[HBR] Your exec coach may be working with you on the wrong things.
If you’re a CEO, you’re probably not working with an executive coach on your leadership skills but wish you were, according to a Stanford University survey reported in Harvard Business Review (HBR).
“Two-thirds of CEOs don’t receive any outside advice on their leadership skills, and yet almost all would be receptive to suggestions from a coach.”
This is no surprise. Most CEOs recognize that top-performers in any discipline can benefit from coaching.
But even if you ARE working with an executive coach, you may be working on the wrong things!
CEOs pursuing self-development too often focus on the wrong skills, according to the Stanford survey.
For example, 42.9 percent of CEOs believe they need better conflict management skills (and 27.9% work on this with their coaches).
But only 18.3% of board directors think conflict management skills should be a focus of their CEOs.
So, who’s right? The board directors or their CEOs?
Everyone would agree with HBR that “Conflict management is critical in the CEO role — just about anything that gets to the CEO’s desk has an element of pleasing someone and making someone else unhappy. When the CEO avoids conflict, it can shut down the whole organization: decisions are not made and problems fester, creating a domino effect of unproductive behaviors down the ladder.”
Clearly, both CEOs and their directors need objective, validated behavioral data and benchmarks to identify the areas of growth most urgently needed.
As a leader, how are you choosing the areas of personal growth to focus on?
Do you have behavioral data and benchmarks to objectively guide your choices?
The Flippen Profile™ provides scientifically validated insights, 360-degree behavioral data, and benchmarks developed over more than 25 years to help senior leaders pinpoint exactly what they should be working on.
For example, the Aggressiveness scale measures how hard you push back when pushed by others. Our Deference scale identifies how hard you try to sell your ideas versus letting others’ ideas influence you. Our Need to Nurture and Need for Encouragement scales tell us your tendency to avoid conflict.
Understanding these scales and related behaviors can inform how you navigate conflict to bring about the best possible outcomes for your business.
Armed with data, board directors and CEOs can agree on critical professional development priorities.
So who is your trusted, truth-telling executive coach?
More importantly, is your professional development focused on the right things?
Would you like to learn more about how our behavioral analytics and benchmarks, combined with expert coaching, can you help you succeed?
For more than 25 years, the Flippen Group has leveraged neuroscience, psychometrics, and adult-learning technologies to bring out the best in Fortune 500 companies, school districts, government organizations, and professional sports teams. Our behavioral analytics tools, combined with expert coaching, help leaders solve the complex people issues that make leading teams so challenging.
