To the C-Suite: It's Okay to Ask for Help
Why I can’t tell you which CEOs I’ve worked with
In short: Because my contract says so.
I have a confidentiality clause built into every contract, proposal, and interaction I have with clients or potential clients. I believe it’s good business.
But it saddens me a bit when it’s explicit why I’m not allowed to say whom I’ve worked with or at which organization.
It’s because of shame.
I see this way more with my C-level clients than any others. I can tell by their words they don’t want anyone to know they weren’t already comfortable with public speaking, or that they froze up before and during presentations. I often hear, “I’m the CEO, I’m supposed to already be good at this.”
Which seems like a bit of a heavy lift. How come if you have X job, you must be good at Y on Day 1?
Aside from the required public speaking courses in high school and college (if you got any of those), no one teaches us how to lead a room, keep an audience engaged, manage our nerves in front of a crowd.
So why do CEOs, CMOs, CTOs, and CFOs think they should be instantly good at it? Just because they have a big job with a big title?
And fwiw, I get hired all the time by senior-level leaders and executives who are on their way to becoming a C-level whatever. When I ask why they want this coaching, the answer is always, “I’m expected to know this if I get promoted.”
I’m always happy to help. But I’d like to see the shame go away.
I worked with one CEO in her office. To get there, her assistant would meet me at the front desk, then walk me through a sea of desks in an open-floor plan. As I walked through, I could see the workers’ heads turn and faces wonder, “Who is that person meeting with the CEO every week?”
The assistant was sworn to secrecy. My client somehow conveyed that I was “helping with some projects,” or some other vagary.
I’m okay with the non-disclosure of my services. But.
Shame keeps us stuck.
To every CEO out there (and her C-level cohorts), I say:
There’s no shame in asking for help. There’s no shame in hiring a coach.
No one can be excellent at everything. It’s not realistic. (Shoot, who has time for that? I’ve got “Hacks” episodes to watch!)
But if you want to be excellent at public speaking? Call me. I can help.
And yes, I’ll keep everything confidential.
If you want some confidential public speaking or presentation coaching, Get in touch to work with me. I make the process easy and fun. And yes, I keep it confidential.
Want to read more about how shame keeps us stuck?
Brene Brown, my friends.
Books by Brene Brown
Brene Brown on YouTube
About Me
Hi! I’m Marianna. As a Presentations Maven, I make public speaking and presentations easier. In addition to executive coaching, I offer Presentation Skills workshops and keynote speeches. I love helping people get better at what they do.
To learn more, Get in touch.