The Next Generation of Coaching - Where to Next?

Rachel Cossar: Welcome to conversations in the future of work, a talk show where we welcome on thought leaders, trainers, facilitators, executives, and scientists who are all leaning in to the future of work. Today on the show, we will be discussing the next generation of coaching, and we have none other than the incredible Jay Harris with us. So Jay, I’d love to pass it on to you and just tell the audience who you are and and what parts of your amazing history are most relevant. Of course.

Javarus Harris: Well, one, thank you for having me, Rachel. And, again, I do go by Jay. I’m currently a vice president of solution strategy at an awesome professional development company by the name of Ariel. And my role within that company is 1 as an executive coach and a facilitator. I actually facilitate and instruct a lot of the cohort based as well as the one to one training that we do. But I also manage the facilitators and the coaches the president’s coaches within our community and within our facilitator and coach pool at Ariel. And I am just for real about this type of work. I’m thrilled about the work that you do. So I am just excited to jump in and again, thank you for having me. Awesome.

Rachel Cossar: So we’re gonna get started with our first question just to dive right in. Right? Given your fingers are really on the pulse of the the next generation, the future of coaching, right, this has been such a disrupted space as have many of our professional spaces in the past few years. So what are some of the most disrupted changes you’ve noticed in the coaching industry specifically? I would say, that’s a really good question.

Javarus Harris: I would say that the disruptive change within the coach world and the coaching industry is really a risk response to the disruptive change that’s happening in the world and thus the workplace itself. So for instance, a couple of things that come to mind for me you know, the first thing comes top of mind for me is generational diversity. So this is something that I’m hearing over and over again from leaders from the C suite team, from people who are trying to figure out the best way to connect with their organization with their teams is how do we address generational diversity? It’s certainly a disruptor where there are at this time, 5 generations at work from traditionalist to, baby boomers, gen X, millennials, gen Z, and they all come with their own specific communication style, their own, critical thinking skills that are derived from 1, their own lived experiences but also just the world that they’ve all come up in and what has been their norm. So when you have all of these people essentially in this one ecosystem, how do you communicate and how do you, lead and coach them all because one size does not fit all. So that’s been a huge disruptor within the industry, the workplace itself, thus as a coach coming up with a strategy in a way to help leaders to be able to stress that, that challenge or that new opportunity I like to say is something that’s disruptive in our industry. The second thing that I’ll that I like to mention that is a disruptor, but it’s good. You know, because now people are catching on to it. I like to say it’s the secret sauce that coaching is not just for because something’s wrong, or you’re doing something bad, but people are now catching on to the idea of, you know, coaching is simply an opportunity for me to continue to grow. Continue to, develop and improve and to be a bit more strategic about the path that I actually wanna take as a professional within my field. Thus, the disruptive part on the coaching side is a lot of the coaches, and we’ll talk a little bit a little bit about this later. But a lot of the coaches that are in the current, our current roster, I should say, right now, they’re already top performers. So as a coach, how do you coach someone who is already doing so great? And so it’s it’s it’s pushing the coaches to thinking a bit more, innovative and out of the box way, if you will. Those are two great points.

Rachel Cossar: I feel on the subject of, generational diversity. I think that’s a real blind spot. Mhmm. You know, it’s something that I I’m myself will sometimes catch myself, like, forgetting that we do have this insane span across generations and their experiences, especially today are so different. Right?

Javarus Harris: You have these digital natives on one hand who are very casual with technology.

Rachel Cossar: And then you have people who have evolved alongside the evolution of technology, but, you know, recently has gone haywire. Exactly. So that’s that’s fascinating. Yeah. It is.

Javarus Harris: And it’s something, again, it’s one of the reasons why I mentioned it first is because as leaders are now being honestly, it’s the generational diversity that’s that is influencing the direction of the work place in itself. As I mentioned, each generation has its own set of lived experiences, its own set of, you know, social climates that they’ve, you know, come through and survived, but have also been conditioned to. For instance, when millennials entered the workforce, there was this massive shift in the workplace that brought that actually changed the trajectory of what used to be the American dream, when it comes to a work, a workplace or or a job, meaning that the the historical definition of the American dream job is just to make a good livable wage just to have, you know, decent benefits to be able to, you know, provide for your family and get your kids through college. And then I like to say, you know, get old enough to retire and, you know, give you a a a retired a house in Florida. You know, for Yeah. For the rest of your, you know, your time, but that has drastically changed in a in a most recently changed when millennials entered the work course where now people would they continue to be the American dream or, a good job is more about a sense of belonging. It’s more so about being connected to a bigger purpose or a a bigger goal beyond themselves. But also are they growing as an individual? Like, am I not only just growing within the organization, but am I becoming a better profession am I growing? What’s in it for me? Of course, pay is always in there, but it’s more so now as pertains to retention, and what people consider a good job. It’s, do I feel that I belong here? Am I connected to this in a way that’s outside of just, I’m an employee and your my employer. Right.

Rachel Cossar: And it it that both raises the bar on expectation in terms of like that that relationship between employer and employee. And then also to your other to your second point, introduces a really nice opportunity for that ongoing, you know, coaching, self development journey. Exactly. Exactly. Mhmm. That’s exactly true. And so touching a little further on this idea of of how drastically different the coaching space has become in your capacity of preparing and working with facilitators prepare to meet this this evolving space? Another good question.

Javarus Harris: And, you know, it It’s one, smile about this because I recently had a conversation with another, coach that’s a part of our team. And, you know, it’s interesting when you look at this term drastically evolved workplace. You know, a evolution is relative to where you start. So everyone has a different starting point. So evolution is different for all organizations. And so that’s the first thing that I tell coaches when they come to me and they say, you know, this is a, an organization that really evolved, they’re really progressive, and I say, okay, what is their definition of evolution? What is their definition of progressiveness? Because again, it is relative to where they were before. Which may be further along than the next person or behind, you know, not as advanced as maybe someone else or another organization. So that’s the first thing that I like to tell coaches to do is to take a look at what does the the cultural infrastructure look like for that for that organization. And when we think about Evolve, I like to look at a few key areas from technology? Is it is it is it their technology is evolved? Is it their platforms and systems evolved? Is it the work environment in self, you know, evolved?

Rachel Cossar: What does that look like? Is it different?

Javarus Harris: Or is it lacking? Is one, you know, more progressive than the other? I say take a look at the grand scheme of evolution within the company and look within those key areas such as technology, such as culture, such as literally the physical modality in itself. Are they all remote? Is it a hybrid company? Are they, you know, all in a, an open space workplace? Are they an offices? Really think about all the areas in which a, a company can evolve those key areas such as technology, culture, and physical location. That’s number 1. And then I also say, you know, do an assessment on, you know, how do people feel about their sense of belonging at work. So, you know, if they feel that this is a company that really fosters, you know, diversity or really fosters you know, growth as an individual. I challenged the coach to think about. 1, what questions are you going to ask to do a deeper dive for what for an organization or a company that’s already doing well, so to speak, that’s going to be able to challenge them in a way that feels like they’re actually getting something from the coaching in itself.

Rachel Cossar: So I really say take a look at take a look at those two things first.

Javarus Harris: What type of evolution is there and then what types of from that from that assessment of what the evolution is what type of questions and what areas do you see that you can lean into to provide some type of benefit for the coaching Right.

Rachel Cossar: And I would imagine that that does 2 things, right, that number 1 can help touch on their identities around where they sit within a marketplace or, marketplace dynamics.

Javarus Harris: Like, we view ourselves as particularly evolved Why?

Rachel Cossar: Because of these things.

Javarus Harris: Right?

Rachel Cossar: That’s an important identity to almost honor as a coach, but then it also provides you with that rubric of, okay, and then how do we get how do we unlock that next level, which is almost like that desired next self. Yeah. Exactly.

Javarus Harris: Because the, you know, the basis of coaching and I’m sure we’ll tap into this and more too because it’s such a It’s such a foundational part of coaching in that it’s about it’s not about telling them what to do. It’s not about, you know, in imposing your own ideas or your own personality traits and and and critical thinking on someone else. But it’s about asking the right questions to help them come to the best, conclusions or challenges, very specific lived experiences. And I say specific lived experiences because I think sometimes with coaching, or or and even in in man just managing overall, sometimes we forget. And this is a part of the evolution that everyone is coming with their own lived experiences. Something if you’ve lived through something traumatic or even something that’s awesome in your life, Whatever that is that you’ve lived through as a person, your lived experiences, it doesn’t go away because you showed up to work. It’s still with you. And I think that if you ignore that and if you don’t, you know, provide a space to acknowledge it and figure out how it has shaped a person’s mental models as we like to call them an aerial. You are missing out on a huge coaching opportunity and thus missing out on an opportunity for growth and and advancement by tapping into that self awareness. So it is, again, an opportunity for assessing and acknowledging identity differences. And again, as you mentioned, where people sit within the organization will also where they sit within the sells as it pertains to the way that they think. Right.

Rachel Cossar: And this actually, you know, I think this brings us to our next question. Which is, you know, what are some specific skills coaches and trainers need to have to be able to unlock some of what’s changed over the last few years specifically, some of these changes you’ve just referenced. Yeah.

Javarus Harris: I love this question because It’s super connected to who I am as a person. That’s my own purpose and the values and and and morals and and my own belief system, you know, to ascent. And the reason I say that is as I mentioned, you know, a few seconds ago is that for a lot of people, it gets uncomfortable to think about when you talk about your lived experiences or your personal thoughts or your personal, just just who you are as a human being is what I will say for so long. And this again ties back even to generational diversity. Historically, it’s when I show up at work, I am Jay Harris, and I thank you for having me today, Rachel, and I am just in my zone. You know, I can’t be any, you know, anything that I am outside of work. I can’t bring that to work. Historically, that’s what it’s been.

Rachel Cossar: You know, I mean, you leave your your home self at home and you you bring your work self, to work.

Javarus Harris: But now as just the climate is evolving and people are understanding the importance of being a top performer is 1, being able to be authentically yourself and being able to add your own specific, you know, touch to something. I tell people all the time plenty of people do the things that we do, but it’s us being able to show up as ourselves. You know, genuinely and authentically that adds that variety, something that you you can no one else has your tone. No one else has your mind. No one else has your personality. No one else has, your ability to connect in the way that you connect and that is what separates you. So I actually encourage our coaches to lean into the individuality of the coaching. With that, that means that the number one skill you need is or I say the top 2 skills you would need are empathy. And you also need to come in with an open mind because just because you have to remember that even you as the coach that the even you as the coach, you may not even have the same lived experience as the coach. So you challenge yourself to not go into biased thinking. Don’t go into it thinking. Well, get an idea, but this is what I would say. This is what I would do. No. I say lived in that you know, live in that, ambiguity of, okay, I’m I’m interested in hearing more about, you know, why you would why you would handle that that situation that way or why you would approach it that way. So with empathy, you’re able to tap into those personal thought processes you’re able to tap into the authenticity of the individual that you’re coaching. Ultimately, you’re allowing them to be themselves and you’re creating that psychological safety that one needs in a coaching environment in order to try on new things. You’re challenging them to you’re disrupting their thought pattern. And so, you know, that comes with you need to show up with empathy and you need to create a space where the coache feels comfortable to do that. Right.

Rachel Cossar: There’s something I remember from my training with Ariel that has stuck with me over the years, which is your coaches will only go so far or so big as as you you go. Right?

Javarus Harris: So, you know, that’s a funny thing that you mentioned that because that is something that we talk about at aerial and I carry that same sentiment. I will tell you, Rachel, I because I love this work so much, we talked about this a little bit you know, in in our passing conversations. I’m so passionate about this work that when I get into these spaces, I always tell myself, okay, Jay, try to manage your excitement, but I’m literally about to explode because I’m like, this is I love this work.

Rachel Cossar: But when I show up to coaching sessions 1 to 1 and when I show up into cohort based settings where it’s a group of people that I’m facilitating for, I manage it, but I don’t hide it because people can see that I’m showing up authentically is myself.

Javarus Harris: As you mentioned, it licensed them to leaning to who they really are, to speak in the language that they speak, and to operate, you know, the way that they do. And you’re right. It’s like, what if I show up here, you know, the the coaching or the cohort, they’re gonna reach just about here. You know, so then what we’re gonna it’s like, I’ll go as far I’ll go as far as I can. So if you is the the one that’s coaching or leading the room can, you know, go big and be authentic to who you are. It’s not so much this performative, but just being genuine. Then your your co cheese and your your cohort, your group of of trainees are more likely to to try to meet you there. Totally.

Rachel Cossar: I think that is such a critical takeaway for anyone, whether you’re a coach, whether you’re a leader, manager. Right? Like, you you’re setting the bar Yeah. And, you know, the higher you set it, the higher everyone else will reach. Exactly. Exactly. Exactly. So let’s let’s switch tracks a little bit for this last question and talk about some AI and tech within this coaching space, right? So historically, coaching has always been, like, strictly human to human in the same room. Right. That has completely changed, you know, now, and now we have tools like virtual sapiens, which can help with self paced and continued improvement, but there’s also a whole bunch of other stuff going on. So curious to see your opinion on how this kind of technology can enhance. And then also, like, what are some of your fears around this?

Javarus Harris: That’s a really, really good question in the sense of it’s it’s what’s happening in real time. You know, one tech will always continue to evolve It’ll always continue to be immersed and woven into our daily lives, but of course, into our professional lives. And I’ll be honest with you as a millennial and just ask someone who studied this work in in such deep capacity on so many different rims And the reason why I mentioned on millennials that I grew up in the in the, you know, the initiation of technology, if you will. Yeah. And so I have come into this industry with a sense of it’s gonna always continue to grow and it’s always gonna be here. Well, in the realm of coaching, It’s so fascinating to me because in the realm of of of, technology in itself, you now have platforms that you can leverage that kind of take out some of the manual labor of the coaching aspect. And that part of it, what I mean is not replacing the expertise or not, you know, replacing what the coach has to offer in terms of their own research and their own experience, but in terms of, like, assessments, in terms of 360 feedback, It’s no longer a coach no longer has to chase down, you know, all these different individuals to get this feedback. There’s now technology that supports being able to curate the questions and the exact type of feedback that the coach wants to receive from those who will contribute and be able to disperse that out to, you know, the individuals or the stakeholders that are involved. And then when you receive that information back, it’s already formulated to have, acknowledged or accessed the areas that, you know, came up more than once, you know, so there there are common themes, things of that nature. Particularly with virtual Sapiens. I can’t tell you how much I have, used the virtual presence assessment. And I will say that I even used it for myself. And I’ll be honest. I came into it thinking, oh, I’m I’m already in I’m already an expert. You know? I know this. My surprise, there were things that AI was able to catch for me in in in just a solo setting using that virtual presence assessment that brought pause to me and awareness, I should say, where now I’m much more cognizant and much more thoughtful about my overall presentation in the virtual environment. Honestly, it translates into an in person environment. So I would say all in all, I believe that tech and AI is, a system of tools that we’re able to leverage to get those results quicker. We’re able to get honestly a more a more accurate amount of data to think about. You can formulate, you know, metrics that think about things, you know, all at once, you know, so I can tell you when coaching sometimes I’m like, okay. I’m focusing for eye contact. Do they have eye contact? Oh, wait. Yeah.

Rachel Cossar: I forgot to look at facial expressions.

Javarus Harris: You know, so like when you have that AI tool and that tech assessment, it’s able to do the thinking for you and I think we should leverage that. When it comes to detracting Yeah. Or or fears that I might have. I won’t say that it’s a fear or even that it’s a detraction.

Rachel Cossar: It’s more so, the investment getting the buy in to get people on board may take a little bit more, effort than normal, especially when it’s new to you in the realm of coaching.

Javarus Harris: But I can tell you from my own experience and speaking with other coaches, once you get the buy in of saying, well, hey, this is a coaching opportunity. We’re just trying things on. Once they try it on, they never want to take it off. Okay. And so I can say that the the obstacle, if you will, is just getting the buy in. But once you’ve got it, you certainly have it. And it’s it’s definitely you’re en route to improvement and seeing some metrics and feedback that you might otherwise would not have gotten. Right. Yeah. No. I I mean, I love that. And I I do agree.

Rachel Cossar: I think that there’s an ability to leverage AI and technology for things that require almost like a multi I don’t wanna say multitasking, but, like, this, like, ability to be able to give feedback on 20 different behaviors all at once and what is the full picture and impression of that. Right? Exactly. Exactly. That and, like, some like, as you said, just taking some of the burden of, like, automating some things that are typically manual and painstaking out of the hands of the coaches so that the coaches can focus on what they do best. Right. Right.

Javarus Harris: And and I love that you mentioned that so that the coaches can focus on what they do best because when you it we’re human beings is great and awesome as we, you know, are we are human beings and and sometimes we only can think about one thing at a time. Most of the time, if we want efficacy. We can only think about one thing at a time. And so when you have a platform and a system that pulls it all together for you, it does enable for coach to spend more time in the areas of expertise in those niche, you know, specifics and and and, goals that the coach he has. And you can spend more time on strategy because you have the information at your fingertips.

Rachel Cossar: Totally. Totally. Love that. Love that. Love all of this. So, Jay, we’re we’re at time and I could just keep talking to you about all this stuff, but, thank you so much.

Javarus Harris: Before we log off, anything else you’d like to share with our audience can they connect with you directly if that’s of interest? Yeah. Of course. Of course. Well, the one thing that I, you know, would like to leave the audience with, and this is something that I always say even from my coaching approach is, leading with that, that, that skill of empathy. My challenge to your viewers and listeners and people that, you know, have to lead other people or just human connection is to really think about Am I creating a space in which others are able to connect with me in an authentic way and thus be able to drive some type of inspired result, whether that with your clients, whether that’s with your colleagues or a friend or even your direct report. Am I actually investing in those opportunities of connection at the best of my ability via empathy. In terms of being able to find me, of course, on LinkedIn, Petro Bars, as you see, in the lower third of the screen. And so I just I just implore you all to continue to explore this, this rim of coaching and and being a top performer. And, you’ll see me around and and and I look forward to more opportunities like this with you, Rachel, where we can continue to have this conversation. Awesome.

Rachel Cossar: Well, thank you again for for joining us and for sharing your amazing insights. And thank you to everyone for listening until next time. Awesome.