Leadership coaching means something different depending on who you ask. What some would consider “leadership coaching,” others might call “life coaching” or “executive coaching.” At a)plan, our perspective is all about leadership coaching for results. Whatever you prefer to call it, the tangible results are ultimately what matter most.
Most forms of coaching include flares of leadership coaching. At a)plan, our engagements revolve around goal setting and Multiple Action Plans. This approach, at its core, is leadership coaching for results. We focus hard on fostering the required behaviors to successfully achieve a result, or a transformation from Point A to Point B.
Do most of those transformations involve improving as a leader? Many do, but not all of them. To that end, while we specialize in leadership coaching for results, we also focus on a holistic coaching method. As work and life continue to blend together more than ever, coaching the individual is growing in importance.
This new approach to leadership coaching (coaching the whole person, not just one side of them), is a defining characteristic of what’s to come in the future of the coaching industry. In fact, we see a handful of trends impacting the coaching industry that will make results-driven coaching evermore within reach – in 2022 and beyond.
5 Trends Driving Leadership Coaching for Results
The overarching theme here is that traditional leadership coaching was overdue for an overhaul. While traditionally effective to some degree, the coaching industry was primed for the adoption of new (and better) methods, pricing, and technology. Below are five ways in which leadership coaching for results will build on (and significantly improve) the coaching norms of the past.
1. Frequency of Engagement: Daily, Not Monthly
Traditionally speaking, leadership coaching has followed the same format for decades: Infrequent, in-person “deep dive” coaching sessions. The less frequent format fosters more of a high-stakes environment, wherein coach and coachee must make the most of the little time they have together.
Coaching frequency also depends on what you consider to be a true coaching session. Some might consider a Tony Robbins conference to be leadership coaching. Others might consider it to be monthly one-on-one sessions. Whatever your own definition, the takeaway is that in the past, leadership coaching has failed to establish a highly frequent, consistent presence in users’ lives.
Leadership coaching for results breaks away from these traditions. Today’s leadership coaching – a)plan coaching in particular – is designed to support whatever experience the user desires. That is, you get out of it what you put into it. For those who desire daily interactions with their coaches, a)plan has the infrastructure (and the willing coaches) to meet those needs. Having access to such a high frequency of coach interactions sounds simple, but only until recently has it been the reality.
2. Diversified Coaching Mediums: Text, Audio, and Video
Building off the above section, the new wave of leadership coaching can support a high frequency model largely thanks to a diversified coaching tool kit.
Through the a)plan coaching app, users have the freedom to interact with their coaches via text, audio, and video mediums. Whereas traditional coaching relied heavily on in-person sessions, this is no longer the case. In fact, virtual coaching has become one of the go-to tools for organizations hoping to achieve cultural transformations and improved employee morale.
By infusing technology into the coaching experience, coaching itself becomes as accessible as the device in your pocket. This powerful concept is helping leadership coaching not only grow in popularity – it also creates an overall richer experience for the end user.
3. Accessibility: Lower Overhead, Better Pricing, Wider Reach
The logistics involved in the traditional leadership coaching approach are partially to blame for the high price tag ($250 – $1,000+ per hour) to which many have become accustomed. Getting a coach (or a team of coaches) to your company’s office takes a lot of coordination, work, and resources.
By embracing an online life coaching format, modern coaching platforms can lower overhead and pass the savings on to the client. Lowering the price of coaching will be yet another reason why we’ll see the industry continue to grow in 2022 and beyond. Leadership coaching for results is no longer reserved just for the C-suite executives of an organization. Instead, it is becoming more accessible from both a cost and usability standpoint.
4. Scalability: Consistent Methods and Tools
Until recently, the leadership coaching industry has always had a problem with scalability. Sole proprietor coaches all have their own methods, tools, and processes, which limits the impact one coach can have on a wide range of people. Like many sole proprietor businesses, your reach is tied to your time. One can only reach a certain number of people in a day’s work.
The missing piece is a standardized coaching method. At a)plan, we built our entire company around a consistent coaching method, with the idea of scalability top of mind. All 30+ of our coaches use the same coaching approach, which means we have the capacity to coach an entire organization in a consistent manner, from top to bottom.
This consistent coaching method is so core to what we do because it also has a profound effect on the impact of the coaching itself. With shared language and tools across teams, organizations can achieve a coaching culture in which everyone participates and understands.
5. Supplementary Content: No Longer an Isolated Service
Leadership coaching as an isolated service is an idea of the past. The next generation of coaching empowers the coachee to continue making progress, even between sessions with their coach.
We touched on this in the above sections on frequency and mediums. With more frequent coach interactions leveraging various mediums, users enjoy a more comprehensive experience than ever before. But it goes a step further.
At a)plan, for example, all of our clients gain access to a vast and ever-growing library of articles, books, vlogs, podcasts, and content. This library has been curated by our coaches and covers topics ranging from human capital, to habit formation, to the wellness economy. For those users who want to take advantage of supplementary coaching content on their own time, there is no shortage available.
Why Hire a Leadership Coach?
So leadership coaching is better and more accessible than it’s ever been. You still might be wondering, why hire a leadership coach in the first place?
The answer to such a question depends entirely on the leader and what they are hoping to achieve. Many a)plan engagements revolve around coaching for new managers who are looking to develop new leadership skills. Others hire a leadership coach because they want to level up what is already working. And others might just seek the thought leadership of an independent third party as they pursue lofty personal and professional goals.
No matter the reason, one thing almost always remains true: We are all limited in our abilities to see ourselves as others do. For leaders especially, this helps explain why it makes sense to hire a leadership coach. When employees look to leaders as role models, it’s critical that leaders understand the tone being set by their behaviors and actions.
Final Thoughts on Leadership Coaching for Results
For coaching advocates and fanatics, there has never been a better time to pursue groundbreaking results through coaching. And for those who have yet to discover the power of coaching, odds are this is the decade that will change.
The major leaps we are seeing in the coaching industry happen to parallel major leaps being made by organizations investing heavily in their people. For leaders and managers who want to get the most out of their employees on both a personal and professional level, coaching will only continue to rise as a leading solution.