Time to take the stigma out of corporate coaching

Even the Tiger Woods and Jack Welch's of this world had a leadership coach to not only get them to the top but also to keep them there.

Twice every week Sean Foley coaches his client to help him get better. On the surface this doesn’t seem very interesting – that is until we discover that his client is one of the world’s top golfers – Tiger Woods. As great as Tiger Woods is, he still works with a coach.

He is not the only superstar athlete to have a coach. As an example, the basketball great Michael Jordan was coached by the legendary Dean Smith and Phil Jackson.

Great athletes are not alone – coaching is also a reality in the boardroom, with nearly all Fortune 100 chief executives working with one. In days gone by, many of the highest performing chief executives disclosed that Peter Drucker advised and coached, them. So, it is natural to ask that if these top athletes and chief executives are so good, then why do they work with an adviser?

Obviously, they want to get better. Perhaps it is even their humility to work with a coach that has helped them succeed. But, why are they working with a coach is not the question in my mind. I am wondering whether you work with a coach? Who is helping you become the best leader you can become?

Stanford University asked 200 chief executives, board directors, and other senior executives how they receive and view leadership advice.

They discovered that two-thirds of chief executives do not receive any outside advice on their leadership skills, and yet almost all would be receptive to suggestions from a coach. This insight highlights a disconnect between the “best of” chief executives, at least the ones at the top companies, who do work with coaches and the rest who don’t.

It reinforces the hypothesis that working with a coach has a negative connotation. There is a false stigma that coaching is somehow “remedial”. But for the top athletes and leaders, coaching is far from remedial. They work with their coach to enhance their already high level of performance, and you should not be insecure about coaching, as it is a way to improve.

Chief executives who believe in the value of coaching had to bring their board members along with them on the journey. As a leader you need to take the initiative to receive coaching.

Stanford’s research highlights a sneak peek into your reality as a leader here in the region. While you want to work with a coach, your company’s owner or board, even others in your company possibly grew up in an era when coaching was only used for remedial intervention, if it was even considered at all. Unfortunately, it is possible that the admission of a need for coaching might be interpreted as a personal weakness.

Coaching should not be seen only through the lens of the problem. It is about improving, thus a positive. Given the radical changes in market conditions and rapid growth in a business, oftentimes the company you are leading today is very different than it was a few years ago. This brings with it the need for outside advice on what you should do differently as a leader.

Top technology firms, such as Google, Facebook and so on, that faced rapid growth and the changing nature of the business brought in coaches to help their young chief executives.

Coaching is not only those at the top. There is relationship between coaching and getting to the top. Jack Welch is a prominent example of a business leader who worked with a coach to reach the top. Typically, there is a relationship between coaching and getting to the top as it shows a leader believes in continual learning. This is the passion that drives a leader to seek out a coach.

Unfortunately, not all advisers are equal. It is just like in sports, some coaches are really good at working with child athletes, while others work with world champions. Although they all have the title coach, they are not all the same. As you seek out a coach, make the distinction between people who call themselves executive advisers and those that are called coach by executives.

Seeking out a coach or adviser is not a sign of weakness, instead it is a key attribute of being a great leader.

Tommy Weir is a leadership adviser, author of 10 Tips for Leading in the Middle East and other leadership writings and the founder of the Emerging Markets Leadership Center

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