The mere mention of business coaching often evokes scepticism among seasoned executives. “What can coaching offer me?” you might ask, bearing a wealth of experience and a track record of success. After all, it’s easy to dismiss the idea as a sales pitch by “a slick guy with fancy words” who promises to revolutionise well-trodden business practices. This perception, unfortunately, is muddled by the caricatures painted in popular media and the unfortunate reality of encountering less than stellar coaches—yes, they exist in all shapes and sizes in the marketplace.

Yet, the notion of coaching is seldom questioned in the realm of top-tier sports, where elite athletes routinely seek external expertise to hit their targets. It begs the question: why should leaders in business be any different?

This blog post is part of the series “SME CEO and external support” which compiles thoughts from Aamu Partners’ Tuomas Paananen and CEO CF’s Tony Wood. This post summarises Tuomas’ thoughts on why a seasoned CEO also needs a coach. 

At Aamu (Aamu Partners) we have cooperated with hundreds of CEOs and identified six compelling reasons why even the most accomplished CEOs can benefit from the guidance of an external coach, just as in sports:

1. Leverage Experience and Extensive Knowledge
2. The Luxury of Never Being Alone
3. Obtain Impartial and Unbiased Feedback
4. Receive Support with Essential Background Work
5. Introduce Structured Operations
6. Boost External Motivation

1. Leverage Experience and Extensive Knowledge

The world’s finest sports coaches may not be decorated champions themselves, yet their value lies in their extensive experience. Similarly, a seasoned business coach brings a wealth of exposure to diverse business scenarios—like navigating financial hurdles, corporate restructuring, cash flow crisis, or international expansion—that your company may only encounter sporadically. Through coaching, leaders can shortcut to insights that might otherwise take decades to accumulate.

Aamu Partners’ expert team has over 40,000 hours of experience in growing shareholder value of SMEs, including in rarer business situations such as those mentioned above, such as applying for financing, crisis situations, or internationalisation.

2. The Luxury of Never Being Alone

Leading as a CEO or a top athlete can be isolating, with heavy responsibilities resting on your shoulders. It’s often hard for CEOs to show vulnerability before their stakeholders, board, financiers, or employees. A robust coaching relationship offers a confidential sounding board to candidly discuss business strategies and overcome obstacles.

3. Obtain Impartial and Unbiased Feedback

Stakeholders often have vested interests that may colour their feedback. In contrast, a professional coach is dedicated solely to your success, untainted by internal politics or personal gain. At Aamu, the Clarity service partnership assigns a dedicated team to provide an unbiased perspective on your business operations and strategic goals, even if it means pointing out the uncomfortable truths for the sake of productive evolution.

4. Receive Support with Essential Background Work

Much like the unseen preparatory work behind an athlete’s success, the extensive behind-the-scenes labour in running a business is rarely appreciated. A coach can handle this groundwork with adeptness and proficiency. Aamu’s Clarity service ensures that CEOs have a meticulous analysis and strategic recommendations at their monthly meetings, allowing them to concentrate on core decision-making and execution.

5. Introduce Structured Operations

Just as athletes need structured training regimes, business leaders require structured decision-making processes. Aamu’s expertise in crafting such frameworks empowers CEOs to decide and act both efficiently and effectively, with their Clarity working model serving as a prime example of this structured approach.

6. Boost External Motivation

While not every CEO may seek external motivation, many find that accountability improves performance and adherence to schedules. The Aamu team supports goal-oriented task scheduling to ensure diligence and tangible results.

The Bottom Line

These benefits from coaching synergize to bolster the effectiveness and sustainability of business operations, facilitate smarter decision-making, and enhance the CEO’s personal well-being and acumen, ultimately leading to a more assured and probable realisation of business objectives while significantly raising company value. 

For CEOs seeking to elevate their business, Aamu’s expert team and the Clarity service partnership are poised to deliver. At Aamu Partners, we pride ourselves not just on rolling up our sleeves but on delivering tangible, actionable insights that have a lasting impact.

Read more from our blog post series: 

• Part 1: When Should SMEs Seek External Support?
• Part 2: What value external support provides to SME’s CEO?
• Part 3: Should the support for the CEO be independent or dependent on the company?
• Part 4: Six typical arguments against outside help, and why they are wrong
• Part 5: Why does a seasoned CEO also need a coach?