One client in the personal and professional assessment made the apologetic comment that her career issues were just luxury problems – a view I hear time and again from coachees. My client was highly qualified and held a well-paid management position at a leading company. Does she have a right to be dissatisfied with her situation despite being privileged?
If we only recognised problems as legitimate if there were no people in the world whose problems were greater than ours, then there would indeed be no problems in our part of the world. Fortunately, our problems are less existential, but they can become so if we don’t take care of them.
Let’s take a closer look at my client’s situation: She managed a department in an attractive, promising area. However, she lacked clear goals and, as a doer, she missed visible results and a recognisable sense of purpose in her work.
Eisenhower matrix as an explanatory approach
At the same time, the position had many advantages: Despite restructuring in the company, her position was not jeopardised. She had superiors who trusted her and gave her a lot of freedom. The workload was moderate, and she had time to pursue her private interests. Many people would remain in this situation and enjoy the privileges. Would this be a sensible approach or is my client right not to resign herself to her situation?
One possible answer is the well-known Eisenhower matrix, which categorises tasks according to importance and urgency and can also be applied to problems. In this view, my customer’s problems are important but not urgent, comparable to the so-called B tasks in the matrix.
Solving problems before they become urgent
The problem with B-tasks is that people put them off. Regular exercise, for example, is not urgent, but it is important. If I’m lazing around today, it doesn’t matter for my health. But if I make laziness a habit, I will develop health problems over time. The important issue will become urgent, and I will be forced to take care of it.
My client could therefore ignore her non-urgent job dissatisfaction until it became acute. Over time, she might develop depressive moods or even physical complaints. In addition, the prolonged lack of challenge would damage her self-confidence and sense of self-efficacy.
Tackling her «luxury problems» at an early stage is therefore a form of self-care and therefore self-responsible behaviour. Moreover, it is not only in her interest to take care of her problems, but also in the interest of society. We all benefit when highly qualified people succeed in their careers, maximise their impact and thus keep the economy running successfully.
#career #coaching #activecareerdesign
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