Why Even Experts Need Coaches: The Power of Third-Party Perspective
By Andrew M. Vasquez, M.P.A., PMP
Founder & Principal Consultant, AMV Consulting
Leadership. Enrollment. Student Success.
Recently, something quietly affirming happened.
A recruiter reached out to me on LinkedIn asking for help with their résumé.
Not a new graduate.
Not a career switcher.
A recruiter — someone whose professional life revolves around evaluating talent, positioning experience, and advising others on how to present themselves.
They had been laid off, like many strong professionals in a volatile market. And despite years of experience reviewing résumés, advising candidates, and working inside hiring systems, they still sought an external, objective perspective.
That moment reminded me of something I learned over a decade ago — far outside the world of higher education, résumés, or LinkedIn.
The Triathlon Lesson That Never Left Me
More than ten years ago, I was racing triathlons competitively. Not casually. Competitively.
At that level, you don’t just “train.” You optimize. You analyze. You refine. You chase marginal gains.
I hired a professional coach.
During our work together, I discovered something unexpected: my coach also had a coach. In fact, more than one over the course of his career.
I asked him why.
His answer was simple — and profound:
“At this level, it’s almost impossible to be objective with yourself. A coach removes the guesswork.”
Even with deep expertise, even with discipline and experience, blind spots remain. Fatigue distorts judgment. Familiarity creates bias. Confidence can quietly harden into assumption.
A third party doesn’t just bring knowledge — they bring clarity.
That lesson has stayed with me ever since.
Expertise Does Not Eliminate Blind Spots
One of the most persistent myths in professional life is that experience alone guarantees objectivity.
It doesn’t.
In fact, the more experienced you are, the more likely you are to:
Overestimate how clearly your value comes across
Assume context that others don’t have
Rely on language that made sense in a previous market
Undervalue accomplishments that feel “routine” to you
Or cling to identity labels that no longer serve you
This is especially true during disruption — layoffs, restructures, leadership transitions, or career pivots.
When the ground shifts beneath you, self-assessment becomes harder, not easier.
That’s why the recruiter reaching out didn’t surprise me — it validated what I’ve seen repeatedly across sectors.
Why Third-Party Perspective Matters More at Higher Levels
At early career stages, mistakes are often technical.
At senior or expert levels, mistakes are interpretive.
The challenge is rarely what you’ve done — it’s how it’s framed, prioritized, and translated for the audience in front of you right now.
A skilled third party helps by:
Separating signal from noise
Identifying which experiences matter most in this market
Reframing strengths without exaggeration
Spotting misalignment between identity and positioning
Asking questions you’ve stopped asking yourself
This is true for executives. It’s true for faculty leaders. It’s true for recruiters, coaches, consultants, and administrators alike.
Expertise does not remove the need for perspective — it increases it.
Coaching Is Not Remediation — It’s Precision
There’s still a quiet stigma around seeking professional coaching or external review, as if it signals weakness or uncertainty.
In reality, it signals the opposite.
High performers don’t seek coaches because they’re lost.
They seek coaches because they don’t want to waste time guessing.
Just like in endurance sports, professional momentum depends on:
Efficient energy use
Strategic pacing
Timely course correction
And recovery between pushes
Left unchecked, even talented professionals burn energy in the wrong direction — revising endlessly, second-guessing decisions, or staying stuck in outdated narratives.
A third-party perspective shortens the feedback loop.
The Lesson for Professionals at Every Stage
There are a few lessons embedded in both stories — the recruiter, and the triathlon coach — that apply broadly:
Objectivity is a skill you cannot fully self-generate
Experience increases the value of outside perspective, not the need to avoid it
Coaching is about precision, not validation
The higher the stakes, the smaller the margin for misalignment
Momentum is built by clarity, not effort alone
Whether you’re navigating a layoff, repositioning for leadership, refining your professional narrative, or simply trying to move forward with intention — perspective matters.
Even experts need it.
Especially experts.
Final Reflection
The strongest professionals I know don’t try to do everything alone.
They build feedback loops.
They invite challenge.
They seek clarity before acceleration.
That recruiter reaching out wasn’t a contradiction — it was a confirmation.
When the goal is progress, not ego, outside perspective isn’t optional.
It’s strategic.
Let’s build momentum — together.
