The role and workload of the typical CEO has changed dramatically over recent years. Not only are they more responsible and accountable for their organisations than ever before, but they’re also increasingly detached and isolated from their workforces.
The role and workload of the typical CEO has changed dramatically over recent years. Not only are they more responsible and accountable for their organisations than ever before, but they’re also increasingly detached and isolated from their workforces.
Research by the Harvard Business Review has found that 55% of CEOs have experienced ‘moderate yet significant’ bouts of loneliness. Interestingly, the same research found that 20% of CEOs try to downplay the significance of their loneliness, so that they can at least appear to be calm and in control.
This changes the dynamic of what’s required from CEO coaching, making it substantially different from coaching people at other executive levels. The power dynamics can create significant psychological and professional coaching barriers. The key question is: “what's needed to facilitate profound self-discovery and organisational transformation?"
Why CEO leadership is psychologically complex
While CEOs are the people that tend to take home the biggest paychecks, that doesn’t change the fact that it can be a very isolating job. When the chips are down, CEOs are the people that entire workforces look to for inspiration, and to make the right decisions under extreme personal and professional pressure. The constant need for high-stakes decision-making adds another layer of complexity to their daily responsibilities.
Like any leader under significant pressure, CEOs may develop protective professional boundaries and carefully consider new perspectives on their leadership style - especially from 'outsiders' such as coaches. This natural response can make it challenging to create the deep connections needed for meaningful development.
From our experience, the best way of building trust is through deep, reflective conversations that help develop mutual understanding through the coach's own vulnerabilities. Helping CEOs reframe past challenges with a neutral, objective perspective can help unlock their current potential, and help them become more open and receptive to a coach’s ideas and support.
Building trust while navigating power dynamics
So how does this work in practice? How can you build a rapport with CEOs and help them make the right changes? We recommend the following strategies:
Focus on listening
Spend around 70% of the time listening and 30% asking powerful, strategic questions. This creates time and space for leaders to expand on their thoughts and answers, often leading to new insights emerging.
Frame coaching as support, not expert advice
Position coaching as a supportive discovery mechanism where leaders find their own answers. This approach works better than dispensing advice, as it avoids creating resistance and enables people to uncover solutions they likely already have within themselves.
Demonstrate credibility
For the above approaches to work effectively, you need to establish yourself as a professional, experienced, and credible coach. This is best achieved by demonstrating:
- A good track record of professional experience and success with leadership coaching, transforming organisations, and achievement at board level (including qualifications and credentials)
- Validated, tried-and-trusted methodologies that are proven to be grounded in organisational psychology, such as Dr John Blakey’s Nine Habits of Trust
- An ability to facilitate self-reflection by slowing down the pace of thought - most CEOs tend to operate at a very fast pace - and giving them room to reflect and build some self-awareness. Creating a safe, non-judgemental space is key to achieving this
A win-win situation
Coaching at this executive level offers significant mutual benefits for both leaders and coaches.
Research has found that 86% of organisations realise returns on investment from their coaching strategies, and that 96% of those who work with coaches intend to do so again in the future. This demonstrates that CEOs believe in the value of coaching, and are appreciating the results they’re getting from it.
In turn, this is good news for coaches like you, who will be able to realise a wider and potentially more lucrative range of coaching opportunities to expand your business. CEO coaching engagements tend to be higher value; furthermore, by becoming established with top leaders as a trusted organisational adviser, you stand a better chance of being referred vertically through the organisation, and horizontally with other senior executive contacts.
In summary: enabling change, not developing skills
Ultimately, coaching CEOs is about empowering them to drive systemic change throughout their organisation. This goes far beyond tips and advice, and requires a connection that allows CEOs to self-discover what they need to do. This means coaches must position themselves as change-makers rather than skill developers, facilitating continuous learning and reflection for the long term.
With The Coaching Circle, you can become a true changemaker for the CEOs and executives you coach. Find out more about our membership opportunities here.