The Rise of Internal Coaching

Are you worried about AI taking away coaching work?

There might actually be a different trend that has nothing to do with technology that is more threatening than AI. It’s internal coaching.

I recently led an in-person seminar with the University of Kansas and the Center for Executive Coaching. The special focus at this event was internal coaching. We had a ½-day session on the topic and featured a panel session with 3 guests all running internal coaching programs. More than half of the seminar attendees were either running or interested in creating internal coaching programs.

Based on research and my own awareness, I am confident in sharing that these companies all have internal coaching programs:

Netflix
Amazon
Microsoft
IBM
JP Morgan Chase
Proctor & Gamble
Coca-Cola
Aflac

I’m sure there are many, many more companies that are on this list, with new ones being added weekly.

Running internal coaching programs makes sense on many levels, especially given the cost of hiring external coaches. While executive coaches love the compensation, sponsors are looking for ways to get more coaching to more people at a much lesser price point.

Companies also like standardizing coaching and controlling how it gets done. They can also offer laser coaching and short-term coaching easily when it’s run internally.

So, while there’s much talk in the coaching community about AI taking work away from independent coaches, perhaps there’s an altogether different trend to be acutely aware of.

Here’s the good news. The people I’ve talked to or heard from still say that they are hiring external coaches for the executive ranks who do not want to be vulnerable and open with internal coaches. That’s where we like to work anyway, so we’re safe for now.

Here’s more good news. If you don’t want to run your own business and deal with the sales and marketing of your coaching services, job opportunities to earn a stable income doing the work you love will be increasing for the foreseeable future.

And finally, the belief in coaching and its effectiveness continues to rise. That’s good for the profession.

Now the bad news. For coaches who want to focus on the middle manager level, there’s going to be less work going forward due to three key reasons:

The rise of the coaching platforms taking this work at scale.
AI coaching will undoubtedly improve and serve this market.
Internal coaching will focus on this section of the employee base.

My recommendation is to continue to hone your craft. Get better, get visible and be different. Your brand as an independent coach matters now more than ever.

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