Your CEO is resistant to feedback on leadership. How can you help them improve their decision-making process?

So much depends on how the feedback is given. A lot of people are not very skilled in giving feedback! If there are serious problems to be tackled, the feedback needs to be given by someone who has a relationship with the CEO and can be honest as well as supportive. Respect their experience and the fact that they are the CEO so have something of what it takes to get there.

One thing that has been helpful is to research their network and peers in different organisations in the same sector. Then share articles and updates on what they are doing positively e.g. press releases, articles in industry press, snippets from their websites, and use them as an opening point for discussion about the benefits of adopting new or different approaches. I’ve also encouraged combined exec meetings with peer CEOs and their teams to share learning points. It has been really effective in changing entrenched views and driving step change.

1).Here are my three brainstorming thoughts and suggestions. Share?examples?of?leaders?who?have?successfully?embraced?feedback?and?improved?their?decision-making.?This?can?help?illustrate?the?potential?benefits?of?being?open?to?input. 2).Encourage?open?communication?by?fostering?a?culture?where?feedback?is?viewed?as?a?tool?for?growth?rather?than?criticism.?This?can?be?achieved?through?anonymous?surveys?or?feedback?sessions?that?emphasize?constructive?input. 3).Demonstrate?the?value?of?feedback?in?your?own?work.?By?showing?how?you?incorporate?feedback?into?your?decision-making,?you?may?inspire?the?CEO?to?do?the?same. While Practical demonstration and experience sharing is crucial and key for motivation.

It depends on the personality of the CEO, status of the person giving the feedback, in the eyes of the CEO and the context of the situation. Each personality and every context require another aproach. The one size fit all idea doesn't work. Start with asking yourself, do you need to give feedback. You probably have not a complete picture of the situation, certainly not from the viewpoint of the CEO. The limited view you have can create strong emotions to give feedback, but hold that back. You can indicate to the CEO that you might have valuable insights to the situation. If the CEO ignores you or indicates that he/she is not interested in your idea's. Stop stalking :) the CEO and do your job.

To help a resistant CEO improve their decision-making process: a) ???????????? ???? ???????????? ?????????????????? ?????? ??????????????: I would encourage the CEO to practice active listening and empathy when interacting with their team and stakeholders. b) ?????????????????? ???????????????????? ????????????????-???????????? ????????????????????: I would introduce structured decision-making frameworks that can help the CEO analyze situations more systematically. c) ???????????? ?? ?????????????? ???? ???????????????? ?????? ????????????????????: I would work with the CEO to create a culture where feedback is valued and sought after.

Trust is an essential ingredient to build between senior leaders and if you work directly to the CEO, it is essential that you develop a strong and effective container for communication in which you can both be honest and respectful, even when you don’t agree. A great CEO wants their people to feel that they can speak openly about challenges. They don’t want ‘yes’ people, they want a team of great leaders, helping them to succeed. Finding an effective way to be open about challenges and propose solutions to resolve them is the most effective way to build trust.

Generar espacios de confianza es clave para la apertura gradual del CEO. Es importante ir poco a poco para profundizar y entender las causas que explican su resistencia a dar feedback. Es común que, tanto hombres como mujeres en este rol, hayan desarrollado un estilo ejecutivo donde ocultar y enfriar emociones ha sido útil para su éxito. Empujarles hacia un liderazgo más abierto puede confrontarlos con sus miedos y vulnerabilidades. Es crucial que valoren que la apertura no solo refuerza su posición, sino que fomenta la conexión con el equipo y fortalece su liderazgo a largo plazo.

La confianza se obtiene con la profesionalización adecuada al cargo . Experiencia, ética ,ejemplo ,seguridad,trascendencia,honestidad, capacidad intelectual,imagen ,creatividad y empatía . Actuar lo que se predica ,capacidad de ense?ar ,autoridad que emana de la persona no del cargo .

During my tenure as a coach of the managing partner / CEO at a major law firm, I focused on establishing a foundation of trust with other senior lawyers. I scheduled regular one-on-one meetings to discuss their goals and concerns, ensuring confidentiality and support. This approach helped in creating a safe space where they felt comfortable sharing and receiving feedback, ultimately improving their leadership and decision-making.

Sometimes CEOs are resistant to feedback because they view the feedback as a rejection of their vision. To get around this, clarify the root of your feedback. If you can see the value in their vision, explicitly communicate your support and frame your feedback as ideas that will help them realize that vision. Essentially, frame your feedback as a key ingredient that will help them to WIN at achieving their vision. Most CEOs want to "win," so a reframe in this way may help them be more receptive to feedback from others.

Feedbacks has to be directional, impactful & easy to follow rather than confusing or putting the person in the blame frame. In my experience as an executive coach, Feedbacks have to be constructive. There has to be a combination of OBSERVATION + IMPACT + SUGGESTION when you want a certainity of it’s acceptance & application.

Create a Safe Space and ensure the CEO feels secure and respected while emphasizing that the goal is to enhance their strengths.

Being skilled in providing feedback requires the ability to frame it in the right way. It's important to outline the impact associated with not taking any action. With CEOs, it's critical to align the feedback with the organizational outcomes and desired results. In addition, the positive impact that comes from taking action to address the feedback should be clearly identified.

Frame feedback as a collaborative effort aimed at mutual growth rather than criticism. Highlight the benefits of feedback, such as improved decision-making and enhanced leadership skills. By addressing these barriers sensitively and constructively, you can help your CEO see feedback as a valuable tool for personal and organizational growth.

As an Executive Coach, I find that self-reflection is something few senior leaders get time to do. Create safe spaces through relaxed conversations but encourage them to take apportioned time out from their day to reflect. Asking the right questions, framed in the right way can be incredibly powerful tools to begin the reflection process.

It can be challenging for a CEO to find time for self-reflection with so many competing priorities on their plate. Seize small opportunities wherever possible for self-reflection by asking questions such as, "Would you do anything differently in retrospect?" or "What worked well that could be replicated in a similar situation?" This way, learning is incremental and scalable.

Encourage Self-Reflection for the CEO and suggest self-assessment tools or leadership journals for improvement without confrontation. Another way could be to introduce peer feedback from trusted board members or leaders they admire.

If you want to influence a leaders to reflect upon their own performance & they won't; try these: 1. Ask them to give feedback on where they think you do well & where they feel you could do better when making decisions. They may offer up examples of their own. 2. If they don't offer; ask for examples from their own actions which illustrate what they are looking for; they may be more open in the context of giving you feedback about them. 3. If they don't give developmental examples from their past history, ask for examples, to help your development, on which of their decisions, they believe, have added the longest term value & why; you may tug on their conscience. Return again to the chat another time; openness can take time & tries.

Encourage them to find a safe space for self reflection such as a Peer Advisory Group of non-competing executives. Feel free to contact me for details

Listen first for what their fear is. There’s always fear under resistance. Then help them see alternative positive outcomes of being open to feedback. Asking curious questions can be really helpful. What could happen if people were afraid to speak the truth to you? What could we miss? What if the feedback is intended to be helpful not challenge your authority? How can people approach you with ideas and feedback so you can hear it best? Then practicing reactions to feedback given. Also, helping leaders be crystal clear on what is expected and communicate this in a way that shows openness is helpful.

An executive coach can be that impartial yet supportive person which can allow the CEO to open up in a way they might not usually. Once they trust you are not judging them, an open dialog becomes more likely and the CEO is likely to be more comfortable with the idea of developing their awareness.

In my experience, I offered continuous support to a managing partner by being available for regular check-ins and guidance. This included discussing recent decisions, exploring alternative approaches, and providing constructive feedback. This sustained support not only improved the partner's confidence but also enhanced their overall decision-making process.

A coach from outside the organisation, by virtue of their unique role, can, without fear or favour, hold a mirror to the CEO to see for themselves areas of improvement and where they can be more open to constructive feedback. As a first step, an anonymised 360 degree feedback survey from direct reports and overall organisation helps diagnose areas of coaching to initiate safe exploration by the CEO with coach.

Considerar apoyo profesional externo puede acelerar y hacer más eficiente el desarrollo del CEO. Un coach proporciona orientación personalizada para mejorar la toma de decisiones y el feedback. La psicología ofrece una comprensión profunda de patrones emocionales y conductuales, mientras que la consultoría aporta soluciones prácticas para desafíos específicos. Al sumar estas herramientas, el CEO obtiene una visión más completa y equilibrada, facilitando un proceso de crecimiento más rápido y efectivo sin presiones ni amenazas.

Lo que más puedo valorar del coaching Ejecutivo es que no se trata de darle consejos así CEO iniciar un acompa?amiento de muy alto nivel en el que este tome sus propias decisiones y es allí cuando se genere esa confianza que este directivo podrá facultar a su Coach ha dicho acompa?amiento.

In my recent coaching sessions at this time when many leaders are having mid-year performance review conversations with their team, effective feedback conversation has been a common theme. I can see the leaders have good intentions and motivations to gather feedback from their teams. However, they need to set time & effort to strategise, plan & practice for an intentional, open, honest and purposeful feedback discussion with different groups of people. An executive coach is a great support for this.

May we never forget that our CEO is a human too. Let's create a safe space for her / him to show up authentically. They might be struggling with their own problems. It is our job to create a space where they feel safe and held.