Before I became an executive coach I used to be fascinated by the insights of an acquaintance who acted as sounding board/father confessor to some of the top names in British industry. As director of a corporate intelligence firm, he became privy to the fears and concerns of CEOs and senior directors, usually men over the age of 55. And although he was very discreet, he said that one thing united these powerful men, regardless of their industry or background: loneliness at the top.
I was always curious about how he managed to get these executives to open up about these feelings of loneliness. His answer was novel: more often than not, he said, the main photograph on their desk didn’t show their wife or their children, but their pet dog: “The only one they could really tell everything”.
Of course, many British CEOs have a coach as well as a pet dog these days, but, humour aside, why should it be lonely at the top? As a management writer and editor on the Financial Times, I grew weary of hearing senior executives trot out this well-worn cliché. Yes, executives have huge responsibilities and workloads, busy schedules and critical decisions to make — but they also have small armies of assistants, executives and advisers to help them manage these things. The problems start when, instead of using their private staff to support them, they turn it into a shield to protect them from the realities of their leadership or organizational culture.
While some CEOs, especially introverted types, will gladly hide behind their assistants and senior executives, for others, this distancing from reality often happens imperceptibly, without their knowledge. I remember this happening in a company where I once worked: the previous CEO had been open and available to all staff. Anyone could make an appointment to see him within one day. Staff respected that and only went to see him when they had something important to discuss and they appreciated the fact that however long they spent with him, he was fully engaged. When he left, his deputy took over. Things changed quickly. It once took me three calls to get through to his assistant who quizzed me about why I wanted to see him. She then made an appointment for four weeks later, which was cancelled after a week. I never tried again. After a year, he left, an unpopular and remote leader.
When CEOs become shielded by their team from the everyday realities of their business and from those lower down the corporate ladder, they can become vulnerable. They lose touch with what is happening on the ground, they become disconnected from staff and customers who can give them valuable, ‘unspun’ information, and they become unable to see new threats and opportunities. As my colleague Michael Roberto has pointed out in his recent column, leaders become detached and their interaction with staff becomes stilted and highly orchestrated.
Michael has some great ideas to help CEOs prevent themselves from becoming isolated at the top. Another idea that will appeal to CEOs — especially younger ones — is Ram Charan’s concept of ‘social acumen’, which he describes in his latest book, Leaders at all Levels. Social acumen helps leaders build networks that help them avoid becoming isolated at the top. Leaders with social acumen develop a broad range of social networks that permeate the company, including subordinates, peers, and superiors, he says. These networks often extend beyond the business to include customers, suppliers, regulators, politicians, and various interest groups. “The relationships tend to be durable because they are built on trust, and that trust allows information to flow both ways, exposing the leader to new ideas and different ways to see things.”
In the modern business world, where matrix-based structures are replacing hierarchies and partnership models are replacing competition, communication and networking are emerging as the key skills for leaders. Social acumen and engagement are critical for leaders if they are to engage, inspire and retain their people. It is no longer acceptable or reasonable for leaders to complain it is lonely at the top. If leaders are lonely, they are not doing their job properly.
What do you think? Is it reasonable today for leaders to complain about being lonely at the top? Do you have any messages for your CEO? Are you a leader yourself? If so, are you fully engaged with your people or do you still feel isolated?
Read all of Gill Corkindale’s Letter from London posts.
There is nothing like a good co-op board fight to unleash the resentments between Old and New Money.
Anthony’s Franchise Information is a very instructive website for several reasons.
November is the month when Britain remembers and honours the military. It’s a sombre time to reflect on the bravery and service of our armed forces, but in recent years there been disquiet over the current conflicts. Apart from the growing numbers of casualties and injuries, there have been worrying stories about how military personnel are being received by the public when their tour of duty ends. On a radio programme earlier this week, one army officer recounted how he had been refused a drink in a pub because he was ‘fighting an unjust war’ in Iraq. Worse, one Iraq veteran said he had found it almost impossible to find a job outside the military because of widespread opposition to the war.
