It may be a cliche, but it really is "lonely at the top." There are simply SOME THINGS that senior executives and business leaders cannot talk about to their colleagues, teammates and subordinates. Senior people in organizations need someone they can talk to who is outside the organization; someone who is objective, with no agenda and no "axe to grind."
Many of today's high-performing business leaders are turning to a new breed of outside advisor -- the Strategic Thinking Partner -- to enhance their own leadership decisions and to dramatically improve their capability to deliver high-impact results and exceptional value. A Strategic Thinking Partner serves as a leader's "personal" career success advocate and champion, in a unique role that no one else internal to the organization can fill.
"Your Strategic Thinking Partner is your 'personal' career success advocate"
Strategic Thinking Partners provide a valuable third opinion -- frank feedback, insightful questions, multi-company experience and bold challenges -- with no agenda other than helping the business leader become wildly successful and deliver amazing results.
Consider the value of an unbiased Strategic Thinking Partner who provides the expertise and a process framework to support YOU in:
- Forming and testing new ideas with an outside Partner who has no vested interest in the outcome and who has expertise and perspective across a variety of businesses and organizations
- Thinking through important decisions -- considering all of the pros and cons, weighing the advantages and disadvantages, surfacing "outside-the-box" ideas, options and alternatives
- Exploring your career passions and personal aspirations, ambitions and "big hairy goals"
- Discussing and deciding on ethical dilemmas
- Discussing and dealing with highly sensitive and important personnel and "people" issues
- Discussing important personal issues that may be impacting the job and performance at work
- Creating a "space" to think, mitigating the tendency to react too quickly to events and circumstances
- Helping to stretch your thinking and shift your perspective on viewpoints, situations and circumstances
- Drawing out ideas and solution alternatives to successfully solve key challenges and to deal effectively with obstacles and stumbling-blocks
- Helping to hold you accountable to the important and to keep you focused on "the end goal(s)"
- Giving you honest, candid feedback that your colleagues will not or cannot give you
Having a confidential Strategic Thinking Partner is like having someone else to figure out a new puzzle with, trying different moves and combinations, creating new patterns and possibilities. Sometimes you CAN do this with your leadership and management team, but MANY times you cannot -- a Strategic Thinking Partner is there to fill the gap in those situations
"Independent
perspective and insight is critical to business leaders who want to
overcome obstacles to effective decision-making.
A Strategic Thinking Partner is "custom-made" for that role."
Other key advantages of a Strategic Thinking Partner:
- The most effective strategies and tactics incorporate insights from many vantage points -- both inside and OUTSIDE the organization. The Strategic Thinking Partner serves effectively as an outside and independent voice.
- The management team -- the source of a business leader's "second opinion" -- have their own vested interests. Frank, agenda-free and unbiased feedback and advice is almost impossible. A Strategic Thinking Partner always offers honest and detached feedback and advice.
- The confidentiality of some critical issues precludes discussions with members of the inner-company circle -- or even the board and other outside advisors who may be impacted or otherwise biased in their thinking. A Strategic Thinking Partner is ALWAYS there to facilitate clarity of thinking in a completely unbiased manner.
- Making oneself TOO vulnerable to the team can undermine a leader's "standing" and credibility. Your vulnerability or credibility is NEVER threatened through your interaction with a Strategic Thinking Partner.
- Confidentiality is NEVER compromised with a Strategic Thinking Partner.
In summary, a Strategic Thinking Partner provides a sounding board and an invaluable outside perspective. People in organizations all "breathe the same air," which is a euphemism for jointly sharing a view of the world that might be out of touch with reality -- an all-too-common situation.
There
is real value in having these views challenged from time to time.
Business leaders and executives need to have the truth, and in
organizations, they don't always get it. An effective Strategic
Thinking Partner will help you seek out the truth.
Have YOU considered engaging a Strategic Thinking Partner who has YOUR vested interests in mind?
Contact me today to discuss how a Strategic Thinking Partner relationship could be of benefit to you:
Andy Robinson
CEO and Strategic Thinking Partner
CRG Leadership Institute LLC
Andy.Robinson@CRGLeaders.com
239-285-5575
- Over 15 years experience as an Executive Coach, Career Success Coach and Strategic Thinking Partner
- Over 25 years business and leadership experience across a variety of industries, serving scores of companies of all sizes (Fortune 100 to small, locally owned businesses) as a management consultant, professional advisor and outside executive coach.
- 10 years experience with a top-tier management consulting firm, PricewaterhouseCoopers (formerly known as Coopers & Lybrand), serving in practice leadership and practice director roles
- Author, speaker and professional trainer
- Co-host of the Career Success Radio Show on Exceptional Wisdom Radio.
- Licensed member of the International Coach Federation (ICF)
- BBA-University of Georgia; MBA-Georgia Institute of Technology
- Competitive road cyclist, Cycling Team Director, and Junior Cycling Development Director
- Husband, father and native of Atlanta, Georgia, currently residing in beautiful Naples, Florida
- Passion for helping others LOVE what they do for a living and achieve incredible career success
Andy,
The service you offer as an outside consultant looks to be invaluable to top execs who need an unbiased opinion.
Posted by: church lending | September 15, 2011 at 09:17 AM