By James Santagata
Principal Consultant, Career OverDrive!

In a previous post I've discussed some of the different categories or flavors of coaching styles and coaches.

Specifically I talked about:

1. The Peddlers of Hope and Passion (Hope Peddlers & Passion Peddlers).
2. The Peddlers of Fortune Cookie Inspiration.

Now, as I've said before all of these styles or flavors of coaching and coaches have their place and value depending on each client's needs and situation.

However, at some point, getting into a nuts and bolts discuss of (1) why you are here (current/present situation)and (2) how to get you from here to there, becomes extremely important, at least to most clients.

Beyond, hope, passion and inspiration there are the nuts and bolts of coaching and specific action for a client to take. But even here there are huge variations in the type of coach and the effectiveness of the coach's advice.

For instance, has the coach identified the correct or proper nuts and bolts? The proper tensile strength, the composition of metals, the number and the placement of the nuts and bolts?

One of the shortcomings I see in what most coaches offer today is that even when the nuts and bolts are offered and discussed, what is offered is very vague and generalized. 

Worse, sometimes what's offered is just plain wrong.

A simple example to illustrate this would be telling a client to "eat a balanced meal".

• But what exactly is a balanced meal?
  
• How is that determined? By the vitamins, minerals and nutrients it possesses?
  
• But then what is the proper balance of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients and what is the proper or optimal timing of intake?
  
• How does it change by person, ethnicity, gender, age, lifestyle and so forth?
  

Beyond these vague nuts and bolts, I've noticed very vague advise that parallel's what's known in the automotive repair space as "R&R" or Remove and Replace.

Basically, it's shorthand method to cut through a lot of detailed steps in the automotive repair process and focus only on the procedures with a few caveats or warnings pointed out. This works because the mechanics using these books already know all of the steps left out and the best practices associated with them.

If you've ever used a Chilton's repair manual, you know what I'm talking about.

Bringing this back to coaching or more specifically career coaching this type of R&R advice may take a form similar to this:

Objective: How To Get Your Next Job

1. Make sure your resume is up to date and really sells you - show your passion!
   
2. Located the hiring manager(s) at the company you would like to work.
   
3. Use LinkedIn to connect with them. Say something useful or work on building  rapport, etc.
   
4. And on and on.
   

Of course, when we really think about it, there's so much gray area involved here that such advice is completely useless.

• What does a good resume look like (and why)? 
  
• How do I make a good resume sell me?
  
• How do I get it to show my passion (and why should I)?
  
• And so on.
  

I mean specifics. Details. 

When you're  selecting a coach, be sure to find out if your coach can offer more than just broad procedures or a framework because what you'll find you need is very specific, very detailed, step by step guidance in today's rough and tumble world. 

James will speaking on the very timely and important career-related topic of "I'm 40 Now! Is It Really Game Over For Me In Japan's Job Market?" at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan on November 20th.

Arguably no group of job seekers has been more negatively affected by this brutal reality than 40+ year old job seekers.

Many job seekers are shocked to find this is the reality not only in the broader US economy but even in vaunted Silicon Valley which is the supposed Mecca of open-mindedness and where, we are told, a meritocracy has reigned for decades.

And yet, for how bad it is in the US and even Silicon Valley, 40+ year old job seekers soon come to find that it's often much, much worse in Japan. Terrible. Impossibly frustrating. Depressing. These are words that come to mind when seeking employment in Japan as a 40+ year old candidate.

But how can this be the case in Japan, when Japan still has an economy which is the 3rd largest economy in the world and which is moving to further internationalize its businesses as rapidly as possible in the face of both falling domestic demand and a severe shortage of experienced workers.

The bottom line is this: 

Older, deeply experienced job seekers quickly run into five (5) seemingly insurmountable brick walls.

By James Santagata
Principal Consultant, Career OverDrive!


We've previously discussed the massive impact (both opportunities and negative downside risks) of what can only be described as the inexorable march towards not just a robotic future but a future which fully and pervasively embraces the broader category of "bits and atoms" as Peter Thiel calls it.

This broader category includes not just caged robots working in a predefined space running a small set of canned routines but robots which can safely work side by side humans, robots with dexterity and the ability to utilize varied devices, pickup and wield small and varied objects and do and responds to varied tasks and situations.

Beyond that, there is the inexorable push forward with the broader space of factory automation (FA), autonomous systems and autonomous vehicles, machine vision, 3D printing and, of course, powerful, software based algorithms and expert systems.

This technology will not only fill industries and spaces where there is a shortage of labor but it will quickly and then massively erode industries, taking over any industry where there is a financial case leading to increased ROI by replacing human labor with these robots, systems and machines.

What's the impact?

Well, think: Delivery vehicles, drones, taxi's, school teachers, factory workers, cleaners, assemblers, bar tenders and on and on.

Here's a quick smattering of related news from within a few weeks time:

• Ships without crew set for the seas
  
• Robot capable of handling unfamiliar objects unveiled
  
• Japan plans robot revolution
  
• Robot Bartenders
  
• Baxter, The Robot Safe Enough to Work Near People

 

Certainly this is nothing new and is captured very nicely by William Gibson in his quote: "The future is already here — it's just not very evenly distributed."

And yet, this is true as well.

Since the future is unevenly distributed it is extremely easy for us to miss the short-term, mid-term and long-term impacts.

This is sometimes referred to as Amara's Law:

"We tend to overestimate the effect of a technology in the short run and underestimate the effect in the long run."
- Roy Amara 

What does all this mean?

Simple. 

Be ready for not only endless changes but be ready for earth shattering changes.

Make sure you're FutureProofed to not just survive but to thrive and then triumph.

By James Santagata
Principal Consultant, Career OverDrive!


What's the best startup approach to take? 

Well, why not go into your (next) startup as you go into life -- completely naked and alone with nothing to lose, expecting no applause.

This will allow you to start immediately and most importantly to start with a "the buck starts and stops here" mentality.

And as a bonus, anything above that which you experience will be a very pleasant surprise.