The pandemic caused a shift of our lives online to comply with social distancing guidelines. This shift affected every industry for better or for worse, including the coaching industry. In his article titled The Flourishing, Surprising, Badly Needed Market For Online Coaching, Josh Bersin explains how the online coaching industry exploded due to multiple side effects of the pandemic – particularly the growing unease among workers as evidenced by The Great Resignation.
Increased dissatisfaction – whether with work life, personal life, work-life balance, or the running of their own businesses – prompted many people to look for guidance on how to pivot in their careers or improve their general well-being. As Bersin points out,
“More than 40% of all workers now want or need some form of leadership, wellbeing, or behavioral health support at work.”
Their search led them to coaches.
Performance Coaching and Work
The coaching industry is booming because compared to the 1 billion knowledge workers around the world, The International Coaching Federation estimates there are 71,000 coaches. 93% received some form of accreditation. Online coaching platforms similar to ideamix are helping fulfill the growing demand by efficiently and accurately pairing knowledge workers to the best coaches for their needs.
Jansin discusses four models for the new online coaching marketplace:
- coaching on-demand (driven by AI matching, the ideamix model)
- leadership development for all (democratizing coaches for everyone)
- wellbeing, mental, and behavioral health (psychologists selected for you)
- general coaching for training (coaches for sales, service, tech, and other jobs)
Overall though, the booming industry of online coaching proves one key fact: every worker could benefit from coaching. The outside perspective of a professional can provide key insights that help people reach their career goals. Whether it is online or in person, the experience of meeting a coach can change anybody’s professional life for the better.
