I spent most of my career in technology, so I became accustomed to having the industry change very quickly. Chasing waves of tech can get crazy, and I appreciate that the professional coaching industry doesn’t move at quite that pace.

When it comes to supporting my clients, I could argue that what we learn today is basically the same as it was three years ago. Or 30 years ago. Or 300, for that matter. Because it’s about listening, helping clients think through issues and chart a course forward.

I imagine that 300 years ago, the role of a coach was performed by the wise elder or good friend. And the relationship was probably described as “wisdom” or “helping.”

We’ve come up with much better language these days, and we’ve formalized a range of concepts and great techniques. But our fundamental goal is the same: to help people work through whatever issues are holding them back.

When I ground myself in that realization, it becomes much easier for me to focus on the key question: What would be most useful for my client in this engagement and/or in this conversation right now?

People are still people, sharing this common journey of being human. That has always been true.

I’m going to help them with how they’re experiencing life right now. Sure, they’ll talk about their situation and everything that is driving them crazy. But the only thing they can truly affect is how they experience that reality, how they make decisions, and how they move forward toward their goal.

To be the best coach I can be, I’m going to use some of the tools and techniques I’ve learned over the course of my career and my life. It might be from a class I took 20 years ago or a webinar I attended yesterday. It might stem from my experience as a manager and leader, or my experience as a teenager in the 1970s.

I’m thrilled that wonderful new coaching tools and approaches are being developed all the time. We are in a very vibrant and creative profession that has deeply impacted the culture of the workplace and society at large.

But I also recognize that our core purposes remain as solid as a rock: to listen, to help clients reflect, to help them think and create a plan, and to support them in moving forward with clarity.

I might be working with an individual client, a team or a larger organization. The context might be business, career, marriage or life choices. We might be moving quickly toward a focused goal, or dealing with a wide range of issues over a decade. We might meet in person or through technology, or both.

This variety makes life exciting for me. I know that every client and situation will be different. This keeps me on my toes and exercises my creativity.

We’re all just trying to live this journey of being human in what feels like a crazy and unpredictable world. Just as we always have.

Published in, and reproduced with permission from, choice, the magazine  of professional coaching  www.choice-online.com