Recently at one of the leadership transitions program, we were grappling with the various action logics that are relevant at different stages of one’s leadership or management career. And more importantly, what does one do when one realises an obvious miss over the years in one’s career growth. ‘King’s Speech’ once again contextualised the importance of coaching in a very powerful way.
‘King’s Speech’ is the film based on the story of King George VI, father of Queen Elizabeth. He had not just survived, but was living a largely content life, with his stammering. It helped that he didn’t need to to make a formal or public speech. Hardly ever. He was no where in line of succession to the throne. Only until, his elder brother abdicated the throne and threw him in the middle of unexpected demands.
The biggest one now: making public speeches.
Well he does find a way to cope with his stammering with Lionel Logue, an Australian speech therapist. And does deliver his first radio broadcast in the film, and surely more, afterwards.
That is quite like the need for Coaching for the most successful and the senior levels. They may skip a few skills or competencies in a meteoric rise to big positions and fancy titles. Sometimes due to lucky accidents, or maddening pace of growth in the industry or the organisation. At other times, because no one around bothered to notice or point out.
And then it suddenly sticks out that a supposedly simple factor, like a glitch in the way one communicates, or a default with which one makes a decision, is virtually rigging the entire machinery… like a spanner in the wheel, over shadowing all the other achievements, and competencies.
It is only the ‘Kings’, the brave hearts, who go on and get Coached on the missing or weak piece. They take the swig of the bitter potion, that whatever they scoffed as irrelevant or marginal compared to their strong suit, is what they need to invest time honing now. Not always master, but just at the a sufficient level.
And they don’t even wait for their organisations to nominate or sponsor their own upgrade every time. They hold themselves valuable enough to invest in.
Most, on the other hand, do keep resisting and justifying not having even the passing grades in that ‘missing piece’. Having an inverse pride in the absence of that piece, they never cross the first stage of confronting the halo they have created around NOT having that competence.
If such a stand is aligned with ones life purpose, it is worthy of appreciation. However, for most, it is at the core of one’s stagnation. Even when all that it takes is to go back and pick up what was ignored or was not valued earlier, during the journey.
After all, even the CTO of any organisation needs a decent understanding of how company’s finances work and the CFO has to be able to market and sell in his capacity. Quite surely, they had to go back and pick up what they missed picking up many a times. The King doesn’t become Churchill in his eloquence. But then he didn’t even need to.
If you are going to be a King, get yourself Coached to make that speech.
And make that speech.
You will be able to rule the rest of the year in personal peace.
(‘King’s Speech’ is highly recommended film for all that I’ve written about in the post and cinematic brilliance. Will be happy to discuss on either threads.Small appetiser ahead…)
