differently to be more effective, and how they can share what they
have learned in the organization.
CEOs Learn from Feedback
They give and get feedback from multiple sources, such as 360-
degree feedback, interviews with customers and employees, and
surveys. They model the importance of feedback by using every
opportunity to give feedback to others. They seek and receive feed-
back with enthusiasm, but even more important, they say what
they will do about it and give credit to those who provide it to
them. They publicly communicate what development areas they
are working on and encourage others to emulate their commitment
to learning through feedback.
They surround themselves with strong people who can give
them feedback honestly and powerfully. They use their board of
directors as peer respondents (in 360-degree assessments) and set
time aside during every board meeting for personal feedback. They
seek out people within the organization (beyond their immediate
entourage of top executives) on whom they can rely for honest
feedback. In other words, they drive a culture that enables people
to speak up as opposed to telling them what they want to hear.
CEOs Learn from Coaches
CEOs use coaches for specific and distinct purposes. Here are three
examples of how they use coaches:
- To support the strategic agenda.This answers the question
“Where are we going?” Coaches work at this level to help CEOs in
their leadership capacity, for example, to focus on an organizational
priority or to implement specific change initiatives. The coaching
process aims to open new perspectives and insights that can guide
them in their strategic agendas. Coaches stimulate new thinking
by using books, research reports, and other resources, and they
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