Immersed as I am in the world of executive coaching, I’m always fascinated by the wisdom of Dr. John Blakely, one of the leading voices in our field. He is constantly exploring why coaching at the very top is both vital—and uniquely challenging.
It is an old saying, but it remains true, it’s lonely at the top. It is also true to say that being ultimately responsible for an organisation carries unenviable risk. CEOs operate in high-stakes environments where success is expected, and failure can mean ignominy and life in the wilderness. In such a space, the role of the CEO coach – and the qualities and expertise they possess – can be critical.
Blakely identifies five essential skills for the CEO coach. The first four are: agility, the ability to think on your feet; systems thinking, which is the insight to join the dots; courage to challenge and compassion.
The fifth quality Blakely singles out, however, I find particularly interesting and apposite. It is ‘gravitas’. Not ‘gravitas’ in the dictionary sense of ‘dignity, seriousness, or solemnity of manner’, but ‘gravitas’ in the sense of lived experience and relevance. An executive coach needs both expertise and a depth of experience and understanding of the executive setting in which the CEO operates to help their client navigate the issues they face.
The MDs and board directors I have worked with and alongside have held hugely complex roles. They must go deeper, faster. They must build teams and strategies for immediate impact, all while managing the vast diversity of relationships they need to navigate. And all while maintaining a sense of self.
So, to my mind, we can build on Blakely’s requirement for ‘gravitas’. As well as lived experience, the CEO coach needs to possess ‘congruence’ – a bond or compatibility – with the person they are working with.
Before entering into any executive coaching arrangement, the questions both the coach and the CEO need to address are:
- Is there shared experience?
- Is there a shared sense of purpose?
- Is there chemistry?
The key to coaching success at the executive level lies not only in what we know, but in the connection we create. Coaching at this level demands both gravitas and congruence.
