“If the CEO needs a coach, we’ve hired the wrong CEO”

These exact words were said to me, 20 years ago now, by a VC investor and board member of the company concerned.

The company was an early-stage, high-potential venture in the UK, and the CEO was young, extremely bright, highly ambitious, possessing prior CEO experience – but, like all of us, he had his flaws.

I felt that a coach would quickly iron out the flaws that were bugging the board – and therefore quickly benefit him, and the business – for a modest outlay. The board disagreed. The business became somewhat of a zombie. The CEO has since gone on to be serially successful internationally.

I was reminded of this long-ago dialogue when I saw Novak Djokovic being coached by Andy Murray this week at the Australian Tennis Open. “Why does Novak need a coach”? “But he’s better at tennis than his new coach”! the online commentators scream.

What do the world’s best sportspeople know that many Founders, CEOs, and investors don’t? It’s a question worth asking, particularly when you consider that there can be only 1 best tennis player on the planet – but there are tens of thousands of CEOs.

I suspect Djokovic appreciates that being at the top is a lonely business, and it’s good to have a confidant just to talk to. Djokovic also likely appreciates that whilst his last tennis match might have been near perfection, that doesn’t mean his next match will be. New problems arise, new competitors emerge, and what worked today may well not work tomorrow. And when you’re tired and under stress, it’s normal to get overwhelmed, to not see the wood for the trees, and to make the wrong decisions.

I believe that Djokovic trusts and respects Murray. The chemistry is good. I expect they have very honest conversations. Murray is not the better player, but he has beaten Djokovic when it has really mattered – and is therefore highly credible.

So, if you performed perfectly today and will perform perfectly tomorrow, then you don’t need a coach. The rest of us – and you don’t need to be a CEO to have a coach – should perhaps consider getting one for six months and explore the personal, professional, and commercial value.

But: keep your coach as your coach. I’ve seen some morph into (effectively) the CEO’s Chief of Staff. In these situations, the CEO has often created a relationship of dependency on their coach, and their coach has become over-confident and exceeded their brief. The message this sends to the organisation is overwhelmingly negative.