Get paid for brainwashing your boss
Corporate houses are hiring executives coaches who can look their boss in the eye and call him a bully.
By Kala Vijayraghavan and Malini Goyal, TNN |
MUMBAI: They may have been hired for their skills, but get fired for their personalities. A competitive global economy has stretched the CEO skill set, forcing them to learn what is required from them. What they pick up, has little to do with techno-commercial strategic areas, but things that hone their inter-personal skills.
| Executive coaching, as a specialised discipline, has been flourishing in the US and the UK for over 20 years. The coach’s arena is to study interpersonal relations, office politics, corporate culture and counsel CEOs and senior functional managers to wield their power more effectively. |
Consequently, corporates are hiring CEO and executive coaches, who can look their boss in the eye and call him a bully or tick him off for relying too much on the advice of a few yes-men.
Keeping pace with global trends, companies like Cadbury, HLL, Wartsila, Godrej and Marico, among others, are hiring CEO or executive coaches. Interestingly, even the heads of several small and medium enterprises (SMEs) have begun hiring coaches to groom them in a competitive world. Executive coaching, as a specialised discipline, has been flourishing in the US and the UK for over 20 years.
| Global majors like DDI World are exploring entry into India. Heidrick & Struggles International has been talking about it for the last 2-3 years. Dale Carnegie Training has expertise in different functional and behavioural areas, also, they tap national and international networks to access the most relevant talent for the coaching exercise. |
Several Indian corporates who had earlier been reluctant to take to coaching on the assumption that it would be viewed as an admission of management weakness, are now open to the idea.
Several family-run businesses are hiring professional coaches to break self-imposed boundaries and strengthen developmental attributes and hence, performance. Harsh Mariwala, CMD of Marico — one of the companies that has taken up executive coaching — says it helps when the CEO does not have the time to understand his subordinates. “A CEO may not be as open with his subordinates, whereas an independent coach will be able to do that job far more effectively,” he says.
The coach’s arena is to study interpersonal relations, office politics, corporate culture and counsel CEOs and senior functional managers to wield their power more effectively.
“Coaching provides objective feedback from someone who has no personal or hidden agenda,” said the CEO of a top consumer goods company on condition of anonymity.
Another chairman and owner of a large conglomerate, managing diverse businesses is trying to get coached on how he can get the organisation deliver with speed. The head of another leading company wants to get better at how to keep his team and company ahead of the pack. Yet another hands-on CEO wants to empower his people and let them feel at charge — so that they don’t look up to him for direction all the time.
Adi Godrej, chairman of Godrej group, said his company has also hired external coaches to set things right. CEO or executive coaching is usually time-bound, with a contract lasting for six months to a year.
Global majors like DDI World are exploring entry into India. Anil Sachdev, CEO, Grow Talent, says family houses are becoming more aware and keen on coaching.
“I am currently coaching seven CEOs. One of the CEOs being coached has been in the organisation for two years but he thinks he is too soft, and wants to get rid of an office perception that he is not decisive.”
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Earlier companies used to have internal mentors but now they are looking for help outside, said Mr Sachdev.Management training institutions and consultancy firms are now offering executive coaching.
“CEOs want us to train them to deal with people, even hold meetings effectively or just be good at public speaking or addressing employees,” said allavi Jha, MD of Dale Carnegie Training. They have expertise in different functional and behavioural areas, also, they tap national and international networks to access the most relevant talent for the coaching exercise. In India, quite a few companies rely on coaches within the organisation, like the HR guys.
Since it is also an expensive affair, Arun Shankar Das Mahapatra, managing partner, India, Heidrick & Struggles International, said, ”We have been talking about it for the last 2-3 years.”
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Globally we have a company within our fold called Lore Consulting acquired by us, which specialises in CEO coaching. I see this as a big business and we will be launching it very soon in India.”Download
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