How does a ‘good leader’ become a ‘great leader’?

At Catalyst we believe that every role within an organisation has a part to play in its overall success. Many organisations can boast good leaders but this week we are looking at how a good leader can become a great leader, who and what business leaders and CEO’s turn to for support and to help them improve their personal performance and the overall performance of their business.

It’s lonely at the top

A study carried out by Egon Zehnder surveying 402 current CEOs from various industries, countries and corporate structures, revealed that 49% of respondents felt they couldn’t rely on their senior management team for feedback.

When asked who they would turn to for feedback, only 38% of CEOs said the Chairman of the Board of Directors, only 28% any member of the Board, and a huge 24% said they felt they had to rely solely on their own judgement.

This is despite the fact that 79% of the CEOs in the survey agreed or strongly agreed that they needed the capacity to transform themselves as much as the organisation they manage, and that they can see a link between self-transformation and organisational transformation.

Transform your performance

It is important to keep looking for ways to incrementally improve your performance but if you’re looking for a step change, you need to look at an intervention that transforms – Executive Coaching and Mentoring.

Some business leaders may have benefited from development tools such as coaching and mentoring during their career, but when they reach the top, these opportunities for reflection and growth tend to decrease. In discussion with the Harvard Business Review, Gavin Patterson, who became CEO of BT Group in 2013, explained that it is simply not possible for a CEO to take time out to attend courses or training programmes. This is where mentoring and executive coaching can make a difference.

Harvard Business Review surveyed 45 CEOs who were receiving business mentoring, and 71% said they were certain that company performance had improved as a result. 69% said they were making better decisions and 75% reported increased capability to fulfil stakeholder expectations.

Business leaders are working in high risk, high stress roles, and the support of someone who has been in a similar situation and gained expertise is invaluable. A mentor can offer timely and area-specific guidance and advice that focuses on the leader’s needs, in a way that is supportive and confidential.

How can Catalyst help?

At Catalyst, we help business leaders and senior managers across the UK to develop the effectiveness of themselves and their teams through mentoring, executive coaching and group facilitation. We help leaders to collaborate and communicate with integrity, to unlock insight through innovation and to improve business performance. We also offer consulting support tailored to individual business needs and objectives.

We combine our extensive business experience with a wide range of techniques to deliver tangible results – that’s why 100% of our customers would recommend us to others. Take a look at some of our results.

If you’d like to talk to us about helping you or your managers to become top-performing, please get in touch.