The Human Element

Leadership coaching for managers is one of the best evidence-based ways to improve effectiveness, engagement, performance, and, ultimately, business outcomes.

Among people who work with leadership coaches, 70% report an improvement in individual performance, 51% report an improvement in team performance, and 61% report an improvement in business management, according to research from The ICF (International Coaching Federation).

The radical impact of coaching can be seen across job families and performance metrics. BetterUp reports that its customers see a 60% increase in sales teams meeting their quota, a 40% increase in the ability to motivate others, and a 39% improvement in stress management. Google’s product managers worked with BetterUp and saw a 29% improvement in strategic planning, and a reduction in burnout. Reddit experienced 38% higher retention rates, 2.5x promotion rates, and 71% higher performance rates for employees who participated in a coaching program compared with those who did not.

Simply put, coaching for managers is one of the best evidence-based ways to improve effectiveness, engagement, performance, and, ultimately, business outcomes.

“The single biggest way to impact an organization is to focus on leadership development. There is almost no limit to the potential of an organization that recruits good people, raises them up as leaders and continually develops them.” -John C. Maxwell, Founder, Maxwell Leadership

Coaching allows every manager in an organization to boost not only other employees’ performance but also their own performance, which translates to a big competitive advantage for businesses.

When managers are set up for success, the entire organization is set up for success. Employees reporting to effective managers are 15 times more likely to be high performers and 3 times more likely to stay with their employer compared with those reporting to the average manager, according to Gartner.

But most employees don’t have access to coaching, and thus, can’t benefit from it.

Let's explore the typical barriers to traditional coaching—and how the benefits of leadership coaching can be scaled across entire organizations through AI-enabled coaching.

Excellence at scale

Coaching presents important benefits that have never before been enjoyed on a broad scale by employees at a low cost to their employers.

Traditionally, giving everyone at a company access to coaching is a costly endeavor.

And coaching is rarely offered on a just-in-time basis. Because of the scheduled monthly or quarterly nature of traditional coaching, the managers who need coaching and guidance as challenges arise miss out on converting those challenges into opportunities. It is also quite difficult to control or even monitor coaching quality and consistency across entire organizations.

With the dawn of new and innovative artificial intelligence applications, which we're only beginning to see, access to AI-enabled coaching will open up for managers. As access increases, more managers will be able to interact with always-on, expert coaches trained in the principles and best practices of coaching.

What is AI-enabled coaching? As defined by Wisq, AI-enabled leadership coaching is conversational AI that provides proactive, personalized coaching, real-time guidance, and expert advice, enabling managers to be the very best version of themselves.

The limitations of traditional coaching as we know them will be lifted. As a result, businesses can reap the rewards of coaching across their organizations at every level, and they’ll enjoy more purpose-driven cultures, better alignment to strategy, better connection to the mission and vision, and improved employee experience.

It’s important to note that thin wrappers built around a general-purpose AI model like ChatGPT, or a simple extension of work-oriented “co-pilots” won’t provide the benefits of an AI-powered coaching platform.

There are a number of key differences between “co-pilots,” ChatGPT-like models, and a purpose-built AI-powered coaching platform, which we explore in another blog post.

What the future holds for AI-enabled coaching

With the rise of the new generation of AI technologies, the state of coaching is quickly changing. It will now be possible for every manager and every employee to have access to best-in-class guidance, coaching, and developmental support when they need it.

The good news is that the application of AI in coaching isn’t some far-off possibility. It’s here today and is beginning to change the lives of employees. Progressive, high-performance companies are already beginning to see the potential for upleveling their managers and people through a combination of traditional coaching and AI-enabled coaching platforms.

Learn more about how AI will revolutionize coaching and upskilling in a blog post from Wisq CEO Jim Barnett.