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Eric Schmidt, chairman and CEO of Google, when asked what was the best advice he was ever given, has been reported to have replied, "Hire a coach." He continued to add that his immediate reaction was not favourable, which happens to be the most common reaction to such suggestion.
"The traditional barrier to seeking coaching has been the belief that if I, that is the CEO, being the expert in my field, can't have the answers, how can the relative non-expert, the coach, have them," explains Pratap Nambiar, CEO coach, and director of The Leadership Circle, an outfit specialising in providing leadership development tools. However, the good thing is, more and more CEOs are getting over this mental block. They understand that the coach is there to provide them with another set of eyes, a fresh perspective on matters, he adds.
But first, does the CEO really need coaching? Sometimes yes, simply because such an exercise provides the CEO with the space, time and expertise to step back from the day-to-day and work on becoming a better leader. Together with his coach, the CEO works to take the company to the next level and secure his legacy.
The concept of CEO coaching is not exactly the find-of-the-year though. In the developed markets, the idea is probably a little more accepted than elsewhere. The CEO there looks at coaching as a means to move on to bigger things. In the Asia markets, coaching is still looked upon with suspicion, as something needed by those with a problem.
This negative perception will take time to go away completely but the signs of change are already there, say experts.
In any case, the goals a CEO coach sets out to reach may not have an immediate impact on the company's bottom line. They are mostly related to issues relating to leadership styles, blind spots one must work on etc. Such coaching can help the leader get out of his corner office confinement and connect better with his staff, which also comprises a large chunk of the millennial employees, who may be closer to the consumer in affinity and in attitude than the CEO himself.
A recent post in a Harvard Business Review blog says coaching appears to be especially important in good times. As the blog puts it, "Blind spots are less obvious when things are going well. It is very easy for executives to become almost strictly inward looking, especially when they have been very successful. But these blind spots can become devastating when performance moves in the other direction. A good, neutral third party assessment is a clear reality check for executives."
And yet, the choice for working with a coach must be voluntary for the coaching to be effective. This factor is almost as crucial as a high level of trust between the two parties. Else, the coach's efforts will be undermined by an overhanging air of suspicion. Even the goals to be achieved through the coaching process are chiefly the coach and his understudy's prerogative.
The golden rules to CEO coaching, also responsible in part for popularising the concept, therefore, are: voluntary choice, self-definition of goals and complete trust between the coach and the CEO. Also, there should be complete confidentiality of proceedings.
What does the CEO expect from his coach in the end? Sudip Mall, CEO of Mondelez (Philippines), says, "The best coach is someone who is not a subject matter expert, who doesn't give the answers. But instead asks the right questions, evoking the right responses. He needs to help a CEO identify his problems and create self awareness to find the right solutions. In short, he must provide one with an aha moment."
That said, coaching should not be looked at as the proverbial silver bullet to address all organisational issues. At best they can be the most unobtrusive way to rewire - to borrow from Bloomberg Businessweek article on the topic -"burned-out, bottomed-out, or simply ineffectual chief executives".
