CEO Advisor

There are two ways someone becomes a CEO: they start a company or they are promoted into the position. If you start a company it's because you have a vision for how your company can serve some segment of the population with either your product or service. If you are promoted into the role, it's because you demonstrated mastery in a particular domain: sales, finance, technology or marketing. But to be an effective CEO, you have to master being a generalist not a specialist.

CEOs have a multitude of advisors. They range from experts in investment banking, law with a host of specialties, accounting, information technology, cyber security, marketing, branding, security, real estate and business strategy to name a few. While these advisors are valuable, their specialization limits their perspective and point of view. It’s my opinion that CEOs also need an advisor with a global big picture perspective that will help you deal with macro issues impacting your organization. That’s where a CEO advisor like me comes in. 

If you are a CEO you live the truth of the statement, being a CEO is the loneliest job. The reason for this is that CEOs are the organization's ultimate leader, inspiring their employees to deliver on the mission and vision of the company. Everyone in the organization looks to them for strength, especially in challenging times. As a result, CEOs are guarded with their thoughts, feelings and concerns both personally and about the business, thus the loneliness. 

I have a friend who was the CEO of a Fortune 500 company. I visited him and we were hanging out in his basement watching his young daughter play. I cracked a joke and he really broke up laughing. In that moment I realized that he doesn’t get to let loose and laugh much. I felt sad about that. Being guarded is even more essential if you are leading a publicly traded company. 

Who then should a CEO rely upon to discuss that which they cannot discuss with their team or publically? A CEO Advisor. Not a specialist but rather a generalist like me who is a big-picture global thinker. As CEO advisor: 

• I provide a sounding board for my clients to talk about things they can not share with anyone else. 

• We discuss strategy, people, business breakdowns, communication challenges.

• We discuss their health and wellness. 

• We discuss their strengths and limitations as a leader. 

• I speak truth to power and tell them what they need to hear that no one else will tell them. 

All of us are blinded by how we see our worlds. Think of a race horse with blinders on. The blinders limit what we see and, as a result, limit possibilities.  

My super power is removing a CEO’s blinders, by altering how they see their world, the circumstances, issues and challenges they are dealing with. By removing the blinders and recontextualizing what we are discussing, a whole new world of possibilities opens up for them. 

I do this by asking lots of questions and follow-up probing questions and listen for both said and unsaid. Being heard is critical for a CEO. My job is to get you to think differently. I had one client tell me, "I hired you because you asked me a question no one ever asked me and got me to think differently about what I’m dealing with." I have had clients get annoyed by a question I’ve asked. When that happens, I know we are getting somewhere. 

I have advised CEOs on:

• Succession planning for a privately held company whose son was in the business 

• Selling a business to a private equity firm

• Developing a new go-to-market strategy

• Hiring and firing employees

• Resolving conflict between leadership team members

• Culture development

• Turning around under-performing organizations

“I hired Alan to assist me with succession planning. We had some ideas and concerns about who we should promote to CEO and COO roles. Using his behavioral analysis skills, tools and interviewing capability, Alan evaluated our senior leaders and provided an outstanding analysis of my team, as well as a clear path forward to implement a succession plan. He took the time to clearly understand my needs and those of the company. Alan crafted a solution that was thorough and unbiased. I greatly appreciated his leadership, insight, professionalism and confidentiality with this important and sensitive issue for our company.”

— ROBERT MCLEOD, CHAIRMAN AND CEO, NEWLAND REAL ESTATE GROUP

As CEO, if you need a friend get a dog. If, however, you want a sounding board, someone to listen and help you see your world differently so you can see new possibilities and make new and different decisions, hire me as your CEO Advisor. 

Am I the coach you’ve been looking for?