it’s lonely at the top — top consultant
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Alan Denton of The Results Centre speaks about the isolation that CEO's and MD's face at a time when everyone is looking to them for answers. “I had no one to turn to internally, I needed that shake and the results have been fantastic.” said one MD of his experience with The Results Centre executive coachingTRANSCRIPT
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news.top-consultant.com
It’s lonely at the top
10-Mar-2014 - Isolation can be a problem for many CEOs and
senior staff says Alan Denton of executive coaching company
The Results Centre. Here, he discusses the importance of
challenge and feedback.
***
With the gloom of recession receding, it would be logical to
assume that many CEOs and directors are enjoying a sense of
relief - even euphoria - at having survived the downturn and
leading their organisations into better times. However, as an
executive coach I come across many MDs and chief officers who
exhibit strong signs of isolation and loneliness. The reality is,
they are crying out for support and challenge: someone to
confide in, who is prepared to stand their corner with
credibility and integrity - and even to confront when necessary.
But, when staff, shareholders and management teams are all
looking to those at the top for answers, who does the CEO turn
to formulate ideas, run through options and get ‘unattached’
feedback and challenge?
Putting on a public face
A major failing of people who hold senior positions is the belief
that they should know all the answers; that demonstrating any
form of weakness or uncertainty is to be avoided at all costs.
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This can make asking for unbiased, non politicised opinions
and feedback difficult.
However, great leaders and managers understand the power of
not knowing all the answers and showing some degree of
vulnerability. They have the confidence to take risks and are
prepared to enter their ‘discomfort zone’. Furthermore, the
principles of ‘servant leader’ and ‘leaders who listen’ are often
difficult, if not impossible, to implement in hierarchical
organisations with an autocratic management style.
Follow the leader
It takes tenacity, knowledge, experience, ability, good timing
and great networks to reach the top of a successful
organisation. It is an appointment as opposed to leadership,
which relies solely on the willingness of others to follow.
Unfortunately, the perception amongst many senior executives
is that they are the leader because they are ‘in charge’- not
because of whom they are being.
How many chief officers or senior executives are either so
isolated or so ‘in charge’ that they become unchallengeable –
they believe in their own power until, of course, they fall off the
sandcastle? How many have confidantes in the business? And
how many are truly challenged and supported to develop a
dynamic and, sometimes, uncomfortable, direction for
themselves and their organisation?
A source of challenge
So, with many CEOs wary of showing weakness to the people
who see themselves as a future CEO, who can they discuss their
fears and hopes with? Colleagues are often scared of giving
honest feedback to their boss for fear that it will interpreted as
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personal criticism. Unfortunately, the same can be said for
many business coaches who can seem more interested in
keeping their job and getting the next meeting than in telling the
sometimes hard-to-hear truth.
Executive coaching can be perceived by some as a failure in
itself. In fact, at the start of the process, many senior executives
I come into contact with have negative perceptions of coaching,
with comments such as:
• Coaching is for failures
• Isn’t coaching about ‘fixing’ something?
• It’s not for me
• It’s fluffy nonsense
• I’ll be seen as weak if I take on a coach
However, the more enlightened senior executives who choose to
embrace coaching often find it invaluable. At its most basic
level, it provides someone to talk to on a level and in confidence
- but it can be so much more than that.
Coaching in action
In 2008/9, as the recession took hold, we worked with a
managing director who ran a successful multi million pound
business. Although confident on the surface, honest
conversation revealed his uncertainties about the future,
particularly with regards to leading the business through the
recession. However, the process of external coaching enabled
him to look at his business (and more importantly, his people),
in a new way. As a company, they chose to change the
‘conversation’ they were having, both internally amongst
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themselves and externally with clients, suppliers and
stakeholders. As a consequence, the company powered their
way through the downturn. The MD recognised the importance
of being able to communicate honestly, saying in his feedback, “I
had no one to turn to internally, I needed that shake and the
results have been fantastic.” In the hands of the right coach, and
with a client who is willing to step into real possibilities that
can emerge, business stars can truly become superstars.
Executive coaching should have a clear ethos, but not a pre-
determined process. It’s about digging in, challenging and
exploring the possibilities and then stretching those
possibilities. Applying a fixed model or process can be stifling
and prescriptive.
What to look for
So, if you feel that you would benefit from the challenge and
(sometimes tough) feedback that a coach can offer, you should
look for someone who has a clear ethos for his or her coaching
that encompasses the following:
• An understanding of the need for external coaches to be a
sounding board, a confidant – a ‘critical friend’ – one that often
does not exist for most senior executives.
• A clear definition of confidentiality and integrity. Check out
what this means in practice, particularly if there is a third party
stakeholder in place, i.e. what, if anything, is being reported
back? This should be determined by mutual agreement between
the coach and the coachee. Ideally, the results that third parties
see, hear and experience in their interactions with the client
under coaching will speak for themselves.
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• The need for an agreement of clear outcomes – with an
expectation that these will be bettered. A good coach is not
attached to further meetings although they may agree a series of
coaching interventions.
• Someone who stands for you, the client, achieving an amazing
outcome as designed by you - but is absolutely prepared to
stretch and challenge you, often to a place of discomfort.
• If you are a CEO, look for someone who has had that
experience - but not necessarily in your sector.
A great executive coach will push, pull and support in equal
measure and comes from a place of ruthless compassion. They
will also be happy to discuss ROI.
Feelings of loneliness isolation are both common and
counterproductive in business – as in many other areas of life.
However, CEOs and senior executives have the ability to break
down barriers of inaccessibility. They may have to take a long,
hard look at the way they manage processes and people – to be
prepared to receive hard feedback and admit vulnerability.
However, the right external, impartial support can make the
whole process easier and more likely to succeed. There may be
some discomfort along the way, but the results can truly be
amazing.
About the author:
Alan Denton is MD of executive coaching company The Results
Centre ( www.theresultscentre.com). Alan regularly coaches
CEOs and senior executives across a range of sectors including
pharmaceuticals, retail, manufacturing, recruitment,
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engineering, financial services, property and the legal sector. He
has created several leadership and transformational
programmes, including the First 101 Days Programme.
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