Common Roadblocks That Prevent You From Reaching Your Full Potential

​One of the missions of Work In Progress is to help people feel less alone in their career and life struggles.  While it can sometimes feel like only you are going through uncertainty, not feeling sure of yourself and self-doubt is a shared human experience.  With this in mind, the WIP Coaches shared some of the common issues that they worked through with clients this year.
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Amy, The Clarity Coach

​This year, regardless of their age and background,  people usually came to me with confusion and anxiety about their paths in life.  They all wanted to find a way out from their personal bottlenecks. They needed clarity about their career situation and direction about what to do next.  More importantly, they needed clarity about their inner world, to be more authentic and equipped to deal with different kinds of challenges and achieve their aspirations.
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The career issues are usually bundled with expectations of others, social norms and self expectation.  When we go deeper, we understand that expectations of the self can have much more negative impact.  People need to be kinder to themselves, and allow time for self-care!  Only when we take good care of ourselves (mental, emotional and physical wellness), we are able to take care of others and achieve our aspirations in a sustainable manner.

Nerice, The Resilience Coach

The majority of clients got in touch this year because they wanted to enhance their chances of securing a new job.  One reason clients sometimes struggle in the job search process is that they tend to widen their job search instead of narrowing it down if they are not successful.  Unfortunately, this can make it harder to secure roles due to a lack of focus. On the other hand, the job market can be very competitive and recruiters tend to look for specific skills and industry experience to fill very specific vacancies.  

​The easier job applicants make it for them to see how they meet their requirements, the more likely they are to be successful. It is simply not enough for a job seeker to think: 'Surely the recruiters can work out how these transferable skills meet the requirements of this role.'  The best tactic is to get focused and targeted in what you want, rather than expecting that dream job to find you.

Mac, The Transformative Coach

I’ve had a high number of coaching clients who have wanted career coaching work, with a focus on helping them to find clarity around where to move next in their career.   

​I don’t know if this would be a particular “trend”, as I think this happens regularly year over year, although I work with an older group of clients (mostly in their late 30’s and early 40’s).

Anna, The Curious Coach

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A strong common theme has been transition: developing awareness of what clients really want (not what they think they should want!), tapping into their courage to make tough but ultimately empowering decisions, and harnessing their strengths to act on them.
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I think this is shaped by some external trends. One is rising consciousness of our collective impact and the desire to be doing something positive or meaningful. Another is changes in the workforce that enable more flexibility and draw people towards entrepreneurship or more fluid collaborations.

Vivica, The Jumpstart Coach

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​​"What's next?" has emerged as a common theme in my coaching in the past year. I work with mostly young professionals who are already quite accomplished, yet they constantly look for the next level of opportunities and adventures, be it in life or work. I also feel that in today's world, where we have so much emphasis on early and quick success, young people get a lot of anxiety around not measuring up to expectations.

​I like to work with my clients to help them listen to their inner voice, and to follow their own pace towards the highest and best self.

Janine, The Strategy Coach

This year my clients have been making powerful and life changing decisions from a place of clarity and confidence.  Why?  It has been a big year of transition for many people in Hong Kong, and a lot of clients have had to reinvent themselves to stay relevant in a market demanding a lot more with narrowing resources.

​People are feeling the impact and are questioning whether the golden handcuffs are indeed worth their mental well-being, family connectedness and personal happiness. I always go back to basics when it comes to clarity and confidence, the answer almost always lies in knowing and deeply understanding your personal core values.

Lily, The Strength Coach

This year I have been helping many clients to regain their confidence in the job search process.

​To do this we focus on personal strength, preparing job interview, learning how to negotiate better work conditions, setting a path for a long term employment.

Shirley, The Empowerment Coach

​My clients are relatively senior financial services execs at a crossroads in their careers. They feel uncomfortable talking to their manager or colleagues and so seek a coach who understands the environment they operate in, and can support them to make the right choices.

This year, I’ve had quite a few senior women (and men) clients who want a Director, MD or board level role and need some unbiased views on their competencies and how to navigate the political landscape. They don’t see enough senior role models and are disheartened when they don’t get the first promotion they apply for. We sit down and review their skills, competencies, and desires and I help them work out what is the best next step. Often that stops them from leaving their organisation, they feel more confident and clear in their abilities and are ready when new opportunities present themselves.

Natalie, WIP Ambassador @ImOvarIt

​There are lots of little pitfalls when it comes to writing your CV but a theme that's cropped up a lot this year perhaps comes from laziness?  Time constraints?  Or a lack of imagination?  We've all been guilty of these! It's when reading through someone's job responsibilities, they've quite obviously just copied and pasted in their job description, which instead of taking ownership of your responsibilities and achievements, it makes you appear subordinate and limited.

​All it takes to fix this is an alteration in tenses; i.e. "Lead a team" to "Leading a team" ...the first example is a direction, the second example is an achievement. So please ladies, take the time, your future self will thank you!

Deepa, The Money Coach

I've worked with my clients on various issues this year, but many of their roadblocks funnel down to wanting to know more about themselves and other parts of their life.  

By realising this, we can work together on clearer goals and intention setting. 

​​Did any of these resonate with you this year?  Let us know in the comments!