What do you do if you're facing challenges transitioning in your late career with Executive Coaching?

When facing challenges during a late-career transition, defining your needs is essential. In this stage of your career, your priorities may shift from rapid advancement to finding roles that align with your values, expertise, and desired lifestyle. Executive coaching can help you clarify what you want to achieve in this new phase. By clearly defining your needs, you set a foundation for the coaching process to be targeted and effective. It helps your coach tailor their guidance to your specific goals, ensuring that your transition is not just about finding the next job, but about securing a role that is fulfilling and strategically aligned with your long-term aspirations.

When looking at your current situation and needs, it can be really useful to start reflecting on all the experience you have gained first. For visual learners, creating a career journey timeline can be useful. Use mind mapping to pin point what you liked and disliked. Add in how you felt and what you learned in the role. What was missing? When you look at this visually you may begin to understand more what worked and what didn't. Armed with this information, you can map out your roadmap for the future.

Unpacking the "Why" is Crucial..... As an executive coach, the first focus must be the WHY behind the late career transition and how did you get there? It’s more than just a starting point and it's the compass that guides your entire coaching journey. Understanding the intention behind the change will throw light on much more than just current situation and needs as that is a constant. It allows you to go beyond the surface-level reasons, the "why" can uncover deeper desires, fears, strengths and values.

Open ended questions are the foundation to developing a solid plan. "Can you walk me through your career journey? What were some pivotal moments that shaped your professional path?" - "What values have driven your career choices up until now? - How do those align with your current aspirations? - Where do you see a disconnect between your past roles and your ideal role? - What has fueled your desire for a career change at this stage in your life?" And these questions should get you started - thinking and brimming with ideas and insights.

One of the key advantages when you're late in your career is that you have the experience to have built a wide network. That said, many professionals let their networking relationships weaken over time. So one of the first steps to take when you're in career transition mode is to rekindle your existing network. Start with socially reconnecting -- just saying Hi, not discussing your search. In the beginning, you're curating your contacts (from LinkedIn, your phone, your email, etc.), you're getting back in touch, you're learning about where people are (or if you don't have current contact info and have to find them again). You're also paving the way to go back to people and talk about your job search when you're ready.

Transitioning in your late career can be a big challenge, but with the right mindset, it can also be a great opportunity. Start by embracing the change and focusing on the positives it brings. Reflect on the wealth of experience you’ve gathered and set clear goals for what you want to achieve next. See this transition as a chance to use your skills in new and exciting ways, and approach it with a growth mindset. Work with your executive coach to create a practical plan, including steps and milestones. Identify any new skills you might need and look for learning opportunities. Build a network of supportive peers and mentors to guide you. Take care of yourself, manage stress, and stay adaptable as you navigate this phase.