I coach men (and women)

But let’s talk about men for a moment.

In my piece about why I coach people at 50+, I set out very many things that are distinctive about being in our 50s and 60s.

Some of those things are positive, others negative.

And some are either specific to women or, for all sorts of reasons, likely to be worse for them.

But there’s stuff going on for men, too – some of it the same as for women; some of it different – and I think that’s worth pointing out.

Just as for women, some of this ‘stuff’ stems from how things were back in our formative years.

For example, when I was growing up in the ‘60s and ‘70s, the messaging was that men were in charge and women played support roles.

If you weren’t around then, this may seem both improbable and awful (and it was).

You may also wonder why we haven’t simply got over it and moved with the times.

Not so simple.

Because if you’ve started out on this model, those roles can become embedded and self-perpetuating, even if you're conscious of what’s going on.

And messaging received repeatedly in our formative years takes some shaking off.

We’re all impacted by the times and environments in which we were raised, in which we have lived and live. And even those things that might look like – and be – an advantage may come at a cost.

What I see is that cost rearing its head at this age for men (as well as for women).

And that is one reason why I coach men (and women).

Photo: Rene Böhmer on Unsplash