When you enter into a professional relationship with a CEO Coach, that relationship can often take many forms.
Let’s Talk About the 5 Roles of a CEO Coach
Problem-Solver
Sometimes we just need to get work done, and the role of the CEO Coach is to help you get it done. I call my meetings “working sessions” because in those meetings, we do real work.
Very often, you’ll bring an issue to the meeting and we’ll go to work on it.
Common Items Discussed During a Working Session
- An employee issue
- A cultural issue
- An operational problem
- A personal challenge.
It doesn’t matter what the issue is, if it’s important for us to solve it, we will.
Not only will we solve a problem, such as “should I fire one of my direct reports?” but I’ll help you get to the core of the issue. For example, if it’s time to let someone go, why is that the case? Should they have been hired in the first place? Did they outgrow the company? What can we learn from this issue so you become a better CEO?
Sometimes my CEOs say “Glenn, just tell me what to do.” I usually have a strong and valid opinion based on my extensive experience, and I will tell you exactly what to do if that’s what you need.
Advisor
If you are grappling with strategic issues, you will need someone to help advise you, while also having someone who will give you a new perspective that will allow you to think things through.
Oftentimes, these are big issues related to the future of the company. Sometimes they are about your future. While you don’t want a direct answer, you want an opinion you can trust to advise you.
These discussions can span a long period of time. They may take time to marinate. You may want your subconscious mind to work on them for a while before making a decision.
A great advisor will know the difference between giving you the answer and helping you think about the most important issues related to your question.
When you are ready for an advisor, let’s talk.
Confidant
When people say that it’s lonely at the top, what they mean is that they usually feel like they have no one to talk to.
For many issues, the CEO can’t share their concerns with the board. When they are concerned about the future of the company, they can’t share that with their leadership team. They rarely have someone at home they can speak with about the most critical issues.
A CEO needs a confidant they can share anything with. They need a person to whom they can express their fears or frustrations or deep concerns. My job is to listen to your concerns.
Sometimes just expressing how you feel about something helps alleviate some of the pressure. Sometimes you want to go to work on an issue. How we deal with it is up to you.
Questioner
The right CEO coach will be an attentive listener. They will carefully understand the essence of what you want to convey. And then they will ask great questions to go deeper. The right questions will help you uncover the most important issues.
You may think your issue is that people aren’t doing what you want them to. Through careful questioning, we may discover that you don’t have a good management system in place, or that your culture isn’t what you thought it was, or even that you are assuming too much about how well you communicate.
By asking invoking questions, we will get to the cause of the challenges you are facing together. Once you start looking in the mirror, you’ll often see that you are that cause. That may seem harsh, but it’s a critical part of learning about CEO responsibility.
Then I’ll ask you how you want to deal with that.
Networker
No matter how great your CEO Coach may be, they won’t be able to help you in every situation.
- First, your CEO Coach needs to acknowledge that they don’t know everything.
- Secondly, the right CEO Coach will have a great network of experts who can help you when you need it most.
- Thirdly, a good CEO Coach will be very comfortable bringing in other experts and helping guide you and the expert to a successful conclusion.
In my experience with CEO Coaching, I use all the resources I can to serve you. I care only about your success. I love bringing external experts who can spend more time with you on their area of expertise.
Every CEO is unique, but most of the challenges they face are ones I’ve seen before. Together, in one hour, we can make exceptional progress.
Contact CEO Coach Glenn Gow Today!
My name is Glenn Gow, CEO Coach. I love coaching CEOs and want to help make you an even better CEO. Let’s decide if we are a fit for each other. Schedule a time to talk with me at calendly.com/glenngow. I look forward to speaking with you soon.
