An Interview With Chad Silverstein

The transition from the ‘me’ to ‘we’ mentality: Leaders increasingly recognize the need to transform ‘me’ cultures into ‘we’ cultures. This transformation hinges on upskilling and reskilling managers to become effective Team Coaches, driving connection, alignment, collaboration, and performance at every level of the organization. I believe the ‘me’ to ‘we’ mentality will help teams and organizations, or ‘team of teams,’ all over the world come together and thrive in the new world of work.

The world of coaching is undergoing a seismic shift, with emerging trends and technologies set to redefine its boundaries and possibilities. From digital transformation and the integration of artificial intelligence to the growing emphasis on mental health and the global rise of coaching cultures within organizations, these developments are reshaping the landscape of personal and professional growth. As we navigate through these changes, understanding the forces that drive the future of coaching becomes paramount. I had the pleasure of interviewing Will Guillaume Foussier, CEO and Co-Founder of AceUp.

Will Guillaume Foussier, CEO and co-founder of AceUp, launched the company in 2017 with the goal of making professional coaching more accessible to people at any level. Prior to founding AceUp, Foussier participated in Harvard Innovation Labs’ Venture Incubation Program and Techstars Venture Accelerator Program, where the company did its first round of funding, successfully raising $2.5M. Foussier holds a master’s degree in management from Harvard University, where he first studied organizational behavior, and he obtained his bachelor’s in Hospitality Management at the Ecole Hôtelière de Lausanne, where he developed early on in his career a passion for excellence in customer experience.

Thank you for joining us. To start, could you share your “origin story” with our readers? How did you begin your coaching journey, and what challenges did you face in the early days?

Earlier on in my career, in 2015, I was in the middle of transitioning from my role as a financial analyst to a position with the Clinton Global Initiative, a non-profit organization. During this period of change, I quickly realized that I lacked the key skills needed to be successful in my new role. As I witnessed the impact executive coaching had on others in the organization, I decided to try it despite my initial skepticism. My experience was life changing. Working closely with the right expert, I quickly developed new skills that transformed my performance and my ability to collaborate with my teammates and others in the workplace.

However, as I was looking for the right coach, I quickly realized how difficult it was to find and vet professional coaches, especially at a cost I could afford as a young professional. It was at that point that the idea of leveraging technology to make quality coaching more accessible to all came to me, and soon after, AceUp was born.

Launched in 2017 by me and Rohit Begani, AceUp is the AI-powered Team Transformation Engine®, bringing human-centered leadership development solutions to individuals and teams globally. Developed in collaboration with the Harvard-backed Institute of Coaching, AceUp helps innovative, purpose-driven enterprises build high-performing teams at scale and upskill emerging and seasoned leaders at all levels to unleash their full potential.

You are a successful business leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?

The first character trait I think is very important is just Being Present, or what I like to call ‘showing up’. What I mean by this is that while we all have reasons to not feel our best sometimes — it could be due to our physical or mental health — those who succeed tend to always show up. What I have observed through time is that, mostly, when people don’t feel at their best they don’t show up and prefer to stay in a zone of comfort or even hide to stay away from risks or challenges. You may indeed not feel ready or capable, or you may think that you haven’t prepared or rehearsed enough. But whatever it is, what I firmly believe is that you will always drive better impact and outcomes if you are just present and show up. You don’t need to be at 100% all the time, but you do need to be present to continuously build momentum forward.

The second character trait is Adaptability and Resilience, or what I like to call ‘flex and don’t give up.’ The rapid changes in technology and market demands have always required us to be highly agile and adaptable. For instance, when the pandemic hit, our business model had to shift overnight to accommodate remote work and digital services. We spearheaded initiatives to pivot our offerings and ensure our team had the tools and training needed to succeed in this new environment. This flexibility not only helped us survive but also allowed us to thrive in challenging circumstances. Beyond this moment in time, our business model has had to change or evolve significantly at least four times since our launch in 2017. As such, ‘flex and don’t give up’ to me means that if you work closely with your clients and aim to solve real problems they face, you may still have to evolve your model, but you can always improve your solution and strategy to succeed.

The third character trait is Empathy, or what I like to call ‘be a good human.’ A critical moment for me was when I had to navigate a difficult period during a company restructuring. Many employees were anxious about their futures. My team and I made it a priority to hold open forums where everyone could voice their concerns and share their thoughts. By actively listening and addressing their fears, we fostered a sense of trust and support within the team, which helped us move forward together more effectively, and come across the restructuring as a stronger team than we had ever been.

Can you share your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Why does that resonate with you so much?

One of my favorite life lesson quotes is from American poet Maya Angelou: “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” This resonates with me because it captures the essence of growth, humility, and progress. It reminds me that no matter how much we strive for excellence, there’s always room to learn, adapt, and improve. In my work, especially in leadership and team development, this idea of continuous improvement is central. We may not have all the answers today, but the willingness to evolve and do better when we learn is what drives long-term success and impact.

Another quote I love is, “Your feet will find the road easy if your heart walks with them.” This speaks to the importance of alignment between our passions and our actions. When we are deeply connected to the work we do and the values we uphold, challenges become more surmountable, and the path forward feels more natural. In my own journey, I’ve found that when I lead with purpose and conviction, the road may not always be smooth, but it becomes easier to navigate.

What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now? How do you think that might help people?

I have the privilege of working with organizations like LVMH, L’Oreal, IBM, Teradyne, NTT Data, Veolia, Eutelsat, EssilorLuxottica, and Waste Management (WM), among many others.

Notably, as we’ve scaled coaching across numerous organizations, we’ve identified inefficiencies and opportunities to further systematize coaching within enterprises. These learnings have driven our ongoing innovation through AceUp Labs, where we collaborate with our extensive coaching network, select partners, and some of our most forward-thinking customers to continually test and refine AI-powered solutions. This initiative ensures we maximize our current impact and position ourselves as trailblazers in AI-driven HRTech innovation.

Through our TalentOS initiative, we’ve developed a sophisticated data model that connects individuals, teams, and the broader organization with a unified thread. This enables us to dynamically assess and understand individual and team needs within their working ecosystem. By factoring in organizational goals, existing challenges, and competency profiles, AceUp helps identify the most critical areas for growth. For HR and L&D leaders, this removes the guesswork in determining where and how to deploy coaching resources for maximum impact, providing a clear roadmap for talent development and organizational success.

Our best work is yet to be publicly released. We couldn’t be more excited about the upcoming AI-powered digital coaching and microlearning innovations we will release over the next 12 months. We have a robust product roadmap and plan to launch several new products and features this fall and throughout 2025. We’re currently developing a new solution that is aligned with our goal to democratize learning and coaching outcomes everywhere in the world and at all levels. As we leverage the capital to drive significant growth and innovation at AceUp, our primary focus will be accelerating AI transformation and global enterprise go-to-market efforts.

We have already started further integrating AI into our virtual training and coaching programs. This will help us deliver more personalized and impactful solutions, especially for leadership and management competency development.

Without saying any names could you share a particularly memorable success story from your coaching career?

Of course! What pleases me most about building AceUp is knowing that we are genuinely changing people’s lives. It’s incredible to see the real impact our work has on individuals and organizations. As such, one of the particularly memorable success stories from my coaching career is with our partnership with Paradigm for Parity’s Profit & Loss Leadership Accelerator Program, which is specifically designed to fast-track women — particularly women of color — into senior operating roles that eventually lead to the C-Suite.

This program takes a comprehensive approach, combining key business and financial acumen training, sponsorship from internal company executives, and external mentors with P&L experience. But what really sets it apart is the inclusion of core leadership training and virtual executive coaching, which we provide at AceUp.

Across the board, participants in the program reported profound personal and professional growth. They learned more about themselves, how they make decisions, and how to step back and analyze their attitudes and outputs. The coaching sessions became safe spaces where they could openly share their difficulties and find inspiration to tackle challenges with renewed energy and motivation.

The results of this program have been remarkable. Within just six months of completion, more than 11% of participants received promotions. The pilot cohort also showed significant growth in leadership competencies, with a 12% increase in time management, organization, and productivity skills, a 9% improvement in managing conflicts and difficult conversations, a 10% boost in effective communication and influencing stakeholders, and an 8% increase in leading with a growth mindset.

What truly excites me is that the feedback we receive aligns perfectly with our company purpose — to upskill and reskill people, help them feel more confident in themselves and their ability to succeed in their role, and through time unleash their full human potential. Seeing these outcomes and knowing that AceUp is making a tangible difference in so many people’s lives all over the world thanks to the work we do with our team every day is, without a doubt, the most rewarding part of this journey. As a Founder I’m truly grateful for this opportunity we have to make an impact.

Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview about coaching. How has your approach to coaching evolved over the years, and what personal learnings have you applied to your own development?

I founded AceUp to bring quality coaching at scale to the workforce at an affordable cost. This was an inequity I noticed when I was looking for coaching earlier in my career and one that was very important for me to solve. Over the years, I’ve been able to create coaching programs that are designed to meet the specific needs of individuals and teams at every level of the organization.

Additionally, one of my company’s goals has always been to create a platform that serves as the go-to dashboard for C-suite executives and technical decision-makers, providing a comprehensive view of the organization’s health. This vision led to the development of TalentOS. TalentOS offers an enterprise-level heatmap that visualizes systemic strengths and growth opportunities across the organization. It goes a step further by providing actionable, AI-powered recommendations on where and how to deploy solutions for maximum impact.

How do you incorporate feedback into your coaching practice to continuously improve?

I strive to create a welcoming atmosphere where my team feels comfortable sharing their thoughts, believing that open communication is essential for growth. Regular check-ins serve as invaluable opportunities for us to reflect on our progress together, discussing what’s working and what needs adjustment. After each coaching session, I take the time to reflect on the feedback I receive, helping me identify areas for my own growth and how I can better support my team.

Additionally, I actively seek insights from my peers and mentors, recognizing that their experiences enrich my understanding and allow me to refine my approach. This commitment to learning and reflection not only enhances my leadership but also strengthens our collective journey.

Can you discuss an innovation in coaching that you believe is currently underappreciated but has the potential to significantly impact the field?

Often, we don’t appreciate and tend to overlook the crucial element missing from many coaching approaches: the focus on the team. Team-centric coaching will have a profound impact on the field as it introduces an entirely new category of coaching, where the team is at the center of operations.

There remains a great opportunity to focus on team dynamics, offering solutions that enhance team performance and cohesion, helping every team perform at its highest potential, understand team health and dynamics, and personalize the specific needs of each group at scale to align with organizational goals. This approach–though underappreciated now–will make a profound impact on the future of workplace coaching.

In what ways can coaching address the evolving mental health needs of diverse populations in a digitally connected world?

Coaching, specifically human-centered coaching, has been shown to cultivate overall well-being, mindfulness, compassion, emotional intelligence, self-determination, and a growth mindset–this can have a profoundly positive impact on mental health in the workplace. Coaching encourages leaders to re-conceptualize soft skills that are foundational to employee well-being and mental health. While soft skills are often seen as intangible and difficult to measure, that couldn’t be further from the truth. They are teachable, scalable, powerful, and needed in our digitally connected world and dispersed workplaces.

How do you foresee artificial intelligence and machine learning transforming the coaching industry in the next decade?

Artificial intelligence will increasingly integrate and transform the coaching industry for good. With artificial intelligence, the industry can better provide actionable insights derived from prescriptive analytics, which can then empower managers and leaders to be change agents for their teams and the whole organization. This application of AI will take the guesswork out of the data analysis and give leaders a better understanding of the meaning behind the data — ultimately, the industry will be able to provide strategies for driving changes across their teams and contribute to more efficient, actionable, and impactful business outcomes for the organization.

What role do you believe ethical considerations and privacy concerns will play in the future of coaching, especially with the increased use of digital platforms?

Data privacy and compliance must be foundational to any technology in the future of coaching. Organizations should consider capturing only the minimal Personally Identifiable Information (PII) required to deliver services to individuals and organizations worldwide. Additionally, it is important to comply with GDPR and CCPA regulations and proactively obtain SOC2 Type 2 certification, covering all five trust criteria.

With the increased use of digital platforms, it’s also important to consider data retention policies and ensure individuals can submit Data Subject Requests (DSR) at any time to review, modify, or delete their personal data. The most trusted organizations may approach data usage as always opt-in, never opt-out, ensuring users are fully informed and in control when new features are introduced.

Could you list and briefly explain “Top 5 Trends Shaping the Future of Coaching” based on your experiences and insights? If you can, please share a story or example for each.

1. The transition from the ‘me’ to ‘we’ mentality: Leaders increasingly recognize the need to transform ‘me’ cultures into ‘we’ cultures. This transformation hinges on upskilling and reskilling managers to become effective Team Coaches, driving connection, alignment, collaboration, and performance at every level of the organization. I believe the ‘me’ to ‘we’ mentality will help teams and organizations, or ‘team of teams,’ all over the world come together and thrive in the new world of work.
2. A desire for more visibility into organizational health: Many organizations struggle to gain a clear, holistic view of their department or overall company health. The desire for more visibility requires coaching to critically evaluate core strengths and areas for growth across organizations and departments. By turning this into immediate insights, leaders will be more empowered, giving them a sense of control over the health of their teams.
3. Reducing siloed growth: Teams often work in isolation, solving similar problems in parallel, which leads to inefficiencies and wasted effort. We’re starting to see coaching technology capture and correlate insights from teams and individuals within the same cohort, ensuring aligned growth journeys and reducing redundant efforts.
4. Understanding triggers for change: C-suite leaders often lack visibility around the drivers of specific changes within different teams of their organization. Increasingly, coaching is not only looking at outcomes but also identifying and highlighting actions and behaviors that led to measurable changes at the team or cohort level.
5. Avoiding data overload: Executives are frequently overwhelmed by the sheer volume of data and the number of dashboards they need to monitor. Rapid tech innovations leveraging Machine Learning and Generative AI will start to distill vast amounts of data into clear, actionable insights so leaders can make thoughtful, strategic decisions quickly and efficiently.

How do you envision the integration of coaching within organizational cultures changing the landscape of leadership and employee development?

In the rush to adapt to hybrid work models, many organizations have poured resources into flashy perks, but the true game-changer is something far more substantial and straightforward: upskilling via coaching. With AI chomping at the bit to “take your job,” you might be surprised that the technical upskilling — while important — isn’t where we need to put all our focus …we’re talking leadership. Seven in 10 U.S. workers are ready to leave if they have a bad manager, which is a number far too high to ignore.

Coaching should become second nature within organizational cultures.

In today’s rapidly evolving landscape, fostering alignment, connection, and team collaboration is more critical than ever. With only 24% of remote workers feeling connected to their company culture (Gartner, 2024) and a recent Gallup survey noting we hit an 11-year low in employee engagement — only rebounding slightly last quarter — we are forced to confront the real issue: trust. Trust between employees and employers and trust in the direction of workplace collaboration. Organizations must adapt to thrive.

What do you see as the biggest challenge facing the coaching industry today, and how might we overcome it?

Many coaching providers offer the exact solutions that have existed for years without meeting companies where they are today and adapting to their new and rapidly evolving needs. Leadership coaching must evolve with them. Today, the need for leaders to step into the role of team coaches has never been more urgent. Customers repeatedly express the need for solutions that help employees shift from a “me” to a “we” mentality, reinforcing the importance of team-centered growth. This is why we continue to push the deployment of our TalentOS, with our Team Transformation Engine® at its core, designed to meet the modern leadership development challenges.

Enterprise organizations are often plagued with complex team challenges. Just over the last few years, we’ve seen the pandemic spark demand for investing in employees’ well-being, followed by global restructuring and an era defined by unknowns and volatilities in the workplace. Today, organizations are being asked to define their hybrid work environments alongside rapid AI transformation while also ensuring their employees feel engaged and connected. Some data shows that only 23% of employees feel connected to their organization’s culture, signaling a critical need for a more holistic approach to coaching and upskilling.

Compounding the issue, employees evolve at different rates, and leaders adopt varying strategies, leading to team misalignment. By investing in your teams and bringing data-centricity to coaching, I believe you can effectively pinpoint improvement areas, business impact and ensure teams’ progress — driving success for your organization. We’ve effectively shifted from a “me” to “we” mindset and believe that transforming teams creates the best possible people and business outcomes.

What is one long-term goal you have for your coaching practice, and how are you working towards it?

One long-term goal I have for AceUp is to empower one billion lives and careers or empower every employee and team to build the skills and confidence they need to thrive in life and at work. It’s something I deeply care about because I believe that when people feel capable and supported, they can achieve incredible things, and by changing their ability to achieve great things, we ultimately change the world.

To make this a reality, we are fully invested in bringing together the power of the best human experts in the world and the most disruptive AI technology.

How can our readers continue to follow your work?

You can find the latest on AceUp through our website or LinkedIn–feel free to follow us to stay in the know! I am also on LinkedIn and welcome connecting with readers to continue the conversation.

Thank you for offering such valuable insights into the future of coaching. We look forward to seeing your work continue to reach new heights, and we wish you continued success.

About the Interviewer: Chad Silverstein, a seasoned entrepreneur with over two decades of experience as the Founder and CEO of multiple companies. He launched Choice Recovery, Inc., a healthcare collection agency, while going to The Ohio State University, His team earned national recognition, twice being ranked as the #1 business to work for in Central Ohio. In 2018, Chad launched [re]start, a career development platform connecting thousands of individuals in collections with meaningful employment opportunities, He sold Choice Recovery on his 25th anniversary and in 2023, sold the majority interest in [re]start so he can focus his transition to Built to Lead as an Executive Leadership Coach. Learn more at www.chadsilverstein.com

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Will Guillaume Foussier Of AceUp On The Top 5 Trends Shaping the Future of Coaching was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.