a)plan coaching

Coaching and “The Great Reshuffling”

With the pandemic phasing out, welcome to the era of shaking it up and looking inward – for individuals and organizations alike.


A new term has emerged in recent months, acting as a nice summary for many “post-pandemic” mega-trends rippling through society: “The Great Reshuffling.”

Originally coined by real estate company, Zillow, to describe an active real estate market in which buyers are “shuffling” around to new homes, the term is fitting for much more than just real estate. As we emerge from the pandemic, The Great Reshuffling roars on, catalyzing new trends, norms, and values. Among them, an increased championing of personal growth, choice, wellness, and sustainability.

At the center of The Great Reshuffling, coaching stands as one of the best ways to help you live in alignment with your values – whether new or old. It’s a tool that can be used to navigate major life goals, career decisions, and emerging opportunities. As we’ll explain throughout this post, those who are embracing The Great Reshuffling have lots to gain from working with a coach. Read on to learn why.

Why The Great Reshuffling?

Let’s start at the beginning. Why The Great Reshuffling in the first place? For many of us, after more than a year’s time spent looking inward and reevaluating what matters most, change was inevitable.

Some of us decided we wanted to move cities. Some of us are burnt out or “languishing.” Many of us (upwards of 40% of the global population, in fact) are actively considering quitting our jobs. And while the pandemic conditioned us to appreciate safety and stability, those interim values are now fading. We finally have the freedom to mix it up.

And it’s not just individuals. Many employers have responded to the flux and are now offering new perks to better attract and retain antsy staff. From full-time work-from-home, to green initiatives, to wellness programs, some employers are even providing coaching to all of their managers or employees. These efforts have actually served to accelerate the reshuffling, as some forward-thinking companies now look like particularly attractive destinations for candidates on the market.

There’s no shortage of reasons for wanting to shake things up – and in our view, the process of making change is a highly valuable and rewarding experience. We celebrate any person or organization in pursuit of new opportunities for improvement.

Coaching and The Great Reshuffling Make Us Reconsider What We Value

The trends that fall under The Great Reshuffling are mostly sparked by a simple question that is core to our entire approach at a)plan coaching: What do I really want?

Many of us have faced this question head-on in recent months. What do I really, really want? As it turns out, many of us want new jobs, new homes, new scenery, new community, etc. These desires are often driven by new and/or renewed values. Some examples include:

  • Increased value on improving work-life balance
  • Increased value on embracing your social life
  • Increased value on living closer to loved ones
  • Increased value on finding an employer that shares your core values

Identifying your own values and desires is perhaps the most important step in creating the change you wish to see in your life. To that end, we see The Great Reshuffling as a very exciting global phenomenon that has the ability to improve millions of lives. It is causing people to look in the mirror and ask some of the same questions we always cover in our coaching work.

Getting the Most Out of The Great Reshuffling

Here’s where coaching takes things a step further: Coaching is designed to not only help users identify what they want, but also how to pursue what they want. Sometimes all you need is an independent thought partner to help plan out how to reach those life and career goals in smart, effective ways. For a growing number of the population, that thought partner is a coach.

And the reasons for starting with a coach are truly endless. We’ve recently started working with people who want to find new jobs, people who are struggling to move up in their careers, BIPOC and LGBTQ+ employees who seek more representation, people who want to start traveling, partners who want to improve their relationships, and more. We also work closely with dozens of changemaking organizations that feel inspired to take care of their staff in new and improved ways.

Identify what you want, get proud of it, and go get it.

As we often say at a)plan, “Identify what you want, get proud of it, and go get it.” At every stage in that process, a coach is the ultimate thought partner for getting what you really want in life, work, relationships, and more.

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