The 29th session of the dialogue series "Coaching Meets AI" focused on integrating AI into coaching processes, specifically in the field of equine-assisted leadership coaching. Dorothee, an expert in this area, presented her challenge: participants often focus too much on the horses and too little on leadership topics.
Problem Statement
Initial Situation:
- Groups of 15 participants work with three horses.
- Three assistants provide organizational support but do not have coaching capacities.
- Tasks such as observing the horse's body language are intended to promote leadership competencies.
- Due to a lack of experience with horses, many participants focus excessively on the animals, weakening the coaching's objectives.
Coach-Side Challenges:
- Frustration as participants unconsciously neglect the leadership topics.
- Difficulty redirecting participants' focus toward leadership during interactions with the horses.
- High coordination effort when managing group work with multiple participants and horses.
Approaches and Insights
Improvements to the Coaching Process:
- Strengthening theoretical introduction: Preparatory discussions on-site aim to better orient participants toward leadership topics.
- Targeted instructions: Clear and concise directions during interactions with the horses are intended to steer participants' focus.
- Feedback rounds: Structured debriefing sessions should help reinforce the connection between observations and leadership themes.
Emotional Perspective:
- Dorothee seeks to replace feelings of helplessness with a better sense of effective interventions.
- While she consciously adopts a background role, she aims to achieve maximum impact through targeted actions.
Vicious Cycle:
- Participants’ unconscious neglect of leadership topics exacerbates Dorothee's frustration, leading to more directive behavior. This is not always perceived by the participants, causing the focus on the horses to persist.
Use of AI
Integration of ChatGPT:
- Developing reports for problem analysis and solution strategies.
- Precise prompt formulation as a key to achieving relevant results.
- Iterative review and adaptation of AI outputs by the coachees.
Feedback and Conclusion
- Participants emphasized the importance of precise formulations and appreciated the useful diversity of AI-generated perspectives.
- Dorothee plans to implement these new insights in her coaching sessions next year.
- The session concluded with a preview of future topics, such as immersive image work and additional applications of AI.