In the positive sense, an inflection point is that next wave of development and growth of a company. It marks the beginning of a significant move forward. For an individual, an inflection point is one’s own personal growth and development that manifests itself in the form of a leap or bump forward. In most cases this growth propels an individual into new territory that s/he may never thought feasible.

Why is this important? Because the status quo doesn’t solve tomorrow’s challenges. Albert Einstein said, ““You can’t solve a problem with the same mind that created it.” Striving for the next inflection point in your personal growth development gets you closer to fulfilling your greatest potential. It also opens doors to new opportunities that otherwise would not come to bear. Lastly it builds leadership as people learn to become better at solving their own problems.

US Job Satisfaction Falls to a Record Low

Let’s face it, many of us right now wish we were doing something else in our careers and/or in our personal lives. When it comes to our careers, shockingly, some 55% of American’s are dissatisfied with their jobs according to a 2010 Conference Board research study. This is the highest level ever recorded in 22 years of surveys by the organization.  Workers under 25 expressed the most dissatisfaction – about 64% of them said they are unhappy in their current jobs. While the harsh recession is partly to blame for the discontentment, worker dissatisfaction has been on the rise for more than two decades. Among the reasons for the lack of job satisfaction is that fewer workers consider their jobs to be interesting. Together with an increasing lack of job security, it’s no wonder why the average person changes careers 5-7 times over the course of their lives. This equates to a change about every 5 years.

We live in a society and a culture that is constantly in a state of flux. As a result, we find ourselves constantly having to adapt; and, in some cases, we see the need to re-adjust our behaviors to conform to new and different contexts. For most, change doesn’t come easy and without consequences. All too often what happens is we lose sight of our own desires and ambitions. We lose sight of who we really are and what we really value. Caught up in a blinding downward spiral, we become more reactive and less proactive about advancing our lives towards what truly matters to us. Over time this can reap havoc on our overall health and well being, causing deterioration in our careers and creating a strain on our family and other personal relationships. Given all this, it’s no wonder why there is a growing trend among individuals to proactively pursue ways to live a life that is truly fulfilling. Many of these people use coaches in the process.

Transformative change occurs one inflection point at a time when you take responsibility for your life and work towards maximizing your own potential.  This requires changing your perspectives (your context) and in some cases it requires moving beyond your comfort zone, from what’s comfortable to what’s possible.

For many, getting there on their own is very difficult and for others it’s impossible. Coaching makes transformative change achievable because it is a process that encourages individuals to take responsibility for their lives and shows them how to lead as oppose to follow. By empowering people to solve their own problems, coaching creates leaders. It gives people greater control over their lives amidst the fluid world of rapid change in which we all live. For institutions that support a coaching culture, it can mean the difference between a mediocre company and a thriving organization.

Jack Welch, the former CEO of GE said, “In the future, people who are not coaches will not be promoted. Managers who are coaches will be the norm.” This frontier of management development is focused on a special kind of leader – one who is self aware, who models inclusive values, who builds trust, and who sees the learning and development of others as central to the role. This leader is a coach who engages others to create a high commitment and high performance culture.”