The explosive rise of the coaching culture

Last week, the Dutch news site AD reported that there are currently 2.5 times more coaches than 10 years ago. The number of lifestyle coaches has even multiplied by 13 (!). Why is there such a growing need for people to help us direct our lives?

One explanation that we provide through our trends is the growing need for guidance. Traditionally, people were surrounded by close-knit communities (often in smaller towns and villages) and generally were part of a church that answered the big questions of life for us and gave us a neat set of morals to follow. But in recent decades, due to rising welfare, globalization, and individualization, people have increasingly broken free from the social and ideological restraints that once guided us. In exchange, we received an ocean of freedom to lead our lives in any way we desire.

The flipside of this freedom, however, is that we ourselves – and no one else – stand in the way of our happiness and success, but also our sadness and our failure. It’s our personal choices and efforts that decide whether we win or lose in life.

When the stakes are high and the choices are overwhelming, people look for guidance outside themselves. Both to receive insight, but also simply to place a little responsibility in an external entity and reduce pressure on themselves. In this context, it is not so strange to see that in our modern society, the role of the priest is replaced by the life coach, and the role of a close friend by a psychologist.

Even just helping people set priorities in their life can guide them towards what they find important and provide more peace of mind. Like this commercial by Thai life insurance company. So, how can you guide your customers and employees in life?