Successful brands correspondingly employ successful CEOs. And to be a successful CEO, you must typically possess a few key attributes. These attributes generally include the ability to hire competent people, build a cohesive work environment, and delegate authority proficiently.
For some CEOs, the above skills come naturally. Others might need a little bit of coaching. Coaching for startup CEO involves CEO guidance from industry leaders, not from the typical self-employed “life-coaches” who seem rampant online. CEOs are leaders, and so only leaders must train them.
Here is a view on the type of professional development CEOs must generally consider when entering a coaching environment.
CEO Role
The main difference between leading a startup team and leading a long-standing, expanding brand is the CEO’s role.
In a startup environment, CEOs are in a hands-on phase, and this is a critical phase to ensure the functionality of every facet of the brand. In a startup, the CEO plays a role in virtually every department. As the brand grows beyond the startup phase, it will ultimately require a CEO who knows how to delegate authority and implement logistical strategies.
If delegation, logistical awareness and forming strategy are not among the skills that you currently possess, it is critical to cultivating them before your brand begins to expand beyond the startup phase.
CEO Image
Coaching for a startup CEO must consider the CEO’s personality. With this in mind, a CEO must ask himself or herself if he or she is comfortable representing the brand.
Personal branding may not seem like a critical aspect, but, believe it or not, any positive or negative publicity the CEO receives will ultimately affect the brand, and correspondingly affect brand growth.
This fact does not mean you need to be the next Bill Gates or Mark Zuckerberg, but it does mean that you need to be comfortable being the new face of the brand. When people think of your brand, they might picture you.
If you are not comfortable with this position, proper coaching from the right mentor can work to break personal boundaries and broaden your comfort zone.
Team Building Capability
A CEO, above all else, must be able to build a talented and innovative team that works together with optimal collaboration skills.
Successful CEOs do not have to be omniscient. Still, they do need to be able to recruit the right employees, motivate them with engagement, and keep people who will complement the brand and enhance productivity, on hand.
If hiring and motivating team members are not skills you currently possess, these are vital elements that you should develop through coaching, mainly if you are the CEO of an expanding brand.
Coaching for CEOs
Coaching CEOs is a business in itself and must be taken seriously by both the coach and the trainee. The most critical point is to identify which areas you need to develop the most and then seek help to improve those areas on time.
A successful coach will push his or her clients to consider both their strengths and weaknesses to develop a coaching strategy. This approach is essential to determine what kind of personal and professional development is needed by the clients to turn a slow-moving startup into an expanding brand, and ultimately, into an industry leader.
It is critical to remember that complacency is the death of all businesses, large, small, startup, or established. Nurturing and developing skills through coaching will ensure that you can meet brand goals head-on and with confidence.