Years ago when I was entering the executive ranks with my former company, an experienced executive with the firm pulled me aside and gave me the best professional advice I have ever received – “have a coach”. I didn’t realize how valuable this advice was initially, but a couple of years later I reached out to him and got the name of his coach, and I hired him.
Every executive needs an “Outside-Insider” to partner with them. According to The Miles Group Report (2013), CEOs and Entrepreneurs are lonely and isolated and have a shortage of advice at the top. Only 33% of CEOs receive coaching or leadership advice from outside consultants, even though 100% of them say they are receptive to making changes based on feedback they would receive from having such a person to work with.
But don’t take my word for it. Here’s what former CEO of Google, Eric Schmidt, said about his courage to act on the best advice he was ever given – “get a coach”. Schmidt says, “The coach doesn’t have to play the sport as well as you do. They have to watch you and get you to be your best. A coach is somebody who looks at something with another set of eyes, describes it to you in his or her words, and discusses how to approach the problem.”
Listen to what Schmidt has to say in this 41 second clip from an interview with Fortune Magazine: Eric Schmidt on “the best advice I ever got.”
Schmidt says, “Every famous athlete, every famous performer, has somebody who is a coach. Somebody who can watch what you’re doing – somebody who can say, “Is that what you really meant?” and give them perspective.” Who does that for you?
Bill Edmonds is an “Outside-Insider” (an Executive Coach and Consultant) who works with leaders to help them reach their full potential by specializing in areas of organizational and personal development. He spent 24 years with Merrill Lynch until his retirement in 2014, where he led a $100+ million per year revenue business unit as a Director with the firm.
Have a comment? Share you thoughts about this post on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
(click a social media share button below to share you comments)
