ACCOMM Group Unveils Global Coaching & Mentoring Trends in the AI Age and How to Develop Sustainable Leadership and Workforce

Dr. Atchara Juicharern stated, "Coaching not only helps individuals to fully utilize their hidden potential but also enhances the coaches' capabilities simultaneously. Coaching is a method of creative communication that bridges communication gaps across generations and fosters intellectual growth. If everyone in organizations and society understands and applies coaching effectively, our world would be a significantly better place."

Dr. Atchara also revealed five challenges in driving organizational growth.

1. The invisibles: As mentioned earlier, changes can pose impacts on stress and a sense of insecurity, and these are invisible. People would normally like to talk about things that are visible and tangible, such as performance, numbers, sales, and success indicators. Leaders tend to talk to their subordinates about things that are visible and tangible, but do not talk deeply about what really affects work and performance. Thus, if executives and leaders understand and effectively leverage the coaching skills, they will be able to proactively address personal obstacles faster, helping to enhance their team's efficiency.

2. Pipeline of Successors: Planning a pipeline of successors for the retiring generation becomes an issue for several organizations, as their Baby Boomer and Gen X workforce are leaving gradually or retiring early. This is especially critical for a family business, where the successors at their 32-35 years of age must step up to manage a large workforce, facing various challenges and responsibilities. It also should be noted that coaching the successors cannot be done overnight. It will take at least one year of personal coaching or mentoring and may need more than one mentor to build a new leader's confidence. Therefore, coaching or mentoring should start sooner than what we have currently observed.

3. Shortermism: The thinking pattern that focuses on short-term results following the past precedence, depends on leader's direct, lacks imagination and planning, will need coaching. Organizations that realize the importance of this issue will implement coaching techniques to develop 'Tomorrow Mind' for a future-proof organization. The organization will be able to cope with the future effectively. Coaching has an important role to play as the coaching process is flexible and can be designed to match with an organization's current and future capabilities as needed.

4. Creating a Culture of Psychological Safety: An organization may not be aware of this issue in the past, but the information, knowledge, and changes in today's world have made leaders realize it is not possible to know everything, have all the answers, or make good decisions, without team. An organization consists of several large and small teams, the feeling of insecurity to talk or give feedback directly, between the leader and the subordinates in the team, or across teams, keep the problems unsolved or improved. Innovation may not progress much as people lack of courage to try new things or are afraid of making mistakes and being blamed, being seen as incompetent, and at the end feeling insecure. Therefore, it is important for an organization to create a culture of Psychological Safety, which can be developed in a systematic process.

Creating a culture of psychological safety includes the first step of making people feel included as parts of the teams. The next steps include creating a space where people can learn and fail and creating an environment where people feel courage to contribute ideas.

5. The collaboration of HRM and HRD

Creating a sustainable growth path for the organization starts with Professional Development as well as Resilience development.

Managing personnel in the past separated the HRD (Human resources development) and HRM (Human resources management) work. While HRM team took care of the benefits, compensation, recruitment, HRD team took care of the development of people. Nowadays, it is essential to take care of Professional Development along with psychological security. Therefore, to build a quality team, the HRM and HRD units should work alongside and share information, instead of working in silo pursuing their own goals.

4 Skills to Cope with Future Changes

Essential future skills for success and survival that will keep you immune from challenges include:

1. Resilience Skill: This skill helps people to recover from setback or disappointments quickly, immune from and not fragile in the midst of obstacles. People who possess this skill are likely to have good mindset, work efficiently, feel more engaged with works and with organizations. Resilience Skill cannot be taught overnight. People will be able to develop this skill once they have learned and understood the skill components required. The problem is about taking actions, rather than about understanding. To develop this skill needs a consistent process, and therefore coaching has a role to play.
2. Developing Future Skills for Personal Growth: When envisioning your future career trajectory, it's crucial to proactively cultivate skills that align with your anticipated job roles. This proactive approach enhances your potential. Research indicates that individuals who strategize their future skill development experience reduced stress levels, heightened preparedness, increased work efficiency, and greater overall life satisfaction.
3. Creative Skills: Explore inventive approaches and discover new solutions to resolve challenges. Avoid adhering strictly to conventional methods.
4. Collaboration Skills: It is essential for individuals with cooperation skills to possess soft skills, understand others, build trust, and embrace differences and diversity. Success in today's world often hinges on the ability to rely on the people around you.

So far, we've discussed the challenges, but there are also positive aspects within organizations. For instance, many organizations are recognizing the benefits of coaching and incorporating it more extensively. Coaching involves constructive conversations between coaches and those being coached. Nowadays, organizations focus on developing coaching skills across all levels, including individuals with and without subordinates, as well as the human resource management department. An organizational coach's role is not to act as a stress treatment provider but to facilitate systematic discussions that enable those being coached to generate creative solutions tailored to their situations. This approach accelerates the learning and development of individuals while creating awareness of upcoming skills they need to acquire.

Applying coaching in organizations is of interest to various entities, regardless of their size, due to the significant value derived from coaching. However, Accom Group believes that coaching is beneficial to all individuals, extending beyond organizational contexts.

Our vision is to make coaching accessible to everyone, whether at work or within the family. We aim to introduce coaching early on, starting from school-age children. By nurturing this skill from a young age, individuals will develop resilience and adaptability, equipping them with the tools to navigate future challenges confidently and effectively.

Global and Thai Coaching Trends

Despite the substantial annual budget allocated to training personnel worldwide, organizations still struggle to adequately develop their workforce to meet market demands. The key issue in today's organizational development lies in training employees not only to perform well in terms of productivity and performance but also to prioritize their emotional well-being and to effectively track development outcomes. Coaching emerges as a crucial component that can fill this gap effectively.

Coaching trends in Thailand have significantly improved. Around a decade ago, there was a common misconception that coaching was solely for senior executives (Executive Coaching). However, today, there is a growing realization that coaching is beneficial for everyone, leading to the emergence of a Coaching & Mentoring Culture within organizations. This culture emphasizes providing all employees with access to coaching or mentoring opportunities. Moreover, coaching is increasingly encouraged for use both in professional and personal spheres. Additionally, executives in Thai organizations now better grasp the distinction between coaching and traditional teaching methods.

Currently, the demand for coaching services is evident across businesses of all sizes, including large, medium, and small enterprises. Initially focusing on imparting coaching skills to large organizations, this approach garners recommendations through word-of-mouth referrals. This success paves the way for expansion into medium and small businesses, some of which are already committed to utilizing coaching to groom successors, enhance productivity, promote organizational loyalty, or provide executive skills training for various strategic advantages.

Based on a recent global survey conducted by the International Coaching Federation, the coaching industry in Asia experienced an impressive 86% growth from 2019 to 2022, despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 outbreak during that period. Similarly, the Middle East and Africa witnessed a growth rate of 74%, while Eastern Europe saw a 59% increase in the coaching profession.

In 2022, a historic milestone was achieved as the International Coach Federation witnessed its coach membership surpassing 100,000 for the first time, reaching a total of 109,200 individuals globally. This represents an impressive 54% growth from the numbers in 2019. Additionally, the survey highlighted a remarkable 60% increase in the estimated annual revenue volume of coaches compared to 2019. Interestingly, these figures underscore the growing demand for coaching services, indicating a significant trend towards increased adoption and recognition of coaching's value.
Source: International Coaching Federation. (2023). 2023 ICF Global Coaching Study, Executive Summary. International Coaching Federation

The coaching landscape in Thailand reflects a heightened awareness among Thai individuals regarding the advantages of coaching. The development of leadership with proficient coaching skills, akin to those of professional coaches, has shown remarkable growth, doubling year after year. Furthermore, certain organizations offer executives the chance to acquire coaching skills and pursue professional coach credentials with the International Coach Federation.

8 Outstanding Qualities of People with Coaching Skills

1. Demonstrating Ethical Standards: Maintain ethical conduct aligned with the coach's standards and principles.
2. Embracing a Curious Mindset: Stay open to new ideas and experiences without rushing to judgment. Effective coaches seek to understand the individual's style, values, and cultural background.
3. Building a Learning Partnership: Create cooperation and active participation in goal setting and development. This involves collaborative planning to facilitate smooth progress and align expectations. As a leader, acting as a supportive learning partner for subordinates is crucial.
4. Cultivating Trust and Safety: Recognize and embrace the diversity within the organization, including differences in age and experience. Using coaching techniques can help bridge gaps in understanding. It's essential to study and understand each person's unique style rather than labeling based on age or social group.
5. Maintaining Presence: Effectively manage emotions, especially in situations where frustrations may arise, such as when subordinates struggle to meet expectations. Good leaders set an example of emotional management.
6. Listening Actively: There are several techniques for adopting a coaching-style listening approach. One effective method is to Listen in the Way the Speakers Hear Themselves. For instance, if someone voices a complaint about the consistently poor performance of a department, skilled coaches often start by reflecting back what they've heard. Following this, they may inquire about which specific department is being referenced or seek clarification on what exactly constitutes 'poor' performance in their view.
7. Creating Self-Awareness: A coach is likely to pose thought-provoking questions that enhance self-awareness and promote a constructive exchange of ideas. Shift conversations towards a growth-oriented mindset rather than simply giving orders.
8. Facilitating Growth: Support continuous learning and development, encouraging individuals to take ownership of their self-development.