Five years ago, I wrote a check for $1 million to launch an AI-powered coach using IBM Watson.
We then created the world’s first executive coach bot (long before Chat GPT).
And it DID NOT work.
Here’s why:
Even though the leaders liked the tool…
The BUYERS—CPOs, CHROs, CLOs—DID NOT.
The issue was this: Occasionally the bot would make a mistake. And this put the Buyers at risk.
Sure, the mistakes were small, uncommon, and not costly. But, any risk when it came to a coach was too much risk.
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So here’s what we realized: People didn’t want a Bot coach. They wanted affordable, text-based access to a coach.
And here’s what we did to meet that need: We put together a staff of on-call, ICF-certified coaches to interact with leaders by text.
Like a call center of expert coaches.
Learners can message an expert at the exact moment they run into a challenge or a question.
That was the balance between scalability and impact that people wanted.
What is The Culture Code?
Welcome to The Culture Code podcast. On this podcast, you’ll learn how to grow, shape, and sustain a high-performance culture with the CEO of LEADx, Kevin Kruse. From designing and delivering highly effective leadership development programs, to measuring and improving the employee experience, you will understand what it takes to cultivate a thriving company culture. Through interviews with Chief People Officers, deep dives into key topics, and recordings of our invite-only community sessions, we bring you cutting-edge, data-backed insights from the most desirable companies to work for in the world.