Who's shaping the future of coaching?

The coaching profession has been on an interesting journey over the past couple of decades. Emerging from its roots in management consulting and therapy, it's iteratively developed, responding to the changing world with a level of self-awareness and maturity. The literature available to the field now is a gold mine of wisdom, incorporating research and reflections that should give every recipient of coaching (and coaching buyer - if that's you, you should pick up this book) confidence.

The journey isn't over

A few years ago, it felt like a new chapter was being started. Technology had boldly entered the scene in the shape of software-as-a-service (SaaS) companies matching coachees with coaches. This was the automation that the dating agency scene had experienced a few years prior.

It was disruptive, but only inasmuch as it demanded a tweak here or there. Of course, the lockdowns starting in 2020 accelerated things, but which industry - and which person - hasn't been changed over the past few years?

The chapter entitled Technology Disruption isn't over. The rapid adoption of ChatGPT, its subsequent development, and the legion of other generative AI tools that have emerged recently are forcing us all to ask ourselves: What next for coaching?

Listening to the loudest?

There are many voices we might want to consider paying attention to when thinking about the future of the coaching profession. Consider the following:

• Coaches. This ought to go without saying, but the future of the coaching profession is going to have an impact on coaches! In some ways this can turn into turkeys voting for Christmas, but as a general rule coaches genuinely do care about the profession, believe it's a good thing, and have valuable perspectives to offer.
• Coachees. The recipients of coaching really matter. As coaches improve in their practice, coachees are the first ones who benefit; as the profession evolves over the coming years, the impact on coachees is a seriously important one to consider.
• Organisations. The majority of coaching that takes place is within the context of an organisation. As the sponsor of this sort of coaching, it's only right that organisations should have a say in the future of the profession. There should be a positive impact on an organisation as a result of coaching, and this is much more nuanced than the problematic claims some make guaranteeing a financial ROI. As the profession matures, the impact on organisations should as well.
• Technology providers. As technology increasingly becomes ubiquitous, we're going to keep on seeing it encroaching into our conversations. It's already taken over communications outside the coaching room, and now the majority of coaching relies on technology to take place. With AI developing as it is, AR creeping up on us in the background, and with creative thinking in coaching being increasingly inspired by technology (read this book for specific, practical examples of that), this looks like a direction of travel that isn't going to turn around any time soon.
• Value chain stakeholders. Coaching can be a tool for social change when it's used well (I wrote more about that here). When good coaching is introduced within an organisation, it has a ripple effect. People the coachee is working with benefit, extending outwards across the organisation and into the full supply and delivery chains. The coaching profession has started talking about this somewhat, and I'm hopeful our future will take these people into account as well.
• The more-than-human world. Everything that we do takes place within the natural world. The very fact that I'm breathing air as I'm writing this betrays that fact. To act as if the coaching we're delivering is happening in isolation from the rest of reality is to choose to wear blinkers in our thinking, which is a painful irony for a profession that's all about increasing awareness. Future generations will thank us for developing into a profession that thinks more systemically about the coaching we're delivering (I wrote about this too).

We could discuss the completeness and accuracy of that list as much as we like, but for now let's reflect on it for a moment. Given the current trajectory, which of those stakeholders is going to have the biggest say on the future of the coaching profession?

It's time to act

When I reflect on that list, I get a bit uncomfortable. If I were to create a list in order of which I'd like to have the most influence, and then made a second in order of which I think do have the most influence, I expect they'd be almost the exact opposite of one another.

The precise order is less important than simply pointing out that as it currently stands, the coaching profession in a couple of years could be shaped much more by the hands of technology providers than by coaches. In itself that isn't necessarily a bad thing - perhaps technology providers see the world differently, and we carry with us an unhelpful set of assumptions that would benefit from being challenged - but it's definitely something we should proactively do something about.

I have some thoughts on precisely what that might look like. Organisational buyers of coaching have a pivotal role to play in insisting on certain standards when they make decisions. Investors can make good demands on the companies they're providing funds to. The professional bodies can invest time and resources in recognising ethical practice and offering guardrails to operate within.

I'm looking for more ideas for us.

What thoughts do you have on what coaches can do to positively shape the future of the profession? What initiatives do we need to start, or engage in, that the next generation will be grateful for? How can we go about educating sponsors to ensure that funding decisions are made with an eye on the future?

With all of this in mind, I'm thinking about starting a monthly session in which we explore what's emerging in the world of technology, to keep ourselves on the front foot. If you'd be interested in being a part of that, I'd absolutely love to hear from you.