While we would draw no direct conclusions on these two battles, it does bring to mind the often fragile interpersonal platform upon which CEOs operate and their need to build a personal resilience in what can be an exposed and isolated role.
That ego and drive is important there can be no doubt; "Show me someone without an ego, and I'll show you a loser," said Donald Trump in his 2004 tome, How to Get Rich (Random House).
That there can be a price to pay is equally true: "Avoid having your ego so close to your position that when your position falls, your ego goes with it," said Colin Powell, US statesman and four star general.
The stakes for the CEO in corporate life have become higher. They have an increasingly shorter timeframe in which to deliver results, and an intense spotlight when things go wrong. Not surprisingly, the average CEO comes with an elevated ego and a heavy splash of narcissism.
Where this is productive, CEOs are able to deliver an inspiring set of characteristics to their organisations; being good at listening and reading people; being sure of themselves and their personal strengths and weaknesses; assertiveness, so people around them know what they stand for; with the confidence to drive an open agenda to deliver their vision.
However, where these characteristics take a turn for the worse, it is all too easy to move into a downward spiral of less inspirational characteristics, where derailers for both the organisation and the individual kick in. Here we often see a lack of authentic leadership, arrogance, inability to adapt to change and lack of focus, all of which have led to the failure of many talented leaders.
The CEO needs to be a resilient character that checks themselves from stepping into this downward spiral. The ability to create this resilience is typically focused on levels of self-awareness and reflection, which are often difficult for a CEO to deliver, as they rush from one high-profile meeting to another, chased by emails and the ever-increasing demands of 24/7 availability, which modern day technology has usefully provided.
There are a long list of characteristics described by resilience coaches Reivich and Shatté in their research into resilient leaders. Typically, these characteristics include: the ability to control one's emotions and stay focused; control of behaviour under pressure; accurately identifying the causes of problems; having a sense of control, competence and confidence; realistic optimism and being attuned to other people's psychological and emotional states.
This is quite a tall order of emotional intelligence and self-awareness to be developed and nurtured to avoid the catastrophic derailments that are increasingly public as the warring parties use the media to get their points across.
In corporate fallouts, we see the battle of the 'soundbite', with individuals being quickly drawn into a battle of emotional responses and injudicious comments. This can often turn nasty, with the CEO suddenly exposed, as the shifting landscape emerges.
When coaching and advising CEOs on their careers and transitions, it is critical to support them in proactively communicating their own positive PR profile and legacy, which is often the first casualty of a 'corporate divorce'.
As we coach CEOs in role, we are emphasising their legacy and how this should be developed, nurtured and communicated as part of their career planning strategy.
It is a salutary lesson for the CEO of the need for a personal PR plan and strategy, as the corporate PR machine which has hitherto been their side-by-side support, turns and cuts them loose as it responds to the needs of its corporate sponsor.
"If ignorant both of your enemy and yourself, you are certain to be in peril," Sun Tzu wisely says.
As the life of the CEO becomes increasingly public and the 'soap opera' of corporate politics becomes a spectator sport, CEOs, in addition to creating a resilient persona, are well advised to ensure their own PR strategy is to hand, in order to avoid irresponsible reputational damage.
Helen Pitcher is chairman at coaching consultancy, IDDAS
