Language - The way we communicate audibly Action - The action that we take and how we take that action Behaviour - Our behaviour that others observe, including our body language ‘Way of Doing’ – this is external to us and observable by others EXECUTIVE COACHING www.ceotodaymagazine.com 45 socially conscious employees expect their leaders to take a lead on social issues now, as the Disney Company found out earlier this year when staying quiet on the new legislation in the US that “restricts classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity” when employees walked out on the job, based on the company not taking a stance. However, providing an opinion with a societal theme can also be very risky if not well thought out, aligned with corporate policy and in keeping with the public mood, as Stuart Kirk of HSBC found out recently when accusing “central bankers and policymakers of overstating the financial risks of climate change in an attempt to “out-hyperbole the next guy”. The result of this statement being a public rebuke from the head of HSBC’s wealth and personal banking business, Nuno Matos, as he shared that Kirk’s views “are inconsistent with HSBC’s strategy and do not reflect the views of the senior leadership of HSBC or HSBC Asset Management.” The second way that leadership is changing is more empowered women in general, and more women in ‘C Suite’ roles (however still not enough) driving a different style; the millennial generation looking for a different style of leadership to the traditional ego fuelled ‘my way or the highway’ and ‘I have to know it all’ approach and minority groups in business rightly demanding more inclusion of their views and concerns. Not only for the ‘fact’ that leadership is changing, but it also needs a different approach because in today’s data-driven and more complex business landscape the leaders’ role is being expanded into areas not previously demanded of them. Leaders have to adapt to their roles being expanded in scope with more ambiguity in business today, as well as take their teams on a journey of trust, as opposed to believing they will be trusted as the leader because of their position in the company. This, combined with more working from home and the traditional hierarchical structure in organisations changing to a more agile nature, executives must be more self-aware and use skills that emphasise effective listening, empathy, curiosity, awareness of emotions (both of self and others), relationship building and cocreation of outcomes to augment the more traditional leadership skills of visioning and decision-making. They must be able to ask not only, “what you do you think?” But “how are you feeling?” and have the competency in the domain of emotional awareness and literacy (not intelligence) to deal with the response to that question. As Nicholas Janni, a world-leading executive coach, and author, shares about the changing nature of leadership: “To survive and thrive they must include yet transcend mindsets and capacities that, while once very effective, now contribute to the problem.” What role does executive coaching have to play in this? Well done, executive coaching is an enabler for leaders to make a shift in their ‘way of being’ and their ‘way of doing’ to meet the changing expectations of those they seek to lead, and the environment that they lead in, to deliver sustainable results. As I shared in the Australian Financial Review in March 2021, which still holds ‘true’: “Executive coaching supports leaders to make sustainable and conscious changes and to be more effective, not just for their own company and team, but for society as a whole.” As ‘the CEO’s Caddy’, I walk alongside my clients supporting them in this endeavour by observing them, challenging them, asking questions of them, being there for them, and ultimately celebrating with them as they make a difference in the world for others. ‘Way of Doing’ – this is external to us and observable by others By observing our ‘way of being’ in these three domains we will become far more open to the possibilities of using effective audible language to build relationships and get things done; how to behave and what actions to take that enable us to be a ‘better’ person and a ‘better’ leader of self, of others and in society. That is why my coaching, and life philosophy, is: Observe|Choose|Act How is leadership changing? Edelman’s 2022 Trust Barometer headline is “Societal leadership is now a core function of business”. The barometer is a global measure of people’s faith in companies, governments, the media and non-government organisations and in this year’s survey it shares that, “at 61% business is the most trusted institution”. This is one of the two key elements of how leadership is changing – leaders must be more leaders in society, as well as of team and their business than was ever required before, as trust in the classic institutions of state, media, and church decline. More www.conoromalley.com.au
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