases, coaching becomes increasingly important in a professional context. Skilled workers are looking for support to reposition themselves, develop their leadership skills or take the next step in their careers.
I know this from my own experience – I have gone through this process myself.
In 2017, I realized that the automotive industry would face massive challenges from 2020 onwards. My job, which I had filled successfully and proudly until then, would probably no longer be needed in the near future. This realization triggered enormous stress. My biggest fears were:
- Can my family keep their accustomed standard of living?
- Do I just give up?
Until then, I was proud of a career that – even if not always systematically planned – was steadily upwards. I was a competitive athlete, a successful management consultant, the manager at the top level. What would my network think if I left this path? Wasn’t a change of direction synonymous with failure?
It took 18 months of intense reflection and systematic coaching before I had the courage to make a decision that completely changed my life – a decision I have never regretted: I quit my job, changed my life from the ground up and started my own business.
My assumptions have proven to be correct. According to a study by the VDA, my job at the time is actually one of the professions for which demand has fallen the most.
That’s the power of coaching. It helps to overcome fears, develop new perspectives and make courageous decisions.
But not all coaching is the same. There are different approaches and types of coaches. Successful coaches are characterized by specific characteristics and methods that make them particularly effective. If you want to orient yourself in this jungle, you should take a close look – because choosing the right coach can make all the difference.
Types of coaches.
First, it is helpful to distinguish between different coaches.
- Career Coach: This coach specializes in supporting clients in their professional reorientation. Especially in times of crisis, when skilled workers are looking for new perspectives, the career coach offers valuable advice on professional replanning, application and finding a new job. A career coach works across industries and helps to effectively use the professional network and strengthen the personal brand.
- Executive Coach: This coach works with executives and managers to drive personal development systematically and strategically. In times of uncertainty and transformation, the executive coach is particularly important in adapting personal decision-making styles to new challenges and steering them through difficult phases.
- Life coach: Life coaches help clients to find their personal balance, cope with stress and clearly define life goals. In economically challenging times, a life coach can help to mobilize inner strength to develop professionally and privately.
- Business Coach: This coach supports entrepreneurs and executives in optimizing business processes, managing teams, and scaling businesses. Especially in times of uncertainty, a business coach can be crucial in developing an unclouded vision and strategy for the company.
Topics in coaching.
In coaching, you learn to look at existential questions from new perspectives and to find answers that provide orientation and clarity.
For highly qualified specialists whose jobs are changing or disappearing, many pressing questions arise:
- Professional and personal goals: What do I really want to achieve professionally and privately? What wishes and dreams have I perhaps suppressed so far?
- Responsibility towards others: Who do I have to be considerate of – family, children, parents? And for how long? What compromises am I willing to make?
- Dealing with the shock: The loss of my task is a shock – how do I deal with it constructively? How do I overcome negative, irrational thinking?
Example: The fear of not finding a new job and “collecting supermarket baskets” in the future is widespread, but often irrational.
- Fears and concerns: What unspoken fears are holding me back? Example: A common fear is that there will not be enough money – although this is often not rationally justifiable.
- Social environment and status: What expectations do family, friends and colleagues have? How important is status to me, and am I possibly caught in a status trap?
- Skills and development: Which of my skills can I continue to use? What do I need to sharpen? What should I relearn? And how do I go about it?
Those who are affected often tend to brood for a long time and do not come to a decision – with noticeably negative effects on their mood, sleep, well-being and performance. In such situations, it can be incredibly helpful to talk to another person. Exchanging ideas and absorbing new ways of thinking often opens perspectives that you can’t see on your own. This process is often the easiest and fastest way to gain clarity and become capable of acting again.
How do I find a qualified coach?
Despite the rich offer, a good coach is not always easy to find, especially if you are under a certain time pressure. Here are some pointers on where to find a good coach:
- Recommendations: The easiest way to find a good coach is through recommendations from colleagues, friends or acquaintances. Firsthand experiences are often the most reliable sources.
- Online platforms: B2B platforms, such as CoachHub, or end-customer offerings, such as Greator, offer a broad, easily accessible selection of coaches with different specializations. These platforms also usually offer matching algorithms to choose the coach who best suits one’s challenges.
- Social media: Many coaches are active on social networks such as LinkedIn or YouTube. Here you can get in touch with coaches directly and ask them about their way of working.
Coaches are often certified.
Certifications serve to ensure the professional execution of activities – whether in legal advice, real estate and insurance brokers, architects or teachers. But the situation is different for coaches: Certifications are hardly comparable here, as the legislator has no way of regulating the nature of a deep, structured conversation between two people or bindingly certifying the quality of the conversation.
A “TÜV test” for coaches is simply not feasible. Science has also not yet provided clear, uniform criteria that would make such regulation possible. Coaching therefore is still a field in which quality depends heavily on the individual competence, experience and personality of the coach – aspects that cannot simply be put into standardized certificates.
Therefore, coach certifications are not protected and are awarded by private institutions. They offer training courses in which everyone can participate. These training courses, some of which are excellent, improve marketing and increase the chances of success of the coaching. However, the certifications are not a guarantee for the success of the coaching.
If you are looking for a good coach, you should think about how you did it 200 years ago. You don’t have to do without the Internet, but see through modern marketing.
Classic coaches whose craft is their best marketing.
“Classic” criteria help to filter coaches.
A good executive coach …
- is busy but easily accessible,
- has relevant education and references,
- has a comparable background, e.g., a career in the same or comparable industry, and understands the business situation,
- follows a process that he/she can easily explain in the first consultation,
- explains from which the process was derived,
- understands something about psychology and habits of thought,
- uses scientific diagnostics as an anchor,
- is demanding, structured, gives homework,
- gets her/his time properly paid.
A good coach is a professional.
He or she is supposed to promote new ways of thinking and must therefore have had broad, relevant experience. Although the coach is intensely interested in people, he does coaching to feed the family. A one-time hourly rate is around €200, with B2B prices higher and B2C lower.
Only amateurs coach for little money or for free.
If a coach meets the criteria mentioned, you should definitely arrange an initial consultation. These are often free of charge and offer an opportunity to get to know the person, their approach and their process better.
Many employers have recognized how valuable coaching can be and work with selected coaches. This presents a huge opportunity for companies: by providing qualified coaches, they can significantly speed up the process of change and achieve positive results for all parties involved. Especially for employees whose roles change or who receive a severance offer, a coach should be made available – immediately.
The life-changing insight that coaching can offer is invaluable.
Successful coaching always leads to more clarity and performance, to better decisions – both professionally and privately – and thus also pays off financially many times over. At the same time, it improves health and well-being while reducing unnecessary stress, as shown by numerous scientific studies.
Of course, a good coach has a price. But here the proven rule applies: If you buy cheap, you buy twice. To avoid the risk of wasting money, you should rely on the “classics” in the market – experienced coaches who know what they are doing. With them, the positive effects of coaching are not only likely, but almost guaranteed.
