How life coaches help improve overall well-being of people in the startup ecosystem

Life coaches are friends, guides and mentors who understand your business, people and innovation. They lay the foundation for a holistic buildup of enterprises and balance the elements of life to entail a more productive outlook towards self and work.

 It is 3 am and it is not uncommon to see startup founders and employees stay awake and alert for an incoming mail or call, citing the ‘necessary changes’ that need to be done immediately. With small-scale and mid-sized startups forming up to 60 percent of the startup realm, it is not rare to see a 24-hour work approach that is considered imperative to succeed and surpass the big guns. However, the concept of staying on the toes has often narrated tales of frenzy.

Mental breakdowns and anxiety attacks – though medical terms – have a lot to do with intuition, which is provided by those who have been there and done that – the ‘Life Coaches’.

As the name suggests, life coaches are not merely startup consultants but life consultants who help you sync all the elements of life together and allow them to work in harmony. In the hustle of a venture, entrepreneurs often negate the chain reaction that can be set off by a missing piece, be it friends, family, relationships, health and many others.

A decade ago, none of the entrepreneurs would have entertained the idea of getting life coaches. It’s just downright disrespectful and not to be engaged as a light matter. However, though slowly and steadily, the winds of change are bringing in acceptability and openness to engage in resolutions and most importantly, seek help. Life coaches help you assimilate your priorities and check each one-off list to help you work, live and laugh.

They open your eyes to the ugly truth

Being a part of the startup culture is an honour, but it comes with a heavy price of anxiety. Life coaches help you first acknowledge the quicksand that you are in and subsequently understand solutions that can be incorporated to pull yourself through it. They make you see the reason why you entered the business and the idea of doing something different is moulding you into a machine that you are not. Their experience teaches you to step up while you maintain that steady flow of breathing.

Being busy and productive

These days, it is hip to ‘be busy’, but have you ever considered the proactive outcome and productivity that you achieve by killing yourself for 18 hours? Close to a mere 10 percent. Life coaches help you get back from digression by charting out the work course that will create a better outline to achieve targets. Ask not what, but why you are doing what you are doing. Simplification is the key!

Increase your EQ and not only IQ

What is your emotional quotient? What defines your ability to be strong in times of crisis and create a clear line of action to resolve the issue at hand? Life coaches introduce you to the concept of EQ where they train entrepreneurs and startup employees to tackle the situation at hand without having a meltdown and fixing their gaze firmly on the future prospects. For instance, losing out on funding is not the end of the world. Just lick your wounds and formulate new strategies that will bag that funding in future. Be a visionary!

Balance, balance and balance!

Consider yourself as a building that is supported by pillars and a foundation. A slight deviation in any of those can collapse the building. Similarly, life coaches reinforce the pillars and foundation with balance and experiential learning. This will help you visualise the chain reaction among the important elements of life like relationships, finances and how they can hamper your professional attributes and venture. Life coaches make you see the bigger picture instead of just the scaling numbers.

Voicing out

Now that you are the founder or the high-ranking member of your startup, it is up to you to stay strong for your team and the organisation. However, the ‘Super-Person’ attrition can often lead to negativity, which doesn’t allow people under pressure to talk out loud about their fears or vent out their frustrations. Life coaches are the safe zones that create the safety net for you. They help you understand the natural fears that plague every human mind and to resolve it for a clearer mindset.

Knowing you’re worth

Slogging and working hard are two different ends of the spectrum. The startup ecosystem is yet to demarcate between the two, which often leads to high tension and acutely low mental well-being and self-esteem. Life coaches know you and your worth. Imagine looking at yourself in a murky mirror where you can see your outline but not the complete reflection. Life coaches are known to wipe those mirrors clean and offer a true reflection of your persona, making you realise your true worth.

Crisis management

While many mentors are known to resolve the operational crisis, life coaches tend to be the source of the solution, which is the people. Making them approach problems in a holistic manner and helping them involve their senses and intellect, they encourage the stakeholders to not merely arrest the situation at hand, but find the cure and resolve it in one go, thereby saving time, money and effort.

As the startup realm continues to grow and move towards an ever-expanding ecosystem, life coaches will continue to play a predominant role in stabilising the environment with a balanced approach of EQ, IQ, industrial knacks and problem-solving skills. After all, a helping hand is always appreciated.

(Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of YourStory.)