This is an insightful article published by the BBC that talks about what is required to succeed in today’s competitive environment:

However, it asserts that “Not everybody is able to cope with the pressures of being a top executive.”

Personally, I disagree.

Granted that it is true if the executive is not coping well and is left to themselves to deliver.  But is that not true of everybody?  What makes it different for a top executive from any other human being?

In my experience, when anyone with the right set of ‘technical skills’ to do their job is supported with what it takes to succeed and if they are in a role that is consistent with their purpose and values, I believe that they CAN succeed.

At the Executive level, my assumption is that they would not be in the role if they did not have the right ‘technical skills’ for the job.  By this I mean the academic qualifications, the training, experience and awareness of requirements in the business function – its context, its challenges and what is required to get the job done from a functional perspective.

Where most Executives struggle and sometimes fail is in managing and communicating who they are as a leader in the organisation.  By this I mean:

  • their ‘ego-state’: a deep  knowledge of who they are – their values, their purpose, their passion, self belief and self control, and how that fits with their role and the organisation. (Managing their internal dialogue).
  • their ability to focus on what matters in their accountability and manage that through their teams.
  • their ability to communicate and manage their reputation and their own personal brand: what people say about them.
  • their impact: the effect they have when they walk into a room or make a presentation.

What I find in working with Senior Executives is that if they have access to a blend of supportive management, mentoring or coaching when they are challenged in one or more of these four areas, their performance takes a sharp step up and they often outperform other Executives at their level.

Doesn’t an Executive deserve this kind of support just as much as someone more junior?

Won’t that impact their performance massively – and hence the performance of the whole organisation?

What do you think?

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