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Should I stay or should I go?

Dear Coaches,

My thoughts this time are for coaches who are thinking of leaving a job to strike out on your own as a coach: PLEASE DON’T. And for those who encourage coaches to leave a job: PLEASE STOP.

There is so much peer pressure within the coaching community to leave a job and become a ‘real’ coach. Coaches who do leave are celebrated when taking that step: “you’re so brave, courageous and powerful!”

As a front of the room leader for CTI (1998-2012) I heard these celebrations and aspirations of leaving so many times. And years later, I’ve heard that many coaches go ‘back’ to a job, some with such shame about having ‘failed’. The pressure, the shame, the ‘shoulds’ (and new saboteurs) that are getting created – it’s all really unnecessary!

I’d love to see this peer pressure stopped – and the sentiment that having a job in an organisation is shameful. IT’S NOT. You can change the world by changing your organisation.

I think the kickass, courageous and brave thing to do is to STAY IN YOUR JOB and dare to change the culture of your organisation. Disrupt it! Afterall, what have you got to lose – your job?

Be the change. That’s the work. Transform yourself and your job so you can have an impact from within. It can actually be so much more powerful than as an external coach.

Dare. Stay. Transform. Really Kickass 😊

And listen to The Clash