The Economist last week had an article entitled “Sympathy for the Boss“. It is a poor title for an interesting piece based on some of the findings of Steve Tappin and Andrew Cave in their book “The Secrets of CEOS: 150 Global Chief Executives Lift the Lid on Business, Life and Leadership”. Are we really suppose to care that around 50% of the chief executives interviewed said they found the job “intensely lonely” and did not know who to turn to for advice? Perhaps not but the book (with a foreword by Richard Branson) is taking the bestsellers list of business books by storm. . . and with good reason.
There is a lot in the book and you can read parts of it yourself on the author’s web site: The Secrets of CEO’s. The stats on how many CEO’s use coaches is particularly interesting:
Around 40% of FTSE chief executives have used a personal coach. (“It is extraordinary to think you can be excellent at something without a coach. The notion that Roger Federer would not have several coaches is ridiculous. One of the best things that happened to me was to get a coach,” says Richard Baker, a former boss of Alliance Boots, a pharmacy.)
Up until recently, not all executives were willing to admit they used a coach. I wonder what kind of coach. t 1-Focus International, our Coach Approach is designed to be congruent with both our collaborative philosophy and our excellence programs. Both Sandy and I are Master Certified Coaches and our executive coach associates are vetted by us to ensure similar levels and standards. We tend to be more reflective than task in our approach to coaching and clearly and this is what executives need. The “best bosses” according to the article mentioned, find a way to make time to be with their family, to think in solitude and to stay healthy. One valuable way is to work with a Master Coach to reflect on strategy and issues that often get missed in the bustle of day to day activities.
By the way, the book while out in Great Britain, hasn’t been released in the US. It is however beginning to get press even in the New York Times
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