An Interview With Chad Silverstein
Integration of AI and Machine Learning
As the AI and ML technologies are becoming more part of everyday life, their ability to analyse vast amounts of data from client behaviour in session to long term visions and goals, they are becoming a integral in personalising the coaching process. These tools are here to coaching and mentors tailor their method to individual’s needs.
The world of coaching is undergoing a seismic shift, with emerging trends set to redefine its boundaries and possibilities. From digital transformation and the integration of artificial intelligence to the growing emphasis on mental health and the global rise of coaching cultures within organizations, these developments are reshaping the landscape of personal and professional growth. As we navigate through these changes, understanding the forces that drive the future of coaching becomes paramount. I had the pleasure of interviewing Lee Broders.
Lee’s extensive background is characterised by a blend of military discipline, entrepreneurial acumen, and a profound capacity for personal growth. After distinguished service in the British Army’s elite Commando and UKSF units, he ventured into the business realm, starting his own ventures, including offering consultancy to corporates and SMEs for over 2 decades.
Completing a Master of Laws 47 amid managing his businesses, he encountered burnout, which redirected his path toward Business Growth Mentoring and Life Coaching. Certified and accredited in Life Coaching, NLP and CBT, Lee has also attained Masters in Business Mentoring and is an Ambassador for the Association of Business Mentors.
Lee now not only assists business owners in growing and scaling their ventures, but also mentors aspiring entrepreneurs in starting their businesses.
Thank you for joining us. To start, could you share your “origin story” with our readers? How did you begin your coaching journey, and what challenges did you face in the early days?
As has been mentioned before, I never set out to be a coach or mentor. I enjoyed school, but for my exams and learning it came at the wrong time as at 15/16 years of age, my head was filled with other thoughts, which meant that I came out of school with not many qualifications and a feeling that I was not academic, but at the time it didn’t matter as I joined the British Army, in which time I served with Commando and UKSF units. Having served 10 years, I left and started my first business at 26, an IT Consultancy working with SME’s and Corporate clients. During my time I have started other business’, some have been successful, while others have cost me a lot of time, money, and emotions.
At the age of 40 I had my midlife crisis, which led me to personal growth and learning, on which I learnt how to play saxophone and how to fly, attaining my Private Pilot’s License, then I embarked on a Law Degree at 42, part time while I ran my other businesses. At 46/47 years old I did my Masters of Law, but experienced burnout, which I had heard about, but believing I had a resilient mindset never thought it would happen to me… but it did.
It was then I started to get help, first from a counsellor, then a Life Coach, who signposted me to learn more about myself and Life Coaching. That is when I started to learn about the power of coaching and mentoring and decided to learn more about it. Finding that I had been doing it since my time in the military, which led me to formalise my learnings by becoming a certified and accredited Life Coach, NLP & CBT practitioner , all of which are tools that can be used in talking therapies, knowing I had a passion for helping people and being able to use these skills to be able to do it, I was 47 at the time. At 53 I completed a Masters in Business Mentoring.
In the early days I had the “Field of Dreams” saga, build it and they will come or so I thought, quickly realising how wrong I was. It took me 6 months to get my first paying client and another 3 months to get my second, having given away hours and hours of free coaching. I then started to learn about marketing and sales, which changed my outlook on what I was doing and how I was doing it. At 49 I started to use my knowledge of business growth to start business mentoring, creating frameworks, methods and techniques to help my clients.
Today I mentor and coach people internationally, from all walks of life from Student to CEO, being an Ambassador of the Association of Business Mentors, I am able to help them achieve the life they desire and deserve.
You are a successful business leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?
I feel that the three character traits that have been most instrumental in my success have been Resilience, Learning and Humility.
Firstly Resilience, this is something that I learned originally in the military, the ability to keep on going when things get tough and being able to recover quickly from difficulties and setbacks, but I soon realised it is hugely important and beneficial in business too, being able to maintain or regain mental health, emotional stability and overall functionality in the face of adversity and stress. Whether this was pushing myself beyond physical limits and collapsing from physical exhaustion, waking up in the sick bay with a drip in each arm, failing the course due to this, then going back to complete it or as I mentioned earlier, keeping on going, going through my daily tasks, waiting 6 months for my first paying coaching client, not willing to settle for mediocre.
Additionally, the ability to Learn is hugely influential on my journey, even today. I feel that continuous learning can directly impact the adaptability and long-term viability of both the leader and the organisation. It is a trait that not only equips people with the latest knowledge and skills, but also fosters a vulture of curiosity, which leads to innovation within their teams. It shows teams that their leaders are committed to personal and professional growth, being an inspiration to embrace learning. This can additionally not only attract and retain top talent, but also help build resilience in the business to help navigate complexities of the ever changing modern business landscape. I have been learning most of my life and still am, which means that I have been able not only pivot with my businesses, but also help others do the same.
The final trait I believe to be instrumental to success is Humility. This often manifests in a leader’s ability to acknowledge mistakes and seek the input from others. This can foster an environment of openness, respect and a collective problem-solving community. As a humble leader I feel I am more approachable, with a willingness to acknowledge my limitations, which can lead to a more collaborative team with members feeling empowered and valued, with a willingness to contribute, which can lead to better decision making and innovation as all perspectives considered and integrated. A good example of this was when leading a team, I did not have all the knowledge that was required to grow a business, but with working with the team and being willing to listen to what each member contributed we were able to put a successful plan together, that grew the business beyond the original thoughts and discussions, understanding the strengths of others and my own weaknesses.
Can you share your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Why does that resonate with you so much?
There are many quotes that resonate with me from the funny to the sublime, each having its own different meaning. But if I have to choose just the one, I think it will have to be “Every day is a Gift”.
I think this resonates with me mostly because I understand the importance of time and how it is a finite resource, which means that I want to live every day to its best, as I am grateful every day for the time I have and the people I can spend my time with.
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now? How do you think that might help people?
I have a number of projects in the pipeline, but I guess the one I am most excited about is that I am in the process of writing 2 books, 1 is on personal growth and the second on business growth. By being able to put down in words, what I have learnt over the years, I am hoping that I will be able to help people not only understand themselves but be able to live the life that they desire and deserve.
Additionally, I am working to put on a Business Growth Summit, bringing together some of the biggest names in the Business Growth arena, so that business owners can hear how to growth their business.
Without saying any names could you share a particularly memorable success story from your coaching career?
This is a hard question, as I have been privileged to work with a number of amazing people over the years and each are memorable, in fact, I will caveat that with everyone I have worked with has been amazing and I believe they have all set out to improve themselves and if applicable their business.
I had one particular client who had started his business a few years before we met, starting a one-man band in producing bespoke engineering products. His business had grown until he had 6 people working for him, but with it being a successful business, he felt that he had been lucky so far, not being sure how to progress as the business, feeling he was working more than he wanted too and his family life was suffering, but knowing that he also wanted to grow the business, so he could be financially secure. When we started working together, he identified his goals for the business and with guidance, worked out how he was able to achieve it. It was not an instant change, in the business, but there was a change in him as during our sessions he became more confident with his ability to achieve his goals, not just business but in his personal life too.
He was able to grow the business, to the point his turnover, profits and staff were in the position for him to step away from the tactical day to day running of the business and take a more strategic position, which gave him more time, more money, and more freedom in his life.
Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview about coaching. How has your approach to coaching evolved over the years, and what personal learnings have you applied to your own development?
Having spent many years in consultancy the transition to Mentor/Coach was not the easiest, especially in the beginning where my coaching style was more directive style, offering solutions based on my own experiences. However, by providing people with my solution, I found it was not very effective as it did not empower my clients to discover their own solutions, that long term worked for them. It was when during my own development I realised that effective coaching was not about me providing them with my answers, but to help them find their answers, by understanding each individual’s unique context and capabilities, leading to divers and innovative solutions.
I have found that my own development has led to me understand the importance of active listening and empathy, that by truly listening to my clients and the challenged they face in both life and business I can better facilitate their thought process, to guide them to self-discovery. This has not only helped me to develop individuals and more capable teams, but also has fostered a culture of trust and mutual respect, not only with my clients but with their businesses too. Meaning that by integrating these insights into my mentoring and coaching has enabled both my personal growth and the growth of my clients.
How do you incorporate feedback into your coaching practice to continuously improve?
Feedback is an important part of all my mentoring and coaching sessions, in fact it should be part of every mentors and coaches processes.
I am very open with my clients and at the end of each session ask 2 important questions:
- Has this session been useful?
- What is your biggest take away from the session?
The answers from these 2 questions are initial feedback from my clients, which I note down in a form.
After a session I will always have time to do some self-reflection on the session and fill in sections on the form about what I thought went well and what I can improve on.
I use these forms to review my own effectiveness, also participating in supervision sessions with other mentors, coaches and peers, both as a supervisor and as a candidate.
Can you discuss an innovation in coaching that you believe is currently underappreciated but has the potential to significantly impact the field?
An innovation in coaching that I believe is currently underappreciated is the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning but has the potential to significantly impact Mentoring and Coaching. This is because it can analyse vast amounts of data on an individual’s emotional state, behaviour patterns and decision-making process which might be able to provide deep and scalable insights.
Despite its potential, there is a lot of scepticism about AI, not just in the coaching and mentoring field, but generally, this is largely because of concerns over the impersonal nature of technology and the privacy of data.
However, AI can significantly enhance the effectiveness of human led coaching sessions if the technology is used ethically, it can make coaching more accessible to a larger population making coaching interventions more dynamic and responsive. As technology advances, I believe it will become used more to augment human coaching with precise and personalised support to facilitate both personal and professional growth.
In what ways can coaching address the evolving mental health needs of diverse populations in a digitally connected world?
I believe that coaching can play a crucial role in a digitally connect world to address the evolving mental health needs by offering tailored and accessible support across various platforms. With the rise of virtual interactions, unique challenges and stressors are becoming apparent with the rise of remote working, with individuals from different backgrounds and locations interacting with each other more frequently. The ability of coaching do be done virtually, across digital platforms, is making coaching more accessible and acceptable to individuals from around the globe, which allows it to adapt continuously to the changing dynamics of mental health needs in our increasingly connected world. Therefore coaches can better understand and navigate the varied beliefs and experiences that influence mental health.
How do you foresee artificial intelligence and machine learning transforming the coaching industry in the next decade?
I foresee that Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) fundamentally transforming the coaching industry in the next decade. This is because AI and ML can analyse extensive behavioural data and give real time feedback to make for a more personalised, accessible and data driven coaching experience, unique to the needs of an individual.
As AI and ML develop, the personalisation will enhance the effectiveness of coaching with platforms providing continuous learning opportunities and feedback loops that with ensure that interventions are aligned with personal goals and learning styles, meaning that the constant need to a human coach will be diminished. As the technologies mature the integration of AI and ML into the coaching industry could make personal development globally accessible to everyone, making high quality mentoring and coaching available to a broader audience and an integral part of everyday life.
What role do you believe ethical considerations and privacy concerns will play in the future of coaching, especially with the increased use of digital platforms?
Ethical considerations and privacy concerns will become more pivotal as the utilisation of digital platforms increases and AI & ML technologies advance and are integrated into coaching. Specifically the collection, use and analysis of personal data could raise significant privacy issues.
It is essential that ethical frameworks are developed and applied to ensure that the technologies in use are used responsibly. Including the data security and ensuring there is a transparency about how the data is used. It is important the understand the despite the efficiency of the technology it is crucial to maintain a human approach to be able to respect individuals’ dignity, ensuring that the technology serves to enhance, not replace human interactions, which is at the heart of effective coaching.
Could you list and briefly explain “Top 5 Trends Shaping the Future of Coaching” based on your experiences and insights?
1 . Increased Digitisation and Virtual Delivery
Since COVID-19 and the acceptance of remote working there has been a greater emphasis towards virtual delivery and digitisation of coaching services, through the necessity of remote interactions. This has made access to coaching more widely accessible to everyone, allowing clients and coaches from different geographical locations and cultures, to benefit from coaching services that were previously limited to in person sessions.
Personally, I have clients internationally on different continents and in different time zones, that I would not be working with if I had not embraced the technical and communications revolution in this digital age.
2 . Integration of AI and Machine Learning
As the AI and ML technologies are becoming more part of everyday life, their ability to analyse vast amounts of data from client behaviour in session to long term visions and goals, they are becoming a integral in personalising the coaching process. These tools are here to coaching and mentors tailor their method to individual’s needs.
There are tools being developed that are able to evaluate speech patterns using AI and ML that are able to identify areas where support such as leadership, communications and conflict resolution may be needed.
3 . Focus on Mental Health and Wellbeing
As I am writing this is it is May which is Mental Health Month, which goes to show that the awareness of the importance of mental health continues to grow. With many individuals and organisations embracing coaching and mentoring as these programs are increasingly promoting psychological wellbeing. As a holistic talking therapy approach, it not only helps individual cope with stress and anxiety, but also is shown to enhance satisfaction and productivity.
Coaching is being integrated into many multinational organisations as well as SME,s find the value in programs to be able to help employees develop personalised coping strategies, which can reduce the occurrence of burnout and improves workplace morale.
4 . Cultural Competency and Inclusivity
With the globalisation of businesses growing, it is important to understand and respect cultural differences, with coaching training in cultural competency, to be able to support clients from diverse backgrounds, allowing them to foster inclusive practices with organisations and individually in the complex global business environments.
Many large global organisations have teams of coaches who specialise in diversity and inclusion to enhance intercultural understanding, while individuals seek out the same coaches to be able to work in the global market.
5 . Measurable Outcomes and Data Driven Coaching
As the emphasis on accountability and measurable outcomes grows, both clients and coaches track progress and use the data driven approach to adjust strategies based on actual evidence, which can lead to enhanced effectiveness of the coaching interventions.
Coaches that use data captured to track specific career goals and various metrics related to professional growth have been able to adjust coaching strategies and plans which can lead to a 30% improvement of professional milestones over a year.
How do you envision the integration of coaching within organizational cultures changing the landscape of leadership and employee development?
The integration of coaching is poised to dramatically reshape the landscape of leadership and employee development within organisational cultures. This is done by embedding coaching principles into the core organisational practices. This shift encourages a culture of ongoing learning and feedback, creating an environment that promotes a more agile and responsive leadership style as leaders are not just authority figures but are also facilitators of growth and mentors of their teams. Meaning that coaching becomes a regular and accepted aspect f the organisational culture, fostering trust and open communications which is more adaptable to changing business needs and employee expectations. This holistic approach empowers employees to feel more valued and supported. Leading to higher employee engagement and retention.
What do you see as the biggest challenge facing the coaching industry today, and how might we overcome it?
The biggest challenge facing the coaching and mentoring industry is maintain the quality and integrity of coaching services, as the rapid expansion of the industry and the proliferation of digital platforms. The demand for coaches is increasing and the market has seen a surge in coaches, though not all of whom meet the rigorous standards of training and professionalism required for effective coaching, with tis dilution in quality having the effect of undermining the credibility of the coaching industry and lead to scepticism among potential clients.
To overcome this challenge, the fractured industry needs to prioritise the establishment and enforcement of universally recognised standards and professional ethics. Professional bodies and associations play should play a pivotal by not only setting these standards, but also ensuing that are adhered too. Additionally increasing the public awareness about qualifications and competences of certified and accredited coaches and mentors can help clients make informed choices. These measures will help to maintain the integrity of the coaching industry, to ensure it continues to grow in both scale and stature.
What is one long-term goal you have for your coaching practice, and how are you working towards it?
One of my long-term goals for my coaching practice is to be able to work with influential people and organisations, who are focused on helping people from around the world. I do this by connecting a speaking to those who want to make a positive difference.
How can our readers continue to follow your work?
Readers can follow me on LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/LeeBroders and other social media channels
Also via my websites www.leebroders.com or www.businessgrowth.global
Thank you for offering such valuable insights into the future of coaching. We look forward to seeing your work continue to reach new heights, and we wish you continued success.
About the Interviewer: Chad Silverstein, a seasoned entrepreneur with over two decades of experience as the Founder and CEO of multiple companies. He launched Choice Recovery, Inc., a healthcare collection agency, while going to The Ohio State University, His team earned national recognition, twice being ranked as the #1 business to work for in Central Ohio. In 2018, Chad launched [re]start, a career development platform connecting thousands of individuals in collections with meaningful employment opportunities, He sold Choice Recovery on his 25th anniversary and in 2023, sold the majority interest in [re]start so he can focus his transition to Built to Lead as an Executive Leadership Coach. Learn more at www.chadsilverstein.com.
Lee Broders On The Top 5 Trends Shaping the Future of Coaching was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.