Re-authoring Careers: Changing the Narratives Around Work for Individuals and Its Impact on Organizations and Society

This chapter describes the process of making career choices utilizing stories. It shows how a coachee finds the tools to navigate in different contexts and situations to approach his personal goals. The chapter starts by introducing the holistic vision for looking at a person. The career plan is part of his whole life. This is best captured by the ikigai principles. In the second and main part, the seven-step process is described and illustrated by two cases. Stories of his past make clear what already works and what needs more attention. On the other hand, future stories help the coachee envision where to find the horizon he wants to approach. By knowing the right words to express his future needs, the coachee can look at the labor market, find the most suitable place, or design the path to get there. In the last part, we look at the impact on organizations and society. The Flemish government now provides funding for individuals’ career coaching to support people in their quest before developing a burnout, losing their job, or becoming unemployed. When individuals, supported by a coa, bring up important topics in the working environment, they make waves in the water, and the coaching can affect whole teams and organizations.