Applying futures thinking to the 2024 ICF Snapshot Survey
Join the ICF Thought Leadership Institute in exploring key findings from the 2024 ICF Snapshot Survey: Coaching and Mental Well-Being report. Discover how futures thinking can help coaches anticipate and adapt to emerging trends to enhance client support and well-being.
Purpose:
Explore the connections between current coaching practices and future trends in mental well-being.
Opportunity:
Equip coaches to adapt their practices now to prepare for evolving client needs.
Impact:
Coaches informed by futures thinking are better positioned to guide clients towards a more resilient sense of well-being.
Applying coaching data to understand the future
Futures thinking can help coaches imagine, anticipate, and prepare for emerging well-being needs. According to the 2024 ICF Snapshot Survey, 85% of coaches reported that clients commonly seek support to improve mental well-being. By integrating futures thinking into their practices, coaches can offer more effective strategies tailored to enhance a more holistic sense of well-being.
Trends shaping client expectations
Exploring emerging trends prepares coaches to adapt their practices to meet evolving client needs and expectations.
- Collective global trauma: Half of the global population will face mental health challenges by age 75, according to a study by Harvard Medical School and the University of Queensland. With 44% of ICF coaches referring clients to a therapist or medical professionals in the past year, there is a need for coaching models to facilitate post-trauma growth and resilience in individuals and communities. For example, a coach might work with a client to process the emotional impact of loss, rebuild self-confidence, and develop the skills to adapt to changing circumstances in a specific area of well-being.
- Evolving workplace models: Significant changes in work practices create new pressures and uncertainties. Business and career-related issues were cited as reasons for client support by 74-83% of coaches globally. Futures-informed coaching can assist clients in developing career agility and well-being. For instance, a coach might support gig-economy freelancers in finding a healthy work-life balance.
- Ethical models of caring: The ethics of care framework emphasizes balancing individual needs with inclusive community support. Factors such as, region, gender, and age differences, influence clients seeking mental well-being support. For example, a coach might help clients develop leadership skills that prioritize empathy and cultural competence for a human-centered workplace.
Implications for the future of coaching
- Coaching as one path to mental well-being. The scope and boundaries of coaching will continue to evolve. ICF’s guidelines on referring clients to therapy stress the importance of recognizing when a client’s needs extend beyond coaching competencies. With 19% of participants noting an increase in the need for referrals, coaches should prepare to collaborate with mental health professionals.
- The future of well-being is multi-dimensional. The ICF Thought Leadership Institute 2024 highlights a shift towards holistic well-being, recognizing the interconnectedness of mental, physical, and social health. Despite this, only 5-6% of coaches reported using effective strategies, such as: self-care, self-reflection, and self-growth tailored to the individual client. Coaches who expand their skill sets can better support the holistic nature of well-being for clients.
- New ethical dilemmas will emerge. The future introduces new ethical dilemmas in mental well-being coaching. The most frequent challenge identified by coaches was supporting clients without overstepping into mental health issues. This is an important area of focus for ICF in shaping emerging coaching technologies and practices.
Reflect on the future of coaching
- What innovative approaches can coaches use to highlight the impact of their work on clients’ mental well-being?
- How might coaches prepare for multiple possible futures rather than a single predicted outcome?
- How can coaches anticipate and address new ethical dilemmas in the industry?
