Coaching World Issue 20: Industry Trends & Insights | Page 5

Editor’s Note

Educated Guesses

As a middle and high school student, I always loved when a science teacher would
let us set aside our textbooks and head into the lab or out to the field to put our
classroom learnings to work. One of my favorite parts of lab work was formulating
a hypothesis: I loved taking what I knew so far and using it to make my best, most
educated guess about what the outcome of our lab work would be.

In my role at ICF, I have the opportunity to contribute to the development and
production of our industry research, such as the ICF Global Coaching Study and our
suite of co-branded research with the Human Capital Institute. Although crafting
a hypothesis isn’t part of the industry research process, that never stops our team from
making some educated guesses about what we’ll discover.
What we’ve learned from our recent research efforts is that coaching is continuing
to grow worldwide. We’re also seeing more and more managers and leaders apply
coaching skills in the workplace. Our findings suggest that both of these trends will
continue in the years ahead.
One global organization that’s embraced both professional coaching and the presence
of managers and leaders using coaching skills is GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), winner of the
2016 ICF International Prism Award. In 2010, GSK created a global Coaching Centre
of Excellence to standardize coaching throughout the organization by improving access,
ensuring quality and efficiency, and creatively containing costs. Coaching at GSK has
been credited with an impressive ROI of $66 million USD. Learn more about how GSK
has built a strong coaching culture on page 20.
Continued global growth isn’t the only trend that will shape the coaching profession
in the years ahead. On page 13, Renee Moorefield, MCC, explores the importance
of keeping holistic well-being at the forefront to ensure thriving leaders and thriving
organizations in a VUCA world. Peter Black demonstrates how coaches can apply the
ICF Core Competencies to prepare for the future of work on page 17. And on page 26,
Peter Scott, ACC, offers a glimpse into how artificial intelligence might shape coaching in
the not-too-distant future.
I’d love to hear what trends you believe will shape the future of ICF and the coaching
profession. Let me know what you think at [email protected].

Communications and Awards Manager
Abby Tripp Heverin