By Simon Vetter
Charles stared defiantly at me across the table. “I’m a good leader, and I know I have a strong personal brand. That’s what got me into this company in the first place.”
Frankly, he had a point. Two years prior to this meeting, he had been hired by the company, a leading financial service firm. Charles‘ reputation for creating change within large organizations got him the foot in the door. He was known for his strong execution skills. After talking with him for only a few minutes, I could see why. He was passionate, exceptionally articulate, and projected confident presence of a decision-maker.
His firm had enrolled all executives in a leadership development program, he was fully prepared to convince me that his participation would be a waste of time.
“Look,” he said, leveling his eyes at me, “I was in the military for seven years of active duty, plus six years in the reserves. I have studied leadership and philosophy extensively. I was mentored by the strongest leaders you can imagine, and I am very well respected around here. I keep this department running like a Swiss watch. Now, convince me that your coaching is a good investment of my time.”
The Alpha male had spoken.
“Okay, you’ve made a valid point, let’s look a little deeper,” I said. “You tell me you have a strong brand as a leader. I hear that a lot. How do we know that’s true? Charles, how are your direct reports responding to your leadership style? Do they follow you? Are you seeing the results you ask for?”
For the first time, I saw a flicker of doubt in his eyes. Then I saw frustration. “The problem is not my leadership… the problem is the corporate culture. It’s just a very slow organization. People are so busy being friendly and kind to each other that they barely have time to get any work done! I’ve tried several different strategies to change this, people just don’t respond to my initiatives. To be honest, I’m not sure if I am a fit for this organization.”
I looked him in the eye and said, “Charles, they brought you on board because they needed someone exactly like you. You have to carve a new path. You have to create a new culture within an established culture. Welcome to the leadership journey.”
Charles is one of those managers, driven, skilled and ambitious, who get frustrated by a „nice“ corporate culture. In his mind he was a superstar leader. And he did his best to convince me of that.
“Charles,“ I continued „you need to know how other people experience you as a leader. It’s time to collect some feedback from your colleagues and employees.”
“I’m sorry Simon, that just doesn’t fit with my philosophy of leadership. I don’t ask my direct reports what they think of me. It doesn’t matter. I’m not here to be liked – I’m here to run a department and get the job done.”
“Okay, let’s talk about your understanding of leadership. What does that mean to you?”
“Leadership means being in front, leading the troops, steering the direction of the entire unit,” he replied. He was very certain about this.
“Good. Now, but think about leading consumer brands. Let’s take Coca-Cola, for example. How much feedback does Coca-Cola collect?” I asked.
“Oh! They collect information on all sorts of things — taste, color, bottle shape… they do it all the time.”
“That’s right,” I said. “They know how valuable that feedback is. It tells them exactly what to improve. Now, who do they ask?”
“Well, they ask the people who buy the product.”
“So, if leadership is your product, who’s buying it?”
“That would have to be my boss, the Board of Directors, even my employees. I can’t accomplish much unless they buy into my goals, ideas and direction,” he said.
“Exactly!” I replied. “People engage you based on what they think of you. Let‘s find out what they really think of you.” I could see him connecting the dots in his mind. “I get it,” he said. “When consumer companies see some aspect of their brand weakening, they make adjustments to improve it. The same is true with us.”
Following our conversations, Charles was an agreeable participant in our leadership coaching program. He picked up valuable insights into his “Alpha” leadership style, and the ways in which it was and was not suited for the corporate environment.
In our concluding conversation, I asked him to share his “take away” from this leadership development program.
“I had to reframe my understanding of leadership. He used to think of it as directing people — that’s what I learned in the military. Now I understand leadership to be a balance act between directing and collaborating — asking, eliciting suggestions, and letting others step up and contribute. It’s a combination of exerting control and encouraging participation, creating urgency and direction, and then stepping back. The best leadership is both. It’s just like that push-pull tension that people feel in dancing. I never would have seen that on my own.”
About the author:
Simon Vetter works with managers who want to create positive changes and professionals who want to build a STAND OUT brand. He has coached and trained managers from Agilent Technologies, CalPERS, Callaway Golf, Daimler, Gallo Winery, Johnson & Johnson, Siemens, Toyota, US Steel, UBS and others. Combined with 20 years of experience in marketing, sales, and leadership development, Simon has an MBA-Degree in business and marketing from University of Berne, Switzerland. Simon is a member of Alexcel Group, an international alliance of executive coaches and author of STAND OUT! Branding Strategies for Business Professionals.
