Every Chief Executive Officer (CEO) is "on the stage" the majority of his or her work life but needs pre-performance quiet and confidential time to be creative, bounce their ideas off someone in a safe environment, and explore the unintended consequences of their future actions. Engaging in a personal coaching conversation is a refreshing opportunity where the CEO can be completely open and creative in a confidential and safe place.
When asked what was the best advice he ever received, Eric Schmidt, Chairman and CEO of Google, recognized it was from John Doerr, who in 2001 said, "My advice to you is to have a coach." Schmidt initially resented the advice, because after all, he was a CEO. He was pretty experienced. Why would he need a coach?
CEO Schmidt asked himself, "Am I doing something wrong?" His argument was, "How could a coach advise me if I'm the best person in the world at this? But that's not what a coach does. The coach doesn't have to play the sport as well as I do. They have to watch you and get you to be your best. In the business context a coach is not a repetitious coach. A coach is somebody who looks at something with another set of eyes, describes it to you in [his] words, and discusses how to approach the problem."
Schmidt said, "Once I realized I could trust him and that he could help me with perspective, I decided this was a great idea. When there is [a] business conflict you tend to get rat-holed into it. [The coach's] general advice has been to rise one step higher, above the person on the other side of the table, and to take the long view. He'll say, 'You're letting it bother you. Don't.'"
When a person faces a challenge and becomes stuck, he or she may seek the services of a personal coach. Once this commitment is made, the person begins to experience a different, more hopeful, world as his or her perceptions evolve in meeting the personal challenge. Professional coaches understand that the success of a coaching engagement depends on the willingness of the person-being-coached to commit to his or her personal development process.
So what is professional coaching and how does it differ from consulting?
Download and listen to this MP3 recording of a recent interview of Coach Agno for the answer to that question.
Here is what Bronwyn Bowery-Ireland, former CEO of International Coach Academy, had to say about her coaching experience.
I decided some years ago that I wanted to travel to many places around the world. I wanted to meet up and connect with coaches and people doing business in this area. So I made it happen.
If my coaching session is not powerful or I leave feeling not so resolved then this is usually because I was not focused to begin with. I need to carefully plan out what I want to bring to the coaching conversation each week. Some weeks I feel as though I am too exhausted to have my coaching or don’t really have anything to work on. However I am committed to coaching and achieving my goal of growing greater self awareness. So I prepare and on those weeks of tiredness or seeming lack of focus, I leave my coaching session feeling motivated, focused and excited to be moving forward.
I have come to learn that to cancel a coaching session is to lose energy for a week and to lose focus. My coaching sessions are a way of clearing out any feelings or uncertainties in my week. They are a way of moving any negative energy from within me as talking out loud helps how I am feeling and where I am at and to stay present.
I often hear myself telling my coach that it’s painful sometimes to have to be brutally honest with myself and as he always explains, it’s best to be honest with your coach as they are a sound board for you. Let’s think about this concept for a moment. If I didn’t have a coach then this conversation would be going on internally, with my inner self talk. As we all know inner self talk goes round and round and doesn’t actually go anywhere except in a negative energy field. It spirals down into a conversation of justifying and explaining why I shouldn’t do something. Controlling our inner self talk takes great skill.
Thus is the purpose of a coach. It is a conversation that is directed outwards and when we hear ourselves speak we gain clarity as to where we are going and what we are thinking and feeling. My coach asks me questions that get me to explore depths to my thoughts and to my feelings. He allows me a safe and supportive space to test ideas and thoughts.
In the last 12 months, I have achieved more things than I have ever achieved through regular, decisive coaching. To not have coaching feels like not eating or nurturing myself. Its just not possible."
For more information on what a coach can do for your CEO and organization, click on one or more of these links:
Why Coaching? and Tips for Picking the Right Coach
Executive Coaching and the business case for leadership onboarding coaching
Typical Executive and Business Coaching Plans & Costs
What happens when attempt to take on a new position without a personal onboarding coach?