ACTIV in Action – Aneesh’s Coaching Journey

Part 3 – TAILOR: Adapting the Plan to Fit the Path

The restructuring at Company 1 brought confusion, instability, and tough choices. In the end, Aneesh made the difficult decision to walk away and start fresh in unfamiliar territory. Not with a fully formed plan—but with a deeper understanding of who he was and what mattered.

He knew he needed financial stability, and full-time study wasn’t an option. Coaching had helped him clarify his values and strengths. Living it out day to day? That was the next challenge.

That’s where the TAILOR phase began.

💬 Designing Within Constraints

Aneesh didn’t wait for perfect conditions. Instead, he designed a path that matched his current circumstances.

He found a role in a small tech company. The environment promised hands-on experience and the chance to wear multiple hats. The role offered room to grow, and on paper, it seemed like a good fit for someone exploring a future in project management. At the same time, he enrolled in a project management certification program. This allowed him to study at night while working full-time.

This wasn’t a linear path, it was a layered one. And that’s exactly what TAILOR is about: finding ways to move forward, even when the road is uneven.

What Is ACTIV?

Aneesh’s coaching journey followed the ACTIV framework, a five-phase process designed to guide individuals, leaders, and organizations through workplace transitions with clarity and confidence:

• ACCESS – Reconnect with your values, motivations, and deeper goals

• CHOOSE – Make decisions that reflect who you are and where you want to go

• TAILOR – Shape a path that fits your unique strengths and circumstances

• IMPLEMENT – Move forward with intention and confidence

• VALIDATE – Reflect, assess, and realign as needed

Each phase builds on the last. But it always begins with ACCESS — and from there, movement becomes possible.

✨ Tension Signals Truth

It didn’t take long for deeper challenges to surface.

The new company’s culture was worlds away from what Aneesh valued. Office politics were pervasive. Leadership lacked transparency. Decision-making often contradicted the integrity he now knew was non-negotiable.

Coaching helped Aneesh name what he was experiencing—and respond to it in a way that was intentional, not reactive.

Together, we explored:

✔️Anxiety: What signals was it sending? And how could he respond to it with clarity instead of anger?

✔️Workplace Politics: What could he influence? Where did he need boundaries?

✔️When to Speak Up: He decided that not every problem required a fight. Sometimes the goal wasn’t to win—it was to stay focused on the bigger picture.

✔️Locus of Control: By sorting what he could shape from what he couldn’t, he protected his energy and stayed aligned with his goals.

🧠 Anxiety, Integrity, and the Weight of Uncertainty

In one of our early coaching conversations, I asked Aneesh how he defined integrity—not in abstract terms, but in the context of his own performance as an employee.

He paused for a moment, then said:

“It’s not just doing what’s expected. It’s anticipating what’s needed. It’s seeing the bigger picture and acting before anyone has asked you to.”

That definition reflected how Aneesh had always approached his work: with discipline, foresight, and a genuine desire to contribute meaningfully. For him, integrity in job performance meant being proactive, dependable, and deeply aligned with the needs of the team.

But in his new role, that same commitment became a source of stress and anxiety.

The company’s leadership operated behind closed doors. Priorities shifted constantly, and transparency was lacking. Aneesh found himself in a moving target environment—one where it was hard to know what was expected, let alone anticipate what might be needed.

That mismatch—between his internal standards and the external chaos sparked a growing sense of anxiety.

In coaching, we worked to name what was happening.

We identified his anxiety triggers—the moments where his desire to do well clashed with a culture that offered no clarity. We talked about locus of control, and how much energy was being drained by trying to manage the unmanageable. We developed simple, practical techniques to help him pause, reset, and stay grounded in what he could shape.

He didn’t stop caring. He learned to care differently—more sustainably, more strategically, and with greater compassion for himself.

🗣️ When to Speak Up—and How to Be Heard

In the early days at his new job, Aneesh found himself constantly in conflict.

“If something was wrong, I said something. Every time. I couldn’t not.”

That’s how he described it in one of our sessions—exhausted, frustrated, and unsure whether his efforts were helping or just wearing him down.

Aneesh’s strong sense of right and wrong made him a principled employee but it was coming at a cost. He was burning energy on every battle, even when the outcome didn’t serve his long-term goals. And the more he spoke up, the more resistance he encountered.

In coaching, he had an important realization:

“I can’t fix everything. I have to start asking—what’s worth it?”

That shift marked a turning point.

We began focusing on strategic discernment:

✅What’s the actual outcome I want here?

✅Is this issue aligned with my goals—or just a distraction?

✅Am I speaking up to improve things—or just to relieve my own frustration?

From there, we worked on how to raise concerns more effectively.

We explored how to tailor communication based on the listener’s learning or communication style. Aneesh practiced adjusting his tone, framing, and timing—not to manipulate, but to increase the odds that his input would be received with openness instead of defensiveness.

He didn’t stop speaking up. He became more intentional. He became more focused on impact and less on impulse.

That’s the work of TAILOR: shaping not just your career path, but your presence, your voice, and the way you move through complicated spaces.

🧭 TAILOR Is the Practice of Discernment

In this phase, coaching helped Aneesh refine more than just his resume or daily schedule.

TAILOR helped him practice discernment. Knowing when to step forward, when to hold back, and how to stay grounded in the values he had uncovered.

He wasn’t in the right long-term fit, but that didn’t mean the time was wasted. He was building structure, clarity, and strength.

📌 What’s Next

In our next post, we’ll enter the IMPLEMENT phase—where Aneesh takes what he’s learned and begins moving forward with greater intention and confidence.

🔗 Need a Guide Through Your Own Transition?

If you're trying to shape a plan that fits your current reality without giving up your long-term goals, I offer a Free 15-minute consultation. Let’s explore it together.