Perspectives on Trends to Redefine Executive Coaching
What trends do you think will redefine executive coaching in the next 10 years? Fifteen members of the Forbes Coaches Council, four of whom are ICF Members and one who has a Master Certified Coach credential, were asked to share their thoughts on this topic in a recent article.
Research Perspective
Since this article looked specifically at executive coaching, some of the points can be supported or tested by data from the ICF/Human Capital Institute (HCI) Building a Coaching Culture suite of research.
For instance, the second offering in the article suggests an “intersection of industry skills and coaching methodology.” This can be true, but perhaps not in the way that this contributor says (“I believe we will see more coaches who have strong industry and line experience”).
While external and internal coach practitioners don’t necessarily need to have the industry skills to coach leaders and others within an organization, the intersection of industry skills and coaching methodology is emerging in managers/leaders who use coaching skills. Within the next five years, 65 percent of organizations plan on expanding their scope of managers/leaders using coaching skills, according to Building a Coaching Culture with Millennial Leaders.
The sixth point argues that only those met with challenges have embraced the value of Executive Coaching but that it will become a necessary focus for executives in the future. ICF’s research already supports this. Coaching is no longer seen as a remedial or performance management activity and is actually seen as a “merit badge.” Executives at organizations such as GlaxoSmithKline and SAP proudly seek out and support coaching, according to ICF International Prism Award case studies.
And the final offering says, “Coaching will no longer be viewed as something that is only available at the executive level.” Organizations are already seeing the powerful effects that coaching can have at all levels of an organization. For example, organizations with strong coaching cultures, where coaching is available to all, report higher employee engagement and stronger financial performance than their industry peers.
Community Perspective
To become part of the Forbes Coaches Council, you must be based in North America or do most of your business there. This obviously narrows the information, insights and experiences shared in Forbes Coaches Council articles. To bring a more global, ICF perspective to this topic, we shared this article on @ICFHQ social media channels, asking our followers what they thought was missing from this list.
Although there was some mention in the article about further integration with technology and automation, it didn’t get into any specifics. ICF Member and social media follower Shonda Godley suggested that we may need to consider how to partner/use chat bots and other AI to blend into our work.
Marilyn O’Hearne, MCC, shared that cultural intelligence (CQ) was missing from the list. Marilyn went on to provide two quotes to support her suggestion:
- “CQ is a critical capability for navigating today’s increasingly global and diverse business environment. It’s so important that we made it one of our core behaviors at PwC” —Robert Moritz, Chair, PwC US
- “Ninety percent of leading executives from 68 countries identify intercultural skills as among the most important capabilities required to remain competitive,” according to the Advances in Culture and Psychology chapter “Cultural Intelligence: Origins, Conceptualization, Evolution, and Methodical Diversity”
Your Perspective
How do you think executive coaching, or professional coaching in general, will evolve over the next decade? Leave us a comment to let us know what you think is missing from the list and/or any of the 15 offerings that you disagree with (and why).
Lisa Cunningham (USA)
Lisa Cunningham is director of marketing content and communications for ICF. She holds a master’s degree in professional writing with a focus on web content development from Chatham University and a bachelor’s degree in English writing and communication from the University of Pittsburgh.
The views and opinions expressed in guest posts featured on this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and views of the International Coach Federation (ICF). The publication of a guest post on the ICF Blog does not equate to an ICF endorsement or guarantee of the products or services provided by the author.
Additionally, for the purpose of full disclosure and as a disclaimer of liability, this content was possibly generated using the assistance of an AI program. Its contents, either in whole or in part, have been reviewed and revised by a human. Nevertheless, the reader/user is responsible for verifying the information presented and should not rely upon this article or post as providing any specific professional advice or counsel. Its contents are provided “as is,” and ICF makes no representations or warranties as to its accuracy or completeness and to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law specifically disclaims any and all liability for any damages or injuries resulting from use of or reliance thereupon.
