AI Coaching: The new frontier for developing managers

One of the biggest challenges facing HR is the perennial challenge of leadership capability. Despite years of investment in programmes, frameworks, and workshops, many organisations still struggle to see real behavioural change. The world around us is moving faster, the expectations on leaders are higher, and yet our development approaches can still feel generic, theoretical, and removed from the realities of day-to-day work.
But what if technology - and specifically, AI - could help us do it differently? Instead of a one-size-fits-all course, what if every manager could have a personalised coach in their pocket that gives them real-time, practical guidance in the moment they need it most? To explore the benefits and risks of AI coaching, Lucy is joined by Anand Chopra-McGowan, Managing Director, Europe at Valence.

Anand explains how Nadia, Valence’s AI coach, learns your context (company principles, programmes, your team) and supports both the “small moments” such as a tricky feedback chat, and the “big moments” like onboarding and performance reviews. He shares a live example of using Nadia minutes before a meeting, why perfect memory beats good intentions, and how the tool integrates where managers already are .
We dig into trust and ethics, what data Nadia uses, and how clients are measuring value - from time saved on reviews to uplift in leadership effectiveness scores and store-level customer outcomes. Anand’s deployment advice is refreshingly practical: point the coach at high-friction moments in your HR calendar, customise to your ways of working, and use early wins to convert sceptics.

Chapters
00:29 — Why traditional leadership development stalls
10:22 — What Nadia is and how it works (with an in-the-moment example at 12:12)
14:47 — Ethics, data, and measuring impact (ROI examples from 19:23)
23:01 — How to deploy AI coaching and bring sceptical managers with you
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Contact Anand:   / achopramcgowan