Communication Coaching for Greater Impact: Is Your CEO the Emperor with No Clothes?

Public relations efforts are experiencing double digit growth with no signs of slowing down. It’s fueled by a workforce that demands to “see” leadership to believe leadership, a business environment that requires thought leadership not just brand visibility, and search engines that are now AI generative engines with new search rules about credibility and visibility.

All of those factors are pushing senior leaders, especially CEOs, into the public spotlight. If you’re part of that push as a communications leader or being pushed as an industry leader, the analogy may hit close to home.

The Emperor’s New Clothes was a Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale. And the story is about an emperor who is tricked into believing he is wearing magnificent new clothes that are supposedly invisible to anyone who is foolish or incompetent. So, everyone pretends to see them. In fact, they give him the feedback they think he wants to hear about how great the new clothes look — until a child points out that the emperor is wearing nothing at all.

If you heard the story as a young child, it was funny because the emperor was in his underwear in front of his whole community. But if you’ve thought about it since, it’s a reminder that we often tell people what they want to hear rather than the honest truth, especially with senior leaders. And for these high-visibility moments, that’s no laughing matter.

Add to it the discussion happening in most companies as the public relations and conference budgets go up. “Are we getting results from the increased exposure?” You can see the visibility in action by watching news shows, attending conferences or watching videos released through multiple channels to gain visibility for leaders. And what you’ll quickly see is that those who are getting impact from all the public relations effort are the great communicators.

In fact, an equation quickly taking hold is:

Visibility gives a leader access to attention. Communication skills determine what happens once they have it. And that’s the conversation that seems a little like the emperor with no clothes. A leader who is a great communicator can become very influential….and an average or poor communicator can actually make increased visibility counterproductive.

We’ve all been to conferences where the sizzle and the glitter are much more entertaining and effective than the speakers themselves. The best of intentions to bring high energy actually creates a dramatic contrast that is doing you more harm than good.

And that’s where feedback matters.

Leaders are now in competition for visibility inside and outside their companies, and once they have it, their ability to engage and influence their listeners is crucial. And that’s why a lot of top leaders need to hear: you’re not as good as you need to be.

But just like everyone in the emperor’s community, the fear of giving honest feedback is there. In some cultures, it’s the fear of being seen as critical or not supportive. In others, it’s the fear of being on an island where no one else backs up the feedback. And even in the best of cultures, it’s the gap between feedback and coaching because once you tell a leader they need to improve their communication, you need to have a solution in mind that improves their impact.

Communications teams are pretty good at feedback, however gentle it may be delivered, but very few are good at coaching to a better impact. And that’s where the external coach adds value.

For any leader, the best way to raise awareness of impact is through an assessment. That assessment comes from an expert who watches them live or reviews videos of recent events. The coach is someone outside the company who can objectively say: here’s what I took away or here’s what was memorable. A coach also shares impressions of a leader based on their communication style. And most importantly, a coach can offer suggestions of more intentional choices that can strengthen or shift those impressions.

The assessment becomes an introduction to the leader and an opportunity to explore the openness and willingness to be coached. It’s their opportunity to say, “I’d like you to help me with that. I need to improve that. Or here’s what isn’t easy for me.” Most often, that launches a coaching engagement that works hand-in-hand with an internal team. The risks are lower because the coach can always go away. But the return is high because now someone who can improve a senior leader’s impact is involved in the effort.

The question most internal teams struggle with is why now? They’ve supported a leader for a few years, and feedback hasn’t been forthcoming or completely honest. So, while they’re willing to give feedback, they know the leader will question why they’re bringing it up now if they didn’t bring it up six months ago or at the last investor day?

The pressure to increase exposure and visibility gives every communications team the perfect answer. Why now is because “we’re going to ask you to do more and we’re going to expect more from what you do. So, we want to be sure we’ve done everything we can to get you to high impact. And the voice and perspective of someone who doesn’t know you well will help both of us consider that impact.”

If you’re in a communications role or supporting the increased visibility efforts, your credibility is on the line, too. As you push leaders out into the spotlight, a great coach becomes your insurance marker on impact. We ensure you’re not sending out the emperor with no clothes, and we help you move leaders from competent to compelling.

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