Executive Coaching for the CEO

The most high-stakes and unique leadership role is that of the CEO.  It’s the most visible and most dangerous job in the company because when the company runs into problems as they always do, it’s the CEO who will be held accountable first.   The CEO job requires vision, wisdom, experience, people savvy, and a lot of mental fortitude. To get the job, the CEO has typically demonstrated all of these at times so why would he or she need a coach? Well I like to think of it like professional sports.  The CEO is the professional player on the field and no matter how much of a rock star they are, they can’t see everything either in their own behavioral impacts or what else is going on in the game.  A coach in professional sports is experienced at watching everything from how the player executes strategy to how the others react.  And like a professional coach on the field, an executive coach, especially those at the level of CEO coaching, have honed their skills to help, to provide a safe place to work things out and to guide, direct, and point out areas where corrections or adjustments may be needed. 

Executive coaching helps CEOs grow in both strength and comfort in the role.  Great CEO coaches are a sounding board for CEO ideas and provide an unbiased perspective on their leadership style and approach. They point out where the CEO is out of balance and give tactics and tools to help.  They bring their experience from working across many industries and geographic regions.  The coach helps them identify and overcome personal obstacles and mental barriers that impact their ability to lead their organization and teams and help them to reframe circumstances so that they can move forward, break barriers and lead with energy and passion. 

When you are a leader, especially at the CEO level, you are giving something important to others.  You are impacting others’ lives every day in ways that can stick with them for the rest of their lives. It’s human nature to desire a leader which makes the CEO’s role crucial to the success of the organization. It isn’t easy and the stakes are high for not only the CEO but also for every employee, customer, board member, and shareholder. Having a coach is a privilege and many companies consider it a necessity.  Gone are the days when coaches were sent it as a last-ditch effort to save a CEO.  Today’s CEOs know they are players in the big game and most know deep inside that having a respected and credible coach can only make them better.  They are the ones in the limelight and that doesn’t change, but when the lights turn are not on them, they need to be preparing for the next game, the next move, the next decision and action and that is when it really helps to have a trusted thought-partner behind the scenes. 

Benefits of Coaching the CEO 

Executive coaching your CEO and C-suite executives will: 

1. Improve self-awareness and impact on others
2. Create compelling cultures
3. Manage unmanageable schedules 
4. Get the right people in the right places
5. Rest
6. Tie leadership to strategy and ensure it advances the organizations mission
7. Understand the workplace landsec
8. Increase communication and clarity
9. Improve results at your business

Harvard Business Review found that 72% of CEOs who received coaching reported improved self-awareness and communication skills. Executive coaching supports CEOs in identifying their strengths and weaknesses and understanding their impact, leading to improved relationships with leaders, employees, customers, and stakeholders.  

When these skills are mastered by your highest-level leaders, other leaders and employees can recognize and model these behaviors. Investing in and developing your top-shelf leaders, helps create consistency across the organization and promotes a culture of continuous learning and development, growth, and success. Equipping and empowering your CEO with executive coaching can help achieve both short-term goals and long-term strategic objectives and assure accountability to the organization’s vision and organizational strategy from the top down. This will help maintain a compelling company culture and ensure effective leadership and goal achievement, benefit the future of your company and its leaders, and aid in your competitive advantage. With the CEO’s high-level decision-making, responsibility, and significant impact, your business will depend on their leadership actions and abilities.  

A Great Partner Can Help   

Investing in your CEO is one of the best ways to invest in your people and company culture, retain top executives and employee talent, and achieve your organizational vision and goals.   

EDA’s CEO coaches are deeply experienced and valued partners with CEOs around the globe.  Click here to learn more about how EDA develops leaders at the top of the house.  Or Reach out to us directly at this via Contact Us. 

Want to Make your Culture Visible?  Sign Up Today for our FREE version of EDASurveys™  to receive unlimited Basic Surveys for your business or purchase our premium enterprise-wide survey platform and EDACulture Dashboard that provides you with a one-stop-shop survey platform including 360s and culture surveys and our AI-driven real-time culture dashboard that allows CEOs to keep their fingertips on the culture, create conducive environments for their employees and ensure that your talent is your strategic advantage.