mentoring and supervision for human coaches will still be viable at least in the next 5 years but I am concerned if these 2 aspects of reflective work of a coach will also be replaced by AI. In the mentoring space, I note that the use of tools such as Raenotes can pick up coaching competencies in an audio recording with about 60% accuracy. ChatGPT, Claude, etc. can engage in intellectual discussions on issues faced by a coach and provide almost similar support as a human mentor and supervisor.

competencies, while helpful to start with, become less relevant as we gather experience. Relational skills and collective work begin to matter more. Being able to bring the proper focus, mindset, and attention to match the coachee’s needs at any given moment is essential. Learning is less effective in silos and more transformational in collaboration with peers.

Coaching in organizations was once focused on goals and sales targets – but the rise of wellness programs and neuroscience research is changing business coaching. We no longer stop at the actions or inactions that produce results. Leaders are becoming more self aware of beliefs, thoughts, and emotions. My hunch is AI+ethical biometric intelligence+awareness of subconscious emotional brain states will be the elevation of business outcomes and shift clients to “be more” not just “do more”.

I read about how some companies in Europe are using storytelling as part of their leadership coaching. I wonder if we will see more coaching methods to combine traditional practices with modern techniques?

…as developed as AI may become, that it will never truly replace the need for human interaction and human to human coaching. I believe that AI may be able to provide information, but not true connection. Just as many elite athletes will not reach their true potential without specialized coaching, I have a feeling that the greatest leadership transformations in particular will always be a result of true human connection and interaction with a trained, skilled, and empathetic coach.