This is
not a
fairy tale! Instead, it’s a fairly messy tale with lessons learned at the end and some morals to the story.
Once upon a time…
There was a highly talented high level executive named Bob. Bob found himself with an unexpected advancement opportunity at his publicly traded company. The company had a pending vacancy in the CEO position. A member of the Board approached Bob and said:
“I believe that you should be a candidate for the CEO position. The company has hired an executive coach to help prepare you for this possibility.”
Executive Coaching? Or Something Else?
In working with his executive coach, Bob confided his apprehensions and insecurities related to the CEO job. It seemed appropriate to candidly discuss his obstacles. And it would have been appropriate if his conversations were held in confidence. They were not. The coach had a hidden agenda: to vet him for the job. So the so-called coaching engagement was more of a job interview than personal and professional development. Shortly after his “coaching”, Bob not only did
not get the CEO position, he was demoted. Bob found himself reporting to one of his former staff members. And he took a significant pay cut. Bob’s confidence and ego were shattered. He spent a shell-shocked year wondering how to salvage his career.He had no doubt that his devastating demotion was a direct result of the coach’s betrayal. He realized that “his coach” wasn’t
his at all. He was a “double agent.”
Executive Coaching 2.0
Fast forward a year later. Bob’s wife was frustrated watching the downward spiral of both her husband’s career and his mindset. Her solution? Find Bob a new coach – a professional with
no hidden agenda. She researched sources and convinced Bob to give coaching another try.
Happy Ending?
With the help his new coach, Bob gained a deeper appreciation of:
- The uniqueness of his talent: Bob IS a great leader.
- His value to an organization (current and future)
- The best and highest use of his talent.
With that new-found
clarity, his
confidence returned. Bob regained his swagger. The company went on to hire a new CEO from the outside. (Perhaps their so-called-coach disqualified all of their internal candidates.)After exploring external job opportunities, Bob stayed with the company. Armed with his new-found talent clarity and his confidence, Bob focused on developing a relationship and a reputation with the new CEO as an engaging executive who
gets things done through others like few others can.
The Real Story
As a coach who
does value confidentiality, there are only two other things I’ll share about Bob:
- He was my client for his 2nd engagement.
- Bob is not his real name.
Happily Ever After?
If this was a fairy tale story, everything would go back to the way it was, only better in the end. While that did
not happen, things were better. And not just for Bob. As a result of our engagement:
- Bob regained his mojo.
- His company regained the full use of a superb leader.
- I gained added insight for communicating confidentiality more effectively that enables gaining the candor needed for genuine breakthroughs. More.
- Bob’s wife got the old, confident, focused Bob back.
- You, the reader, can learn and make more informed coaching related decisions.
Coaching Professionalism: An Editorial
As for Bob’s
first coach, I would like to believe that there’s special place in hell for someone who would violate the confidence of the person who you are allegedly serving and thereby derail that person’s career for the sake of profit. It’s the lowest form of industrial espionage and
fraud. And there should be room in that special place for whomever in Bob’s company contracted/conspired with that
first coach.
AND: There should be
no room in the executive coaching profession or any trusted advisor role for those who demonstrate this kind of fraudulent behavior.
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Executive Coaching? Or Something Else?
2 Responses
Perhaps Bob didn’t listen to what the board member said. “The company has hired an executive coach to help prepare you for this possibility.” This was clearly a coach reporting to the company. The coachee bears at least 75% if not more of the responsibility for confirming confidentiality. Did Bob ask the Board member or the coach about the confidentiality? Assumptions by Bob of this magnitude lead me to question his judgment. He got a wake-up call that should serve him well in the future.
I will share that Bob’s leadership style is enthusiastic, optimistic with a strong task orientation. In the language of DISC, he is High D-I. This translates into a strong, decisive person with a high level of trust. Bob’s style has served him extremely well as he has a superb track record for leading others. To your point, people with that style are inclined to have a blind spot for scenarios where trust should be questioned.
Just another reminder that
Leaders Are Human Too