By Dave Bushy, PCC
When you first join a company, you might get the impression that senior leaders – and especially CEO’s – have virtually unlimited power.
In reality, that isn’t the case. There are a myriad of limitations to the power of CEO’s, including investors, boards of directors, governmental agencies and even unions.
And there is one other limit seldom explored: The CEO.
I’ve had the pleasure to work with a number of CEO’s. Helping them find out what supports their daily work – and what might potentially limit it – can be extremely useful for their own personal development.
Clients at various levels in an organization have a significant advantage over a CEO. They benefit from regular real-time feedback from bosses, peers and even subordinates. Though it is not always accurate, the person can benefit from varied perspectives, be it from a boss or from peers who are not at all reluctant to provide honest feedback.
The CEO, though, works at the most elevated position in a company. Even though he or she may ask for direct, honest feedback from subordinates, many are reluctant to do so. They may fear retribution of some kind, or somehow damage what they consider to be a solid relationship with senior leadership – or any other reason you can imagine could exist. All can limit the feedback the CEO might want and need for growth.
As a coach, with the CEO’s permission, I can interview those people with whom they interact and then provide de-identified feedback to them. I ask the CEO for names of people and request that they contact the individuals and ask them to speak with me confidentially. I’ve spoken with many members of their organizations, and sometimes get asked to speak with pastors, fellow non-profit board members and occasionally even a spouse. All are useful.
In the interviews I ask questions about the strengths or “well-developed” attributes that support the daily work of the CEO. I also ask for thoughts about the “less developed” aspects of their capabilities. I intentionally don’t ask them about what some people call “weaknesses,” as I invite the interviewee to think about possibilities for growth that have not yet been explored. We can’t call them “weaknesses,” I might note, because they haven’t yet been used.
My final question in the interviews is a request for a “gift” that the person might want to give the CEO. The question is purposefully open-ended and so very useful and exciting to see what emerges.
It’s humbling for a CEO, who might be at the pinnacle of a career, to hear the perceptions of others. But I find that those CEO’s who are vulnerable enough to embark on coaching are courageous enough to hear feedback and explore it in a confidential setting with a professional coach.
What they learn from the “Themes” document I provide is often far more positive than the CEO expected. And it is also often harder-hitting than they like. And the “Gifts?” They are among the most powerful tools to elicit the appreciation and curiosity for the client that can be a springboard for growth in the context of coaching.
I worked with a client several years ago. Among the many items covered in the report of the interview results were these two salient points in the “Gifts” section:
- Understand that people don’t all operate and learn like you do
- Recognize that your expectations might be based on your abilities – not the abilities others have
The client read those words and reflected at length. When I asked him to tell me what he was experiencing, he expressed appreciation for the candor and a recognition that the interviewees did know him well – he had been working on those points for a long time and became very curious about how he could continue to grow.
And most importantly, he realized that indeed he had been given a gift of candor and kindness from those around him. As he worked on them throughout the engagement, he realized that what had been a limitation was no longer there – and he was less limited than he had been in the past.
Dave Bushy of Boston Executive Coaches – bostonexecutivecoaches.com – is a an ICF-certified coach who was trained at the Gestalt International Study Center (GISC). Dave is a former U.S. Army officer and senior airline executive who works with leaders throughout the world.
Image by F. Muhammad from Pixabay