My client is a CEO in his early 30’s, running the family business since his dad stepped back to retire. He is conscious of his privillige of having the opportunity to lead this company that his family built, at the relative young age he has. He is eager to show he earns this position, and not only based on his surname.
The first years of his career he worked incredibly hard and moved through different departments to get a good feel for all aspects of the business. He was eager, driven, determined. Made long days and felt good about it.
But recently he lost his drive and this is where we connect for coaching.
He tells me about too many unproductive days where he would postpone things on his to do list, making him feel really bad about himself. On Sunday afternoons he would start looking up against the new week. This negative spiral made him feel guilty and ashamed, especially in his privileged position. He was fed up with himself.
Based on his previous achievements we needn’t question his capabilities or the overall absence of ambition. Something had changed. When and why?
Approaching it with curiosity and compassion helped him to look at his behaviors as something to investigate, instead of immediately condemn. What if there was a positive intention to these behaviors? As our session went along he started seeing how this side of him was actually trying to align him with his bigger life goals. Because his life wasn’t all about career. He was proud of and thankful for the position he’d reached, but also wanted to give his own twist to his future. He had more plans and ambitions while growing up. What happened to these? The subconscious part of him that had taken over by ‘making him unproductive’ was actually trying to save him from overworking and trying to wake him up to the other important aspects of life.
The subconscious part of him that had taken over by ‘making him unproductive’ was actually trying to save him from overworking and trying to wake him up to the other important aspects of life.
Less judgmental now of the procrastinator within him, he started thinking about what a balanced life would be and how he could design his life in a way that fitted him better, and not blindly step into his father’s footsteps. We talked about the kind of leader he wanted to be in this company that would impact employee and clients lives in a way he found valuable. Things started to connect for him. And a new drive was found.
He still gets into an unproductive and procrastinating spiral every now and then. But now he recognises it as a signal, pointing him in the direction of alignment with his bigger purpose. It is now an asset. If the signal shows up a few times he plans a weekend away to think. Every time he returns back more inspired and conscious. From a procrastinating CEO he started to turn into a conscious leader.
