Being stuck in a monotonous routine work life year after year can be frustrating, and turning that frustration into fulfillment when there is not much action between clocking in and out is a big leap, and that is where professional coaching comes in.

Iris Irumva, a professional career coach certified by the International Coaching Federation with over five years experience, and founder of Lead Access, a professional coaching firm in Kigali, breaks down its complexities.

By definition, professional coaching is a journey of self-growth, self-development, and self-fulfillment attained by a series of thought-provoking questions that elevate one to reach their personal and professional potential, often making them a better leader or increasing productivity and efficiency.

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According to Irumva, much like a medical checkup, everyone needs professional coaching at some point in their career, however, like treatment, most people turn to coaching amidst a crisis, usually as a last resort.

"Who needs it? Mostly a person that realises and is aware enough that they have gaps they need to fill. And these gaps could be in your career, it could be that you’re stuck, you want to have a promotion but you don’t know how to, and you’ve been stuck in the same job for a long time,” says Irumva.

Coaching is ideal for leadership positions such as mid-level or senior management, especially first-time managers, because when intent on improving performance, creating safe and healthy work environments, and cultivating team spirit and stellar relations amongst one’s team, the kind of support provided by a professional coach becomes essential.

According to Irumva, most people that seek out coaching services are battling issues such as being stuck in the same position for a long time, trying to resolve a conflict at work, or having difficulty fitting in with the culture at work and wanting to upgrade to higher or new positions.

"They come to coaching to figure out how to win interviews, and how to acquire the skills to communicate better as leaders. There’s always a triggering event, and that’s what makes coaching a success. It’s about helping clients, not giving them instant solutions like consultants. Trigger them with thought-provoking questions so they can come to an answer on their own,” adds the certified professional coach.

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Highlighting the different people one could turn to in a crisis, Irumva emphasised that speaking with a friend amidst a job crisis could be somewhat helpful, but friends tend to coach you or advise you from an emotional or biased perspective, which is why when a work problem arises, talking to a coach that is detached from the situation and can help one find their way out and actually offer support is the more viable option.

"When a friend gives you their perspective, it’s from an emotive place. They like you and want you to do well but they won’t have detached feedback to give that can support you in taking sound decisions. Some friends can give you that perspective but they’ve not been trained to do that.”

Some of the early benefits of professional career coaching entail an increased work performance that is derived from having one’s mindset unlocked, which is to be expected, and learning how to navigate life obstacles is an upside, especially for individuals that find it hard to open up.

"An added value that coaching can offer is to have a professional listening ear. Someone you know you can count on when things go south to get a sound perspective on what needs to be done,” Irumva said.

When asked about people’s pursuits to seek fulfillment from work rather than life and whether that’s a healthy choice, Irumva pointed out that it’s only natural to want to be fulfilled by something you spend a lot of time doing.

"People are thinking mostly about their careers because we all spend more than eight hours at work. When your workplace is not giving you the joy or inspiration to grow, you feel stuck. We have friends that help us go through life, but at work, that’s the missing part. We don’t always rely on our HR teams or our managers to help us, so who helps you when you need support at work?” she said.

One of the challenges that come up when seeking professional help is the multitude of coaches there is to choose from. Ranging from fitness and nutrition to mindfulness, career, and more, informal coaching has been on the rise over the past few years, thereby saturating the market and making a hectic task out of finding a reliable professional/ certified coach.

When asked how to differentiate an informal coach from a professional one, Irumva pointed out that among other things, professional coaches have significantly higher rates than informal coaches.

She highlighted that informal coaches tend to not have a specialty and prefer to offer all-round advice, whereas professional coaches stay in their lane, and if a "career coach” can transform into a "nutrition coach” on demand, it’s a red flag, and very telling of their unprofessionalism.

"People that are experienced in a certain domain will share the expertise they have with their audience and that’s a beautiful thing, however, certified coaches are more expensive. If a coach claims to be a generalist, it’s a red flag. Life coaching is very broad and if you’re looking to develop a career, you should be going to a career coach, not a life coach,” she said.

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As for whether one should engage in career/ professional coaching till retirement, Irumva pointed out once more that much like medical checkups, coaching is a seasonal occasion and is best utilised when there’s a clear goal one intends to achieve in a fixed amount of time because consistency without precise targets isn’t very effective.

According to Irumva, coaching’s giving and receiving stages alternate between leaders and young professionals, and leaders, having had a lot of knowledge poured into them through education and mentorship, reach a point where they take a pause on receiving coaching, and opt to pour into the young professionals that look up to them.

"As a leader, you get to where you are because people pour into you. Coaches support you and you get mentors and people that are giving you and helping you get to that level. There comes a time when you have to give back. What I mean by giving back is that with the coaching skills you received, you need to be giving back to young professionals. There is a time it pauses so you give back.

"A young professional should be looking at it as a life journey because learning never stops. You can pause and take a break but it’s always good to incorporate that as a style of living,” she said.