A high-flying global insurance lead is being eyed for CEO but his staff feel little connection with him and his work addiction puts him in danger of burnout
THE ISSUE
Daniel M is in his mid-40s, the global head of compliance in an international Insurance business based in Germany. He’s flying high: always in command of his area, manages the Regulator skilfully, contributes strategically to the firm’s global success. He’s proud to say he’s made himself ‘indispensable’ and is seen as the CEO’s obvious successor.
However, Daniel works excessive hours and has a habit of adding even more to his workload. He’s often seen hurrying down corridors to all meetings even peripherally relevant to compliance. In his recent top talent assessment, his reports praised him as a bold, smart leader but felt limited personal connection to him and were irritated by suspicions that he covertly does emails during Teams calls. He seemed reluctant to delegate, they’re concerned at the many emails he sends well after midnight and the email deluge ‘scheduled’ for 7am. Peers noted that, while generally affable, his body language could show simmering tension. The CEO retires in a year and the board fears that Daniel could burn out if given this extra responsibility. If Daniel can’t address the concerns, his ubiquitous dedication and attention to detail will stymie his career.
Daniel has chosen you as his coach. How would you support him and help him achieve his potential?
- This issue’s Troubleshooter has been curated by Veronica Munro, international C suite executive coach, performance facilitator and author
THE INTERVENTIONS
Richard Spence
Executive and team coach, facilitator, Clear Pictures
An early, frank, three-way meeting with the CEO could motivate Daniel to make the changes necessary for the board to promote him.
We’d assess his level of stress. Is he often suppressing anger or wanting to quit (fight or flight)? Feel like he’s about to collapse (freeze)? What triggers his stress? What help does he need and what can he let go of for a while?
I might offer classic time-management techniques as ‘symptom relief’. Prioritising and applying the swift rule of thumb: ‘Do? Defer? Delegate? Drop?’ (Allen, 2015). Daniel could also permit his EA to regulate meeting requests and put blocks in his diary.
Reducing his excessive hours is key.
Work addicts habitually under-report their addiction. I’d ask Daniel to record his working hours daily for two weeks, adding how he feels in the second. Workaholics are often shocked to see their hours in black and white. I’d also suggest he talks to those who matter to him about how they’re impacted.
It seems his reports are up for more.
If he’s to make CEO, he’ll need to model focus, tolerable hours, succession planning, and skills in delegation.
Finally, I note Daniel’s pride in being ‘indispensable’. I’m curious about Daniel’s family of origin and about the formative years of his career where a ‘working personality’ is often forged.
We may discover ways of being that once served Daniel well but now, are more likely to scupper him. Recognising outdated patterns can help new choices.
- D Allen, Getting Things Done, Piatkus, 2015
Simon Lau
Chartered psychologist and supervisor, Still Point Consulting
Leaders who are high-capability, high-capacity individuals can often be running an internal script driven by valuing hard work, being in control, always being available and delivering excellence no matter the cost. They are a force of nature and expect others around them to be just as committed if they want to be successful.
When working as coaches in a relational and embodied way we can reflect our own embodied experience back to our clients as a source of data to explore with them in the coaching session. Doing this might raise Daniel’s awareness around what is happening beneath the surface. Rather than play into his drive and intellect I’d share how I notice my own body, for example, feeling a huge weight upon it and how my breath becomes tight and laboured listening to him describe his context. The intention would be to help him slow down, become present and get into relationship with himself, and access additional data perhaps.
I’d be encouraging him to shift his focus to his internal being and self-assess the physical, emotional and mental loads that operating this way entails. Once a baseline has been established, we could begin to explore what practices he uses to regulate his capacity to perform, rest and recover. I’d ask:
- What practices do you access to rest and recover after a long week/pulling a series of all-nighters?
- How do you create space for yourself to be present and develop relationships with your team/stakeholders/ colleagues?
- What can you say ‘no’ to, thus creating more capacity to focus on what’s most important and impactful?
- Who do you seek help from when you don’t know or have doubts?
Effective CEOs can hold space to sense-make with others in the unknown, unknowable and uncertain and hold the tension for a collective and creative response, but it starts with doing it themselves.