It used to be the case that one stayed at one company, or researched in one field, for a whole career, steadily working one’s way up in a culture that was deeply instilled and a set of expectations well known to everyone.  Then, as we all know, things started to change dramatically in the late 1980s.  It has become assumed that one will change careers, or at least locations and institutions, many times before retiring. This has created a different set of expectations, both on the part of employers and employees.

I never fit the traditional mold.  There have been times when I considered myself an “accidental leader”, wondering whether it might have been better to stay on the path of planned change. On the other hand, changing careers, institutions and disciplines tended to make me feel much more comfortable with the newer model.  Nevertheless, this frequent change also introduced me the anxieties of career transition. Even when accustomed to change I am confident that executives and senior leaders, be they corporate or academic or even frequently mobile entrepreneurs, experience the stresses accompanying novelty and new arenas in which to prove oneself.

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For my own part, this change has always been exhilarating.  Like the adrenal rush before a contest. It can be the juice that fuels creativity, excitement and reinvigoration. Not that those who do not change often are at a disadvantage:  some delve ever deeper into their chosen fields of expertise, and they become the leaders of those fields.  Where that forgo the jolts of change, they also acquire a need to perform at higher levels, often under much greater expectations.  

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Coaching can help both frequent change and long-term stable performers.  It can help turn anxieties into catalysts for enthusiastic new performance.  It can provide a safe space in which these anxieties can be articulated and given healthy new perspective. Coaching can even help identify when it is time for a change. Most of us start to go stale when doing the same thing for too long.  The challenge of change can be daunting yet exciting.