Everyone is different, so my approach varies with each client. My goal is to combine real presence and listening with a deep psychological understanding and years of business experience.
Studies show that there is a very strong correlation between outstanding performance and coaching. At the same time, two-thirds of leaders are not, but nearly 100% are open to coaching.
Why do CEOs have coaches?
They work together for a variety of reasons: I have worked with leaders on a wide range of topics on a global scale. A CEO once told me: “You are my mentor, my peer, and my outside eye,3:1 like a Nespreso “
Many leaders work with coaches throughout their careers. Great athletes wouldn’t be able to achieve great results without a coach. They don’t feel uncomfortable working with a coach. However, many CEOs don’t think they need one. They see it as a weakness.
CEOs make promises and set goals. They make promises to investors, to the team, to customers, and to family. Goals help them keep those promises. The best CEO coaches help them keep their promises and achieve their goals. Promises and goals are different for everyone, and for every company. A coach helps not only the leader, but the entire company.
First, a CEO coach must establish a solid foundation.
The only way to be effective is to build trust with the CEO. Without it, results will not come.
Many CEO coaches simply connect with the CEO – everything is done via video calls or phone calls. But context is important to building trust.
It may seem like a no-brainer, but this is the area of coaching that helps the leader and the company create a high-performance business culture. In this area, CEO coaching usually involves some level of assessment and establishing a baseline of current talent and thinking based on current and future needs.
Really conduct various competency assessments on key leaders.I don’t believe in testing. I believe in personal or video meetings.If I use is ORG which structure shapes behavior within the company. It is essential for business success!
This is an area where CEOs don’t think a coach can help much, but it’s perhaps one of the most valuable aspects. When I start working with a leader, I am one of the few coaches who talks to the people they work with directly within the organization and to the board. This allows me to be a “Canary in the Coal Mine” – to anticipate problems before they show up in the results.
The only way to be effective is to build trust with the CEO. Without it, results will not come.
Many CEO coaches simply connect with the CEO – everything is done via video calls or phone calls. But context is important to building trust.
It may seem like a no-brainer, but this is the area of coaching that helps the leader and the company create a high-performance business culture. In this area, CEO coaching usually involves some level of assessment and establishing a baseline of current talent and thinking based on current and future needs.
Really conduct various competency assessments on key leaders.I don’t believe in testing. I believe in personal or video meetings.If I use is ORG which structure shapes behavior within the company. It is essential for business success!
A CEO coach can (and often does) end up in the role of “therapist” for the CEO. However, this does not lead to commitment and effectiveness. A CEO coach is (at least) judged by results. Simply listening does not lead to results.
That’s why I pay so much attention to not only setting six-month goals, but also to providing ongoing feedback.
Before each meeting, I ask them to give me a quick update on what has happened since our last conversation, 1-2 things they want to discuss, and what they want to achieve. Coupled with our six-month goals, this provides an intense focus for the time we spend together. We can accomplish a lot in this short amount of time.
I typically meet with the leader 1-2 times a month in person or zoom and we exchange a lot of emails, phone calls, and messages.
Without a Growth Map, the potential for distraction is high. Engagement is low. Progress typically stalls.
At the end of the six months, I ask them to evaluate me and whether they achieved what they wanted during our collaboration and whether they would work with me again knowing what they know now. If the CEO wants it, we dive into the next 2-4-6 months.
I think it’s because they really don’t know why it would be good. Most of the time they read that this and that leader have it, and they think, why shouldn’t they have it too?
There’s also a scene in Silicon Valley where the main character is criticized for his leadership skills. Well, he says, “The CEO of Twitter got a coach, I got one.”
That’s like going to the gym and saying, “We want to work out.” That doesn’t help. Why do we want to work out? To run a marathon? To build muscle? These are all different programs.
Judging at The Business Excellence Awards in UK and UAE for many years ,I have to tell that more and more leaders started to come wit their coach,this is a good sign.
CEOs are often accused of being exceptional because the coach only talks to them. To use an example from sports again, it’s like hiring a personal trainer who has no idea how we eat, sleep, exercise, etc., even though these are important pieces of the puzzle.
That’s why talking to your employees is key to the coaching process, both for the CEO and the company. They see the blind spots that are necessary for growth and development.
I’m a CEO coach, so you know, I’ve been working with CEOs globally for over 10 years, I do ongoing research and studies on this topic – but really I coach the company itself. A company is a legal entity (it has its own tax ID). Usually, no one approaches a company as if it were a person.
A company is like a growing child (or an aging parent) depending on the type of company.
This means that I don’t always have to agree, sometimes I have to argue with the CEO for the good of the company of course. I don’t coach positions, I coach people.
Ultimately, the COMPANY is my client.
Furthermore, if the company is not successful, the people are not either.
And neither is the CEO.
Would you like to know my approach, my way of thinking?
Book an appointment.
“We used YOUR Professionalism to offer training support to 10 new Team Leaders who were appointed as part of a re-structure to strengthen our management teams. The feedback from the experience was terrific and more importantly the benefits from the training were tangible and the impact immediate. I was, and still am, delighted with the decision to work with you.Great work, Susan. Thank you.”
“Susan quick and effective work was fantastic. Her approach made her popular with our learners, who gave us enthusiastic feedback on their evaluation documents. She handled a number of sensitive situations with tact. The program she delivered was noted for its realism and practicality, and the feedback she gave to us was insightful and prompted wider organisational learning.”
“SUSAN l is an outstanding OD ,Her relaxed and energetic style puts individuals and groups at ease resulting in open, honest and productive exchanges. I would not hesitate to recommend HER as a first class Coach. and leadership developer.”
