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Monat: November 2025

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Job Identity

When the Job Becomes a Core Part of Identity - The CORe Coaching

When the Job Becomes a Core Part of Identity

In this era defined by volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity -the so-called VUCA world—leaders and teams must continually adapt and reconsider what constitutes professional success. A recurring theme in my coaching practice is the challenge faced by individuals who anchor their sense of self to their job role. While this deep identification can drive extraordinary commitment and outstanding results, it also introduces substantial challenges for both the individual and the organization.

A Case from Coaching Practice

Recently, I coached a talented manager who was facing persistent problems with a group leader in the Construction department. This group leader, highly competent and deeply dedicated, was convinced that the organization’s achievements hinged exclusively on her personal involvement. Despite repeated guidance from senior management to delegate more responsibilities and establish healthier boundaries, she continued to micromanage and work excessive hours, including weekends and holidays.

The impact of this approach is multifaceted. Overidentification with her role affects her physical and mental health, limits the team’s growth, and undermines autonomy among her direct reports. Suggestions to change her approach are perceived as direct challenges to her identity, triggering discomfort and resistance.

When the Job Becomes a Core Part of Identity - The CORe Coaching

Understanding the Dynamics

This scenario is common. When professionals, like this group leader, derive their self-worth and purpose primarily from their job title, any attempt by their manager to encourage delegation or foster new leadership behaviours can cause genuine anxiety. The underlying fear is a loss – of status, value, or relevance within the organization.

Expanding Identity Beyond the Role

As the group leader was not open to direct coaching, we discussed possible management interventions:

  • Reflective Dialogue: If the working relationship allows, the manager might use targeted questions such as, “What strengths or interests do you have outside your current role?” or “How could success also be measured by the growth of others?” Such inquiries can gently broaden perspectives on personal identity.
  • Normalizing Change and Vulnerability: By reframing change as a natural evolution toward leadership maturity rather than a threat, leaders can see adaptability as essential in a VUCA environment, and vulnerability as a potential strength.
  • Incremental Delegation: Practical experiments with delegation can demonstrate the positive impact of collaborative leadership. A step-by-step approach allows the leader to experience increased departmental efficiency firsthand.
  • Supporting Well-being: It’s important to discuss how true leadership combines efficiency with balanced self-care. Promoting mindful detachment, healthy boundaries, and sustainable work habits supports the vitality of both leader and team.

This process can be time-consuming and requires active support from the entire organization. In this case, the manager planned to use these interventions in individual meetings, making it clear that change is expected soon.

Conclusion

Anchoring identity to a single job function is understandable, especially when professional achievement is highly valued. The solution lies in expanding both personal and professional identity, embracing adaptability, and fostering environments where growth and resilience are celebrated collectively.

For the Manager: Leadership, ultimately, is about promoting growth and setting standards for performance.

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Fairness is not a soft skill

The CORe coaching. Fairness is not a soft skill - it's a strategic asset.

Fairness is not a soft skill – it’s a strategic asset.

There are many reasons why clients seek business coaching, but most share one essential goal: they want to feel fulfilled in the effort they invest at work. Fulfilment isn’t just about achieving results – it’s about believing those efforts matter and are treated fairly.

It’s well known that people usually leave managers, not jobs. One theme that comes up repeatedly in coaching sessions is frustration among motivated employees who struggle to accept that underperforming or disloyal colleagues seem to face no consequences – and sometimes even enjoy protection from management. Leaders often justify it with comments like: “She’s been here since day one,” or “He knows the company systems inside out – we can’t risk losing him.” While understandable in the short term, these justifications slowly erode trust, morale, and the sense of shared accountability.

In any organization, fairness and consistency act like invisible glue. They hold together engagement, trust, and productivity. When fairness falters, even the most dedicated employees begin to question their commitment.

The Emotional Impact of Unfairness

When high performers see colleagues tolerated or rewarded despite poor performance, psychologists call it procedural injustice. It isn’t just frustration about outcomes—it’s the deeper feeling that workplace rules aren’t applied equally. That inconsistency damages trust in leadership and weakens confidence in the systems meant to ensure accountability.

As a coach, I often hear a variation of the same question: “Why should I care so much when others get away with mediocrity?” It’s not a complaint about workload—it’s about dignity. Fairness is closely tied to self-worth. Employees who once believed in their company’s values start to emotionally detach when they see those values upheld selectively.

The CORe coaching. Fairness is not a soft skill - it's a strategic asset.

One manager once told me, “If you want something done, give it to the busiest person.” Such patterns are common. Loyal employees are often overloaded because managers rely on them more, assuming they won’t resist. Meanwhile, underperformers are shielded from extra demands – a dynamic some call the loyalty penalty. Dependable team members carry heavier loads without recognition, while others evade scrutiny. Over time, this imbalance corrodes trust and motivation.

The Organizational Blind Spot

Managers often underestimate how destructive inaction can be. Avoiding confrontation might feel kind or politically safe, but silence communicates its own values. When underperformance or disloyalty goes unchecked, it quietly normalizes mediocrity.
Ironically, most leaders don’t avoid action out of negligence but out of avoidance fatigue. They fear demotivating others or being seen as punitive. But true fairness isn’t about punishment – it’s about predictability, transparency, and trust. It means everyone knows the rules and believes they apply equally.

Leading with Clarity and Accountability

The best cure for perceived unfairness is clarity of process. Employees must understand what good performance looks like and what happens when standards aren’t met. Studies show that transparent, consistently applied systems build a strong sense of fairness – even when the feedback is tough.

From a coaching perspective, a few practices make the biggest difference:

  • Anchor accountability in shared values. Link feedback to company values rather than personal traits. This depersonalizes difficult conversations and reinforces alignment with purpose.
  • Invite multiple perspectives. Incorporate feedback from peers, customers, and collaborators to reduce bias and strengthen credibility.
  • Explain decisions openly. Make both the “what” and the “why” of decisions visible. A lack of transparency often demotivates more than the decision itself.
  • Recognize loyalty publicly. Honest acknowledgment of consistent effort sends a strong signal that dependability is valued just as much as performance outcomes.

Fairness doesn’t mean every outcome feels good. It means processes are transparent, reasons are explained, and accountability is distributed evenly. In that environment, trust becomes a competitive advantage.

Fairness is not a soft skill – it’s a strategic asset. When organizations reward contribution, confront misalignment, and communicate transparently, they build resilience and long-term loyalty. As a coach, my message to leadership teams is simple and enduring: fairness isn’t about being nice; it’s about being trusted.