CEO National Coaching Register  - Case Histories - Relationships

These are abbreviated conversations - from some hours of discussion - to illustrate key decision moments. Based on real cases with changed detail to preserve confidentiality

'Help me get rid of my UK chairman'

The MD was 39 years old and one year in to the appointment

 MD:  I want you to tell me how I can get rid of the UK chairman.  All he is interested in is numbers like the bloody accountant he is.  He vetoes every idea I suggest to change the business.  I want to invest £12m in new products and he won’t let me.  I have just spent £4m on a new factory without telling him or the international board.  It’s petty cash to us and by the time they find out they will see the successful results.  He is completely frustrating me.  I am on the offensive now.  When he comes over to UK and attends the executive board meetings I argue with him and put him down   I tell my team to back me up and disagree with him.  I want to make him so uncomfortable that he hands over to a new chairman and lets me get on with changing the business.

The coach uses carefully sculptured words here in a format that is known as an 'intervention'  Frequently it is just a one sentence question

 MD:  When I took over we already had  long term contracts that will give us record sales and record profits for the next 2 years. We need to deal with the threats on the horizon and invest for the future in new ideas.  He has passed his sell-by date at age 54 and says No to everything I suggest.  He was UK CEO for 5 years until he handed over to me. He grew it from £50m to £250m.  It was making a £2m loss and is now making £40m profit.  He is resting on his laurels now though.

Coach intervention

MD:  He was MD of three businesses and each one did very well.  But he will not talk about ideas and concepts.  He keeps asking for reports and numbers and keeps on wanting proof that new ideas will be successful financially.  Bloody easy to say that, but impossible to prove!  He has got risk averse and ought to retire at his age.

After an hours conversation, the coach makes an intervention

 MD, promptly and vehemently:  I would fire him!……………

 His face goes white.  “Oh my God, that’s exactly what I do to my chairman isn’t it?  I was so keen to impress him and the board.  If they hear about that £4m on the factory, they are going to fire me aren’t they?”

 Coach intervention

 MD:  I don’t think I have much time.  Now I think about it, there have been quite a few hints from the international board when I've been over there recently.  I have been so keen to impress them that I have been ignoring the signals.  What shall I do?

 Coach:  Shall we look at all the options and alternatives you have got to deal with the situation? 

The coach and the MD created an action plan that included the MD preemptively telling the chairman about the factory, apologising for his behaviour and explaining that it was anxiety to prove himself to the board.  He would tell the chairman that he was going to turn over a new leaf and show proper respect and trust in the board’s judgement. He would propose an independent team would examine all new ideas instead of him, and he would accept the teams recommendations.

The Chairman praised him for his courage and honesty. A year later the MD was promoted to Group CEO. The Chairman said to him “A year ago you were close to being fired.  The transformation in your leadership has been marvellous and the group are delighted with your maturity and the team spirit.  You have earned the appointment.

The MD continued “A by product of all this was that by putting all the new ideas to a committee, we saved £5m.   I put an idea to a sub-committee who refused to go ahead with it.  I was really annoyed but went along with the decision  A year later, the 9/11 crisis wrecked that marketplace and all our competitors went into spiralling losses. We would have lost £5m pa if we had gone ahead with my idea.

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