CEOs Are Great, Top CEOs Are Greater

People in leading positions are often in a dilemma: on one hand they are supposed to give great performances, make the right decisions and so forth; on the other hand, they have to fill the role of a very confident and self-assured manager. This may be considered a dilemma because CEOs are expected to be almost supernatural, and asking for assistance in what is supposed to be their core competence (leadership!) simply does not fit the picture, no matter how necessary it may be.

It is interesting to draw a parallel to sports. I don't know of any world-class athletes who do not have coaches or trainers to assist them in the development of their core competency (e.g., golf, tennis, etc.). It seems that in the area of sports, it is generally accepted that top performers need top assistance, i.e., coaches. Also, nobody in sports seems to feel the necessity to hide that they employ a coach. Meanwhile, many of the top CEOs (at least in the US) have coaches, but very few want to admit or even talk about it.

CEOs are usually in a situation with a unique handicap: being on top of an organization, they must demonstrate powerful and wise leadership but may not be able to share their doubts with others in the organization, as this would not fit the expected image.

A trusted and competent executive coach can take over this necessary function of a sparring partner. The coach can mirror the existing options and reveal blind spots, share his experiences, and challenge limiting beliefs of CEOs. Additionally, a trusted coach can help CEOs in dealing with ethical and personal issues that may influence performance. All in all, the coach can be the competent and equal (!) partner, which many CEOs need in their unique and exposed position.

It seems there is still a long way to go before CEOs will be able to speak about their coaches as lightly and as naturally as top athletes do. A great first step is to recognize the benefits a coach provides to a CEO in his professional and personal life. Top CEOs know this already and benefit from coaching through better performance, a greater feeling of security and a more stable work-life balance. Again: top performers need top assistance, and professional coaches can be a crucial element of a strong support system.

About Charlie Lang

Charlie works with senior executives who are already successful and want to stay at the leading edge. They are often challenged by issues like: - How to improve staff retention, especially how to keep top performers
- How to achieve a corporate success culture that guarantees longterm success
- How to create new levels of excellence through high employee engagement
- How to transform the business results through a different approach towards sales

Charlie, an executive coach & trainer who is known for his innovative approaches towards leadership, change processes and sales, assists his clients in mastering these challenges. They achieve outstanding results through Charlie's unique application of latest findings in research combined with his own experience in international management and leadership.

Charlie is the author of numerous articles and of the book The Groupness Factor. He delivers speeches and keynotes on sales, leadership and coaching.

---

Sweet Parting Of Ways

Why settle for bad feelings when your employee leaves the... Read More

How to Hold Effective Staff Meetings

Many people believe that they conduct effective meetings, when all... Read More

One Simple Idea to Grow Your Business

Perhaps the most common theme I've heard in working with... Read More

Why Soft Skills?

The industrial age is over. Organizations still stuck in the... Read More

Unravelling the Data Mining Mystery - The Key to Dramatically Higher Profits

Data mining is the art of extracting nuggets of gold... Read More

Parenting Your Employees to Better Performance

Have you ever worked for someone who was such a... Read More

11 Strategies on How to Work in An Open Plan Environment

Many work environments now are open plan, with only a... Read More

Are You in Control of Your Practice or Does it Control You?

One of the most common complaints that business owners have... Read More

Making a Decision to Outsource: Driving Factors

Most executives view offshore outsourcing most of all as a... Read More

Your Appraisal System Can Be Better ? Overcome These Nine Serious Failings

This article is directed at senior managers. As a senior... Read More

Best Practices Plan: Dissemination of a Great Idea

Good news spreads quickly News of the invention of the... Read More

Time Management Tip: Stop Micro-Managing Employees

If I was a fly on the wall what would... Read More

Employee Motivation: Make Everyone A Cheerleader For Your Company

Do you manage by walking around? What do you see?... Read More

Innovation Management: The Quality and Quantity of the Idea Pool

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More

How to Create a Positive Work Atmosphere

Positive versus Negative WorkplacesWe have all worked in places where... Read More

Lack of Operations Manuals Stunting Your Growth?

Lack of Operations Manuals stunting your growth?CONTENTS:1. Do you lack... Read More

Outsourcing Problem Analysis

As an HR professional, you have responsibilities in several broad... Read More

Innovation Management: The Time Factor

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More

The 70% Solution: Practical Testing and Version Control

"What do you mean you need to push back the... Read More

Necessary Tasks You May Want to Delegate

As a business owner, time is of the essence. Running... Read More

Leading Bad Actors To Be Good Performers

A successful leader told me, "The biggest challenge I've had... Read More

Increasing the Return on Your Training Investment

Insightful leaders and organizations recognize that training is a valuable... Read More

What Cross-cultural Training Can Do for You

International business is more complex than ever before. Success in... Read More

13 Comments on Bad Meetings

Bad meetings are a cultural malady that senior executives pass... Read More

Never Punish Yourself or Others for Failures

If you want to find success in various ramifications, be... Read More

Coaching Can Get The Boss In Shape

Who tells the boss that they can improve their management... Read More

Management Coaching to Improve Relationships with Work Associates

As a recent employee to your job, you are becoming... Read More

The Power of the Contract in Performance Management

An essential step in managing the performance of salespeople is... Read More

Identifying Potential in Ourselves and Others

If there is someone nearby as you read this look... Read More

2 Steps For Increasing Company Profits or Performing Business Turnarounds

1. Eliminate wasteEliminate reports, habits, products, duplicate input, and processes... Read More

6 Ways to Keep Things Simple

Six Ways to Keep Things Simple We can have greater... Read More

If You Build It, Investors Will Come

When you begin to write your business plan or a... Read More

Creativity and Innovation Management: The Value Of Due Diligence

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More