AI is changing the rules of workplace learning. Platforms promise personalised learning at scale. Coaching bots provide real-time feedback, and content can be accessed on demand anywhere, anytime. One critical question still remains, however: What actually changes behavior?
Technology alone cannot change the world. Real learning, the kind that changes mindsets, builds new habits, and sticks, requires reflection, challenge, and meaningful human connections. Coaching is no longer just a nice to have. It is the foundation of any modern strategy for learning and development.
Coaching is effective because it helps people to apply what they have learned. It turns information into insights. In a noisy world, it is the thing that makes learning stick.
Why coaching is different and more effective
The majority of learning interventions are based on the assumption that knowledge will be absorbed and hoped for. This model is flipped by coaching. It is dynamic, ongoing and highly personalised. Coaching is a powerful tool that helps people move from knowledge to action and sustain it.
This approach is based on educational theory. Vygotsky’s “Zone of Proximal Development” explains that learning is best achieved when people are supported beyond what they currently can do on their own. Coaching is a great way to achieve this sweet spot. It offers support and not solutions, while fostering growth.
Because coaching is contextualized, it sticks. It adapts according to the person, the group, and the moment. It does not ask learners to take time away from their work in order to develop. Instead, it integrates development into the work flow itself.
Coaching improves everything else
It is a mistake for people to view coaching as an independent tool. To think of coaching as a multiplier is more accurate and powerful. Coaching improves all that it touches.
Coaching principles are the foundation of all leadership programmes. Coaching-supported skills training results in improved retention and confidence. Coaching can help cultural change initiatives to gain more traction.
Why? Coaching helps people to think for themselves. It helps people take ownership. Then transformation happens, when people relate learning to their personal challenges, goals and values.
A flexible solution that delivers real-world benefits
Coaching is a great option for HR and L&D managers who are under pressure to do more with less. It is scalable, whether it be through providing managers with coaching skills or peer coaching programmes. Once the coaching capability has been embedded, it is used repeatedly.
Coaching is the best way to transfer learning. Research continues to show that up to 75% of the learning can be lost in a matter of days without reinforcement. Robert O. Brinkerhoff also states that only 15% of employees actively transfer their learning to the workplace. Coaching helps to counter this by ensuring continuity and helping people embed changes over time.
Also, it is highly adaptable. Coaching can be used to meet a variety of needs, whether you are onboarding new employees, supporting high potential talent or navigating transitions in leadership.
AI can certainly complement this. Digital coaching tools, such as nudges and digital coaching tools, can be a great support. Human coaching can offer something AI cannot: deep listening and emotional sensitivity, as well as the ability to challenge in the moment. No algorithm can duplicate the psychological safety needed for learning.
What AI can’t teach
Josh Bersin, among others, has noted that success in the AI age depends on cultivating empathy, adaptability and critical thinking, skills that are inherently human and increasingly valued.
These skills are directly developed through coaching. People who learn to coach develop better listening skills, a growth mentality, and active questioning. Leaders who adopt a coaching style become better communicators, and are more emotionally intelligent. These qualities cascade down to their teams and help shape the culture.
It’s about much more than just soft skills. The ability to coach enhances performance, and promotes wellbeing. It improves collaboration, reduces friction, and helps build the resilience required to navigate uncertainty.
The neuroscience supports this. Stella Collins, in The Neuroscience of Learning and Development explains that people remember things they are emotionally engaged with. Coaching taps emotion, connection, and repetition. These are three powerful levers that can lead to lasting change.
An investment strategy, not just a trend
The coaching trend is not a new one on the radar of L&D. It is a strategic capability. It can enhance performance, increase engagement, and support everything else within your learning ecosystem.
Coaching is timeless. Unlike other L&D initiatives, which require constant rebranding or refreshment, coaching does not need to be refreshed. The skills remain relevant. Impact is evident. The ripple effect can be powerful, from the individual to the team to the organization as a entire.
Coaching is a key component in connecting development with real business results.
Coaching is a way to bring back human insight, growth, and connection when everything becomes automated and accelerated. It’s more than just a cherry on top. It’s the crown jewel.
