C-Suite Execs: You Don’t Need a Coach; You Need a Contrary
…learning to use the opposite side of you…
It is interesting that when CEO’s have new problems to be solved or new ideas or initiatives to be implemented both manifest themselves in exactly the same ways in the minds of those Executives.
Both begin to occupy ever-larger parts of your available “thinking” space. Both cause you to run and re-run various scenarios about options, alternatives and the best paths forward. Both cause a nagging feeling that there is something that needs to be done.
New problems and new ideas likely also cause you to engage with others on your Team by asking them questions and then listening to their answers. Great Leaders do that right?
Maybe.
Most CEO’s have as their main sounding board the people who report to them. For some, maybe also their Boards. The reality is that those people are biased, often in favor of crafting their answers in ways that are seen as being positive, supportive and helpful. After all, who wants to be known as the Company naysayer?
And there is the rub.
We all need a “truthteller”, someone who absolutely has only one agenda which is providing candid, thought-provoking and challenging ideas for us to add to our own self-created mix of options. Someone who has nothing to lose except their credibility and value if they are less than honest and helpful.
Oh and here is another value that having such a resource brings: Getting answers to our questions, while helpful, presumes that we asked the right questions! What if we didn’t?
That important distinction is also on the “to do” list for you and your new-found “thought companion”.
Enter the Contrarian (the “opposite side of you”)
A Contrarian is someone who deliberately opposes prevailing ideas, opinions or strategies with the specific intent of providing new perspectives, fostering critical thinking and questioning established norms.
Reread that sentence if necessary. A Contrarian has to prepare for their work with you. They need to become educated on other ways to think about what is on your plate and they can only do that by seeing multiple sides and angles of the same coin. A Contrarian who exists just to argue for the sake of argument is a bad partner to have.
This is a vital role. Still doubt that? What exactly is the downside of encouraging the exploration of ideas and the possibility of exposing potential flaws in your intended path forward? Maybe nothing happens or changes. Maybe something really important changes or happens. Maybe you avoid a really costly mistake and the consequences to your organization and Customers that go with it.
Mutual engagement is the key. The goal is never contention just for the sake of contention. It is to get another version of your truth and the chance for you also to be a contrarian to your contrarian!
This whole process is also never about gamesmanship or wasting valuable time proving who is right or wrong. It is about testing and retesting our previously (or currently) held beliefs and ideas. Think of it as “whiteboarding” your ideas with an unemotional, practical, intelligent and strategic thinker sitting in as your private audience.
And yes, “private” means that your Contrarian ultimately stays in the background. They are your resource and your resource alone. And the best ones have zero need for recognition or bragging rights of any kind.
One final, critical point: The best Contrarians serve multiple CEO’s in multiple industries or verticals at the same time. You want someone who has had many experiences in many parts of the business community; a person who can pull from multiple mental (and sometimes) relational resources.
The most successful CEO’s and Team Leaders actively seek out a constant flow of new, different and perhaps challenging ways to solve problems and to evaluate new ideas, initiatives or market decisions. They seldom see threats in other’s viewpoints. Their wisdom is born from many experiences, most of which they may not have seen if they only relied on themselves.
YOUR ACTION PLAN:
Find your personal Contrarian.
Retain them as an outsider.
Do not hire them as an employee.
Try it once.
Maybe twice.
Maybe as often as your needs for an honest pushback dictate!
We welcome your feedback and your questions on any topic that is important to you.
If you would like to learn more about our Contrarian Services for CEO’S and Boards or to become a Member of our Contrarian Peer Group for CEO’s, please reach out to Allan directly at ad@newcenturypartners.com or to 678.595.2587. Information is always free and confidential.
We wish you continued success!
Copyright 2023, New Century Partners, Inc
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