For a lot of folks, the job market feels stuck right now. That frustrating feeling is thanks to what The Atlantic recently called the Big Freeze. Consider these three stats:

• Unemployment is steady at a nearly 50-year low of 4%.
• The pace of hiring is as slow as it was at the end of the Great Recession.
• Fewer people are switching jobs than at any point in the last decade.

The combination of those three factors means both employees and employers are navigating a lot of uncertainty – and what might feel like a lack of opportunity.

For ambitious employees, those feelings can be frustrating. Promotions are harder to come by, and career progression may feel stalled. For employers, there’s a real risk that top talent, even if they stay, could become disengaged or burned out.

So, how can organizations keep their teams motivated and growing — even when new roles aren’t opening up?

The answer lies in growing in place by helping employees continue developing their skills, expanding their expertise, and preparing for future opportunities — all within their current roles. This could look like:

• Deepening knowledge of a key skill.
• Taking on stretch assignments.
• Mentoring junior staff.
• Being mentored (or sponsored) by senior leaders.

The Role of Coaching in Growth in Place

Coaching plays a pivotal role in helping employees map their growth journeys. Change Coaches’s tailored coaching services for individual leaders and teams strengthen both personal development and organizational resilience by:

• Identifying personalized growth paths for leaders and their teams.
• Supporting leaders to manage across differences.
• Showing employees they’re valued, which fosters engagement and increases retention.
• Equipping leaders to overcome biases (like proximity and affinity bias) when offering opportunities.

At Change Coaches, our coaching programs — including the newly launched Coaching Below the Surface — help leaders foster growth in place, ensuring your team remains motivated and prepared for their next big step, whenever it comes.

Our Coaching 101 and Coaching 201 leadership and coaching workshops are a great place to start. These comprehensive and experiential sessions unlock valuable insight into supporting your team – in both their day-to-day activities and at a strategic level.

And our ICF-approved Coaching Below the Surfaceprogram supports leaders who coach regularly as part of their jobs and prepares them for the work of ensuring their star staffers grow in place.

Why Invest in Coaching Now?

Even during a hiring slowdown, leadership coaching is a smart and strategic investment in your team’s motivation and success. Research shows:

• Organizations with strong learning cultures are more resilient.
• 75% of employees offered growth opportunities are more likely to stay.
• One soft-skills training program alone yielded a 250% ROI in under a year.

Amid an uncertain job market and investment climate, our new Coaching Below the Surfaceprogram focuses on honing the skills you need to support development and long-term success for star employees while we wait for the Big Freeze to thaw.

Ready to make a move? Sign up for our Coaching Below the Surface waitlist for exclusive early access to program details, an invitation to a special live event with me and my team, and priority enrollment in the program.

Let’s build resilient, motivated teams — together! I hope you’ll join the waitlist today for our first round of Coaching Below the Surface.

– LaTonya!