CAN SUCCESS MAKE
A CEO SELF DECEPTIVE?
Arrogance often threatens a CEO.
If he also comes to believe that the CEO title grants infallibility, watch out!!!
Repeated
studies have concluded one characteristic of powerful and successful leaders is
high levels of self-confidence. Unfortunately,
the researchers say, the higher the self-confidence, the less likely these
leaders are open to advice and feedback.
CEO
KNOWS EVERYTHING SYNDROME .
Arrogance
often threatens a CEO. If he also comes to believe that the CEO title grants infallibility,
watch out. “Because I am CEO, I must
know the business better than anyone else.” It has been said, but it just isn’t
true. No CEO can be an expert in all functional areas. A CEO who is doing her
job is spending time with the big picture. If he knows the details better than his
employees, he’s either hiring the wrong people or spending his time at the
wrong levels of the organization. It’s appropriate for a CEO to manage
operations if absolutely necessary, but he should quickly hire good operational
managers and return to leading the whole business.
CEOS
CAN STOP LEARNING WELL.
Of
course, once infallible, there’s no more to learn, and a CEO may quietly stop
learning. Without daily oversight and high quality feedback on how he does the job, he can mistakenly believe his actions
lead to success. In reality, he may be doing the wrong thing, but his staff may
be working around the clock to cover for his.
A
CEO who does an adequate job, but far less than he could/should have done—goes
unnoticed. Missed opportunities don’t get noticed... a
1000 crore rupee could have been a 5000 crore rupee company but this not never
looked upon as a failure...which is flaunted that the 1000crore company was a
personal achievement of the CEO Missed opportunities are sins of omissions of a
CEO. Can they be highlighted?
Setting
vision is the CEO’s job, but nothing tells his if his sights are too low. He
isn’t penalized for missing the grander vision. Such sins of omissions are a
CEO’s worst enemy. He can be lulled into mediocrity by not knowing what would
have been possible. Many inventions & technological breakthroughs were considered
impossible…until someone ran it. Now, it’s commonplace. Likewise, a CEO may
limit himself by not realizing he can do her job better.
HONEST FEEDBACK IS DANGEROUS?
They
also make the point that powerful leaders seldom get useful feedback in their
organizations. Nobody wants to take the risk especially with a dominating
personality type. Subordinates are loath to give bad news or critical feedback
(in any organization upward feedback is anti-gravity and does not more upward)
and many boards are not diligent in seeing feedback for performance
improvement, particularly relationships, as important as other things, such as
financial results.
WHY IS THIS LEADERSHIP
CRISIS HAPPENING?
The
biggest leadership crises is the gap between how leaders see themselves and how
others see them. Call it self-awareness. These blind spots can be limiting
the possibilities of growth beyond the glass ceiling. The wider the gap, the
more resistance there is to change. It also makes it difficult to create a
positive organizational culture where openness and honesty are not encouraged.
Good
leaders make people around them successful. They are passionate and committed,
authentic, courageous, honest and reliable. But in today's high-pressure environment,
leaders need a confidante, a mentor, or someone they can trust to tell the
truth about their behavior. They rarely get that from employees and
infrequently from board members.
THE
FOUR HIDDEN PERILS OF BEING AT THE TOP
Based on my experience here is a few of the
confessions of CEO’s of what he experienced at important
inflection points in their career at the
top...
1.
Life is lonely at the top: I
do not have friends at work. I am an introvert (believe it or not), but that
does not explain it all. I cannot sound my nascent ideas before my heads-of –department. I would be exposing myself
to ridicule and appear weak before them
2.
Building consensus in decision making:
In my opinion, the higher you get as a manager the more decisions you have to
make… But the tougher they are. when a manager really decides, not
everyone will agree with the decision. Thus, “having everyone happy” and
building consensus is important since their buy-in is need to implement the
decision.
3.
Giving Feedback is Hard:
Part of a CEO’s job is to point out the behaviors that need to change; which,
at least for me, is quite difficult. I remember a specific case: We had a
very good conversation until I asked this person to change a behavior
that I saw several times. The answer was pure denial, “But I always do it the
way you suggest, I do not need to change”. Leading needs patience.
4.
CEO
has nowhere to hide: After several years leading I understood (yes,
I am sometimes slow) that a lot of people are watching. A lot. That
my agenda and my calendar must be transparent and coherent with my words. That
if people are important for me, I have to spend time with people, and not hiding behind my
PC.
That my concerns are visible in my face, and people draw conclusions. That
there will be rumors. And that most of the time they will against the cause I
stand for.
CONCLUDING
Many suggest that a CEO needs a coach....to
hasten the pace of learning; to crystallize the decision making process; to
resolve decision dilemmas; to ensure direct and even blunt feedback This really
summarizes the self-awareness and self-analytical approach to role
improvement for a CEO
However will your CEO admit he needs a
coach??? Why do CEO’s at the peak of their career and battle-hardened by
experience and trial need a coach? Previous generations managed without them.
Is coaching just another fad; which will eventually fade away? If a CEO openly
admits he formally has a coach will he be considered inadequate and immature?
Questions like this zoom in your mind! Having a coach is like having a
soulmate. He is able to drive you at the difficult dilemmas all top level
people face and have no one to talk to
The
greatest quality great CEO’S must have...HUMILITY AFTER SUCCESS IS A UNKNOWN
QUALITY... it happened to French emperor Napolean; the Shah of Iran and the pages of history show umpteen cases
of leaders who dug their own grave after success gave them a notion of
infallibility
"I
don't understand ..."
Similar to the pursuit of truth, good leaders
also pursue understanding. Someone without good moral character might just
pretend to understand as a way to move on. There's a curiosity to good
leadership, and having character that says, "I want to understand the
right answer ... always."
"That's
a great idea ..."
Honest leaders won't ever steal an idea and
make it their own. They recognize when someone on the team comes up with
something worthwhile and gives due credit.
"I'm
sorry ..."
Great
leaders know how to apologize. It is part of their DNA. If they make a mistake,
instead of pretending it's not a big deal or casting blame, they own up to the
mistake
“I need to learn...”
Great
CEO never stop learning by asking, listening and reading; they don’t feel embarrassed
to ask their peers or suborindates for ideas; the don’t pretend to be know-alls
or fake attention when other try to share new ideas. A powerful statement is “
I don’t know you tell me...”
With
best compliments
Dr Wilfred
Monteiro
