WHO LEADS THE EXECUTIVES?
WHEN THEY STRUGGLE WITH THEIR CAREERS
By Dawid Wiacek, CPCC
Being a corporate executive is nothing but glitz and glamor all day long. You kick up your feet in a sleek, expansive penthouse office and bark out orders to everyone below, right?
I’ve talked to enough C-level clients to know better. Sure, 6 or 7-figure salaries are great and wielding real decision-making power can be intoxicating, but those at the top rungs of corporations often deal with stressors not considered and never experienced by the average worker. So, when their own careers are in jeopardy, where do executives turn? For every benefit of an executive’s life, there is probably an equal and opposite cost. Stress is often amplified by being in the public eye as corporate ambassadors, taking the heat for mistakes they didn’t always make, responsible for hundreds if not thousands of livelihoods, executives sometimes feel they can’t complain about their internal struggles -- or if they do, it tends to fall on deaf ears. Page 36
Their direct reports, their spouses, their less-successful or equallystressed friends? Not interested! In fact, some folks have zero sympathy, even thinking it comical that any executive, having achieved wealth and the pinnacle of professional success, would ever complain about their own career. Yet, this demographic is the bread and butter of my coaching practice: accomplished professionals who are nonetheless unfulfilled, confused, or downright miserable in their jobs or, worse, their career arcs. As a career coach, my job is simple: to help clients find more fulfilling and often better-paying jobs. This is not terribly difficult for entry-level or middle managers who have ample room for professional growth, but what is an executive to do when there’s no clear path for upward movement?
It really can be a lonely place at the top of the corporate mountain. Most executives I work with are ambitious and assertive creatures. They don’t readily admit fault and are unlikely to seek help when deeper problems take root – whether it be job dissatisfaction or clinical depression. Even as mental health awareness seems to be at an all-time high, the higher echelons of the corporate ladder resist showing vulnerability, lest it be construed as weakness, both internally and by external vultures (competitors or the media). Coaching, and especially executive coaching, is more than remedial –it’s about expanding and elevating mindsets, relationships and workflows to give companies an edge in an ever-evolving, highly competitive landscape.
