Professional Coaching: The Evolution From “Why” To “Why Not” To “Must Have”

It is possible millennials and Gen Z also will find coaching more appealing as their generations become more commonly represented among coaching professionals. While coaching initially took shape as a second or third career, there are now opportunities to engage in coaching training programs while in college.

Along with this growth of the profession, 80% of coaches agree that credentialing continues to be a crucial identifier for individuals and HR leaders seeking to engage with a coach.

By far, the most rewarding aspect of industry growth is to see that the types of clients engaging with coaching are much more diverse than they have been in the past. Young people, retirees, all genders and races are working with coaches, and for those who have been in the industry for years, this growth is truly outstanding.

A Broadening Spectrum of Applications to Make the Most of Coaching

When professional coaching first emerged as an industry, it was entirely driven by one-on-one coaching-client engagements. Over the decades, coaching evolved to include a broader spectrum of applications including managers using a coach approach, team coaching, and organization-wide coaching cultures.

The 2023 GCS results indicate these models continue to advance. Coaches who specialize in business coaching have grown steadily in number and as many as 67% of coaches indicated this was their primary specialization as of 2022. Across all global markets, 57% of coach clients engage a coach in a sponsored engagement through their employer, compared to personal, self-funded interactions.

Companies like Intel have integrated coaching company-wide as an employee benefit as they strive to clarify goals, change behaviors, build capabilities, and create the conditions that drive positive business results. Intel’s internal coaching program has netted a return on investment of over $1 billion per year in operating margin, far and above just accounting for the cost of program implementation.

This measurable growth points to an impressive current state of coaching and reflects the value that individuals and organizations have found by integrating coaching into their workplace repertoire. As a driver for heightened engagement and productivity, HR leaders around the globe are noticing the value, and incorporating coaching programs in their organizations to support steady growth for leaders and their teams.

Looking back three decades to the profession’s origins, coaching was often defined by what it is not. Coaching is not mentoring. Coaching is not therapy. Coaching is not counseling. But today, coaching is more commonly defined by what it is and what it can achieve: a powerful way to unleash a person’s potential, supercharge leaders, accelerate high performers, and enrich company cultures.

As this becomes more widely understood, more organizations, governments, nonprofits, and individuals are turning to coaching to help them reach their highest potential and set them apart from competitors for talent retention.

The 2023 GCS demonstrates that awareness of this potential is rising and, thus, the favorable outcomes associated with the growth of coaching will continue to be realized around the world.

Would you like to comment?