Coaching Leaders Through the AI Shift: An ICF-Aligned Perspective

August 20, 2025
By Jeffrey E. Auerbach, Ph.D., MCC, NBC-HWC

ICF-aligned executive coaching helps leaders think clearly, govern responsibly, and remain competitive.

Artificial intelligence has moved from "dabbling" to a daily business reality. Leaders feel the urgency to adopt it for competitiveness, yet many wrestle with uncertainty, ethical concerns, and organization cultural resistance. Executive coaches now commonly find that one of the top issues their clients are struggling with is how to adopt AI.

Increasingly leaders want to discuss AI with their coaches, are you ready for those conversations?

Aligned with the International Coaching Federation (ICF) definition and Code of Ethics, coaches can help leaders explore how to learn what they need to know to lead their organizations responsibly and ethically during the AI transition.

Why Leaders Need Coaching on AI Adoption

The Growing Gap Between AI Use and Leadership Strategy

75% of knowledge workers already use AI at work
78% bring their own AI tools
79% of leaders believe AI is essential for competitiveness
60% admit they lack a clear adoption plan (Microsoft Work Trend Index, 2024)

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At the enterprise level, 65% of companies use generative AI regularly, and 72% report overall AI adoption — with measurable cost reductions and revenue gains (McKinsey, 2024).

New Pressures: Regulation and Governance

AI governance is maturing:

The EU AI Act initiates in 2026, with full effect by 2027
NIST AI Risk Management Framework (RMF) is widely cited for trustworthy adoption
ISO/IEC 42001 establishes standards for AI management systems

For leaders, this means AI is not only a performance business tool but also brings compliance and reputation risks.

The Executive Coach's Role in AI Discussions

Anchored in ICF Coaching Ethics

ICF defines coaching as partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that maximizes personal and professional potential. Coaches do not select vendors, draft compliance policies, or provide legal advice. Instead, we:

Help leaders clarify outcomes AI should serve
Facilitate reflection on assumptions, risks, and values
Strengthen leaders' adaptive capacity and communication
Hold space for ethical guardrails aligned with organizational values

Staying in Scope

What coaches can do:

Coach for clarity, learning, and accountability
Explore ethical decision-making
Build leadership capacity for change

What coaches must not do:

Recommend tools or systems
Approve AI deployments
Provide legal or HR policy advice

Common AI-Related Dilemmas Leaders Face

Shadow AI in the Workplace

Issue
Employees already use unapproved AI tools.

Coach's Role
Guide leaders to channel initiative and energy into safe, governed pilots, protecting data and confidentiality, rather than banning.

Proving ROI Quickly

Issue
Pressure from boards and investors.

Coach's Role
Help leaders frame value hypotheses, set stop conditions if a pilot shows it is the wrong tack, and focus on learning.

Workforce Anxiety and Ethics

Issue
Employees fear job loss and unfairness.

Coach's Role
Encourage leaders to track human metrics — engagement, impact on culture, time saved, error reduction — alongside financial results.

Navigating Compliance and Governance

Issue
Leaders feel overwhelmed by regulation.

Coach's Role
Help the leader fulfill their obligations at a high level, and help the leader find and convene knowledgeable experts for specific consultation.

Final Thought: Coaching Helps Leaders Think Better About AI

Leaders don't just need more AI — they need better knowledge, perspective, and thinking about AI use cases for their organization. Increasingly leaders want to discuss AI with their coaches, so it is important to be ready for those conversations.

Effective leadership coaching slows the rush just enough for reflection, learning, values-based decision-making, and navigating ethical guardrails. This keeps organizations competitive while safeguarding their organizational health and its safe, welcoming, and engaging human culture.