Leaders Need Mentors

It's natural to feel like employing a coach to help you develop as a leader is somehow an admission of weakness. That's why most coaching contracts come with confidentiality agreements, which is a good thing.

What you may not know is that as many as 40% of the CEOs of Fortune 500 companies are using these kinds of services. If you're a CEO of a Fortune 500 company, you don't lack ability, and you're definitely NOT weak.

So, why? CEOs inhabit a unique position of leadership. Their boss is most often a board of directors that, as a group, are not often in the very best position to help the CEO grow in their leadership. They can certainly direct the CEO at times, but those directions are typically motivated by an interest in company profit, not the CEO's personal growth.

The fact is, a growing number of CEOs are finding that leadership coaching absent the trappings of their organization and completely focused on them personally is their new secret weapon.

CTOs and IT Managers are in much the same position. They have bosses who often have no understanding of the unique challenges of IT Leadership. Their peers are often very good at technical and process management, but struggle with people leadership.

Yet, people leadership is the "killer app" of IT Management. If you get leadership right, literally everything else falls in line.

AND, developing leadership skills is NOT a template that applies to all. It's a process that is unique for each individual. It's a process that cries out for a personal leadership coach.

Recognizing the need for someone to confidentially come along side you and focus on your unique development as a leader is a sign of STRENGTH.