Embracing the Future of Coaching: 2025 Predictions Are Here from Progress Coaching

Can technology truly enhance the deeply personal journey of coaching? Explore the captivating shifts in the coaching landscape post-pandemic, where virtual coaching tools have unveiled a world of flexibility and accessibility. As we navigate toward 2025, AI emerges not as a replacement but as a steadfast ally, enriching human interaction and fostering a hybrid model that balances privacy with the freedom of digital tools like Zoom and WebEx. Listen as we untangle the intricate dance between employee well-being and productivity and the critical role of understanding mental health needs in the workplace.

Venture into the evolution of coaching methodologies with a focus on Cadence Coaching, where asynchronous communication transcends the boundaries of traditional approaches. We unpack the benefits of integrating regular feedback and collaboration, making coaching a continuous journey akin to the shift from classroom learning to dynamic e-learning environments. Discover how this hybrid coaching model combines the best of personal touch with the convenience of online interaction, emphasizing grit, resilience, and data-driven insights that keep participant engagement at the forefront.

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Chapters

• 0:37 Future Trends in Coaching Industry
• 9:53 Evolution of Coaching Approaches

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:37

When I think about 2025 and I think about all the things that have changed in our industry, I go back to the pandemic. I think the pandemic maybe for the wrong reasons really served the coaching industry well. It certainly did not serve a lot of people well from a health standpoint, but I say that with respect and, hopefully, some humility and consideration for those people who are affected. Yet you know, sadly, when there are catastrophic things like the pandemic and COVID, the way it hit people in certain families and countries, sometimes good things come out of it. And one of the things that happened during COVID is coaching skyrocketed. I mean coaching absolutely skyrocketed.

Speaker 1: 1:24

And here we are five years later, 2025. What's going to happen? What are some of the predictions? What are some of the things that are going to occur? And I think about a couple of things. And so the first thing is you know, ai. Ai is here Now I'm going to make a prediction AI and we're building out our own AI tools. Artificial intelligence will serve us well. It will never replace human conversation. Now, why do I stress that so vigorously? Number one AI scares some people. Is it going to affect my job? Is it going to replace some of my duties. Those are common questions being asked today. Here's the funny thing that requires a conversation with your boss. So now it puts leaders in a precarious position, not knowing the future, not knowing how AI is going to affect things. That's a coaching conversation. Number two hybrid coaching will continue to grow. I think.

Speaker 1: 2:27

For us personally, selfishly, it was one of the best things in the world. Travel was restricted, so it forced people to do things like Zoom and WebEx and tools like that. Now why is that so important? Zoom and WebEx and tools like that? Now why is that so important? I think about the Zoom breakout rooms and you know GoToMeeting, webex has them as well. But a breakout room allows us to have private conversation. A workshop setting doesn't. When we need to practice, what do we do in a workshop? We do it with an earshot of our boss or our boss's boss. That can be uncomfortable for some. So the hybrid coaching those breakout rooms, those private areas where we can coach and collaborate and talk creates a safe place. Now the funny thing is the tools are getting even better in hybrid coaching, better in hybrid coaching, and I found a tool just the other day that actually measures the leader's coaching conversation ability against criteria. So we're actually going to start using it for our company and our clients and it plugs right into Zoom and Teams and other tools. So when the conversation starts they get immediate feedback in how they coached. Now, notice it does not replace the human conversation.

Speaker 1: 3:44

Number three I absolutely think we are moving towards a conversation, a collaboration between well-being and grit. You know, jamie Dimon, the world famous banker here in the United States, you know, made that mistake. Right. He said June 1st, everybody back in the office and they had a large exit of people leaving the company because people wanted that hybrid environment and people, you know, perceived he wasn't concerned about their well-being. Yet on the flip side, he was right, come on, we got work to do.

Speaker 1: 4:18

And you know, just recently I was talking to somebody and I for health care professionals, mental health care professionals. Please don't take this disrespectfully, but I said this when this started to come out we're going to have, you know, mental health and we're going to have a focus on people's well-being, and we should. I'm not arguing that. What I'm saying is I knew it was going to get weaponized and just last week I had somebody say I had an employee who literally called in and said I need a mental health day, found out the person went shopping, used it for social time. That employee in her mind said but that is my mental health day. Now it's open for interpretation, right. Yet that employee's work didn't get done that day, or somebody picked up the slack. So I think we're going to have a collaboration between things like well-being and grit, guts, resilience, intensity, tenacity Anybody who knows me, I have a whole course on coaching to grit, but I love Angela Duckworth's book Grit, and it is the power of passion and perseverance over a period of time that really encompasses facing change and challenge. Now we're also going to go towards more data-driven decisions and I think that's going to start to affect coaching more and more. I'm going to make a very strong comment, like maybe one of the strongest comments I could make, and I hear this all the time and it drives me nuts. So I'm really interested in my fellow training coaching professionals to hopefully support me Measure to improve, don't measure to see if coaching works.

Speaker 1: 6:06

Coaching works and I just had a client about a year ago say to me well, you know, we got to look at the data. You know I want to make sure that you know the program's working. I hate that. And I said look, if that's your criteria, we should end our relationship now. And he looked at me. He goes well, geez Tim, you don't have to get so defensive. I go, it's not defensive, but you're looking at this the wrong way. I said I've demonstrated in front of you, right? He said yeah. I said has there ever been a time when someone's asked me to demonstrate or to give feedback or suggestions on how to coach someone where I was stumped? And he said well, of course not. Now, I don't say that to be arrogant or to promote myself. And I looked at him. I said would you trust that I know how to coach? Yeah? And he said well, of course I would. And I said so, the program does work. And he smiles. He goes great point. And I said the question should be how are your people working the program? Are they practicing? Are they following through on the modules? Are they showing up for all the cohorts? I said do you know those answers? And he said no, I don't. I said yet you've launched yourself into the stratosphere of does the program work? Yet you're not even sure if the program is being leveraged internally. So data should be used to improve, not to discredit, coaching.

Speaker 1: 7:30

Now my last two big predictions, I think, are going to be really prevalent. If companies do their research, I believe peer-to-peer coaching is going to absolutely skyrocket. I think we have a talent shortage, so we have to get more out of each other. That cannot be solely on the shoulders of leaders. I have come to that side of the table, so to speak. I think leaders have so much. So I'm a leader of 10 people. Here's some industry data 85%, or 8.5 out of my 10 employees lack self-awareness. 7.1 are neutral or actively disengaged. Only 2.9, or 29%, of people in the workforce, according to Gallup, are actively engaged or positive. Now here's the funny thing. Gallup also reports and I love Gallup that people engage eight times more if we lead with the good stuff. So what we have to do is accelerate that, with peers doing that for each other. And I don't think it's just peer-to-peer coaching, I think it is a peer-to-peer coaching network. You have to build an internal network and community of peer-based coaches. Truth be told, I think everybody should coach. Truth be told, I think everybody has the ability to coach. Truth be told, it will absolutely turn those numbers I just alluded to in the right direction.

Speaker 1: 9:01

Last, I kind of fell into this my coach, philip, and I work via Slack. We don't have a lot of scheduled time. I believe asynchronous coaching will absolutely grow, meaning collaborating online, sending messages back and forth, whether it be Teams or we use Slack. When I work with Philip Now, we also use a tool called Clarity Flow fantastic tool that we will also use to have online collaboration. And so, let's say, when Philip's coaching me and I've got to coach one of my employees, or I got to coach a client and I ask him for advice, but our scheduled session isn't until next Tuesday. Yet I'm going to meet with this client Friday and it's Wednesday. I can send him a message. Now. You want to have some rules and structures.

Speaker 1: 9:54

Now we teach a whole program called Cadence Coaching so you can learn how to do this, and we actually use a really cool tool that we purchased that will be white labeling here in the next year. That's fantastic Asynchronous coaching where you can have, let's say, weekly messages going back and forth. So a simple version of this could be you know, joanne, I want you to put in three times this week where you had success in one area or one challenge that you had this week and then I'll collaborate with her and, let's say she and I are focusing on her becoming a manager. I might use that as an apparatus for our monthly scheduled session. So cadence can really serve as a foundational communication and coaching collaboration approach where you might have scheduled sessions as well. That can be another version of hybrid coaching. So I think, in summary, I think we're really moving in a direction of non-traditional coaching as we know it.

Speaker 1: 10:49

I don't think it will always be coaching one-on-one, from coach to executive, or from executive to leader, or from leader to employ. You know, once a month for 15 minutes or 50 minutes, or twice a month for 45 minutes. I think the calendar-based coaching will always be there. Yet it won't be the only source of coaching. It's kind of like I think we're in the midst of a transition, going from the classroom to e-learning. Remember that big shift we all felt. You know, a lot of companies don't just do stand-up training by itself anymore. There's a combination of online and then workshop or seminar setting. I think the same things can happen in coaching. So what are your predictions? What are your thoughts? What do you agree with? What do you disagree with?