Loneliness of the naked CEO

[Ian Buckingham]

Loneliness of the Naked CEO

It’s reputed in the UK that the queen thinks the world smells of fresh paint. Then surely CEO land is populated by a nodding, grinning, fresh-faced and wide-eyed populace. Something is rotten in the state methinks!

If everyone he meets on his weekly walk-about admires his new clothes, it’s no wonder that loneliness and paranoia are key characteristics of new entrants to the role and a despotic decision making style the behavioural fall-back. How can you be expected to fulfil the role of chief engagement officer on behalf of all your employees and under the banner of your brand if the internal audience never utter a critical word?

Yes it’s lonely being a CEO strutting the boards even if it’s often the brand of loneliness suffered by superstars who never get no for an answer! But how many CEOs have you met who crave the constant spotlight and revel in its constant glare?

In my experience as an internal and external advisor and coach, it’s the individuals who have achieved their position through establishing and maintaining functional teams by engaging their people who are most able to sustain their performance levels. So why is it that so many new appointees find that no sooner do they take to the leather throne all non-political, pragmatic points of view fade? Is it any wonder that what follows is a paranoid period of soul-searching to try and reconcile the avuncular, gregarious team-player and friend with the character designed by the chattels of office?

As the average CEO tenure has fallen to around 28 months, there’s precious little time to wade through the smoke and mirrors of statistical data provided by colleagues most likely to have a vested interest in your fall. An increasing trend has been to reach down the organisation for eyes, ears and most importantly the voices of the workaday custodians of the brand. There are few executives, in my coaching experience, who haven’t developed a subtle form of counsel, a network of scouts who seek out the safe passages and hot spots and inadvertently help to shape strategy and policy. I’m not referring to committees and working parties that are, more often than not, more political or legislative gesture than trusted partner.

Consider this quote from the CEO of a major Automotive Company “I have my network of individuals I meet informally individually at least once a month. This includes internal and external communications people and shop-floor cynics I can trust. They’re normally well-rounded yet ultimately loyal folk who care enough about the time they spend at work to be honest. They’re more interested in doing a worthwhile job than promotion and are themselves when they speak with me – so I trust what they say.”

If we accept that an organisation’s brand is the sum of the physical and most importantly behavioural manifestations of the service promise it makes to its consumers, the sad news is that CEOs seldom trust feedback from executive peers whose jobs depend on their reports. Agencies and consultancies have unfortunately fallen foul of this trap which is also why so many CEOs insist on retaining their own personal advisors. I can still picture the bearded, modestly-suited, unassuming individual who was a constant presence at the elbow of the head of a global insurance company, derided and strangely feared by the board in equal measure. Yet you couldn’t meet a more genuine, modest and affable person.

So remember, if you’re responsible for either the external or internal development of your brand, make sure you’re conscious of this hunger for knowledge yet instinctive distrust of spin and PR. Far better to learn from those informal advisors and connect with the person hidden somewhere inside the CEO regalia. How better to do this than to drop the corporate acting classes and bring yourself to work if you’re looking to establish genuine rapport and trust. If you don’t, chances are your CEO will find sincerity and intimate interaction with those you can’t out manoeuvre on the corporate chess table. Chances are they probably work for you.

This blog is inspired by Brand Engagement – How Employees Make or Break Brands available worldwide via Amazon.com or : http://www.palgrave.com/products/title.aspx?PID=281268