Do you love your work too much?

I have been reflecting on the toughest issues to influence as a business coach.   Common barriers affecting high flyers include; insufficient strategy, fear of action, poor decision making, low self-confidence, beliefs that do not support success.  However, each of these is relatively easy to spot and there are good ways to work on them to get an impact.

Perhaps the hardest to deal with is loving work too much - where positive intentions collide and the appearance of success in every area distracts the executive from realising there is greater potential entirely missing from the picture.  The specific issue is personal success combining with highly positive attitudes to a range of tasks and not seeing what is not achieved but could be with a different approach.

Here is your high flying CEO; Monday morning.  She picks up the weekly priority list; done the night before (good start).

1.  Read final documents and prepare for final meeting for an acquisition by a top client, really me, love the technical detail and cut and thrust of negotiation, big money on it, tick
2. Cashflow nearing overdraft limits, read partner debt lists and do the rounds with the weaker guys, getting their actions going to bring in some cash, helps the firm, uses my courage and persuasion skills to the full, tick
3. Strategic review preparation; need to read Gladwell's book, and review the market research, talk to the board about the key issues and prepare the ground for Thursdays strategy session.  My experience counts, great fun and vital for our future, tick
4. New client presentation, best fun, I'm really good at it, need to show I can still top the new business chart, tick
5. Property issues to be addressed, where will we go next at the fast growing Manchester office, complex negotiations, lots riding on it, I have vital views on how the practice offices should locate and look, tick
6. Our plans are to double with acquisitions, I have no likely firms in the viewer, need to identify partner to help target and start the process, must be me as I have clear views on the ideal target, tick.
7. Senior and capable colleague having a wobble, offers in from competitor, personal persuasion needed!  Tick.

Great at everything, loving all of it; sound familiar?  It's all good for the firm so what's the issue?

I am reminded of the scene in Band of Brothers - the episode was "the Breaking Point", the scene is the attack on the town of Foy, breaking out after the siege of Bastogne.  Colonel Winter's men are led by Lieutenant Dike, who makes mistakes, leading to casualties and a faltering attack.  Winters had risen to lead his company, loved his men, was a great field leader.  Seeing the problems he rushes forward, and is harshly called back by his commander.  "Winters, get back here, your place is on the line, not in the attack!"  Winters replaces Dike with Spiers in the heat of action and the attack goes in successfully.

Of course Winters could have led in the attack.  But his commander knew only Winters had the experience of his men and battle to manage the overall campaign and unfolding situation.  If distracted by close action, or worse taken out by chance or failure, the whole campaign might fail.

The point of experience is constantly to challenge yourself to have the greatest impact and focus.  Who is forcing you to take a step back and stay focussed on a simple list of your greatest strengths?  My own coach is fond of encouraging an annual "garage sale" of tasks.  Half must go - and each year the half on the fire sale are things that are more impactful than the last year's list.

What are the consequences of giving in to all the pleasures of their high performance ability?

What is the practice or firm missing that it could have by now, but for their distraction?

Why is there no succession of tasks that should not be top of their list, but do need high skill?

What growth could have been achieved had they focussed on increasing activity around their top three skills and replacing resources for the remaining tasks?

Wise CEO's and partners seek to surround themselves with people cleverer than they are.

The hardest thing to get people to realise is that when there appears to be nothing wrong, it is their great capability that might be the biggest barrier to their potential.

Do you love your work too much?  Are you too good to benefit from coaching?