Eric Schmidt Has a Coach: 3 Reasons Why You Should Have one Too

For almost a decade, Eric Schmidt was the CEO of Google. Through his leadership, he transformed Google from a mere Silicon Valley start-up to a Fortune 500 company that is today worth approximately $350 billion.

According to the 2014 Forbes list, Schmidt, who is now an executive chairperson at Google, has an estimated worth of $9.1 billion. In 2013, he was ranked the 138th richest person in the world. Schmidt is a well-known public figure in the technology circles as well as in global business leadership.

But, did you know that successful as he is, the former Google CEO has a coach? Whether that is a life coach, personal coach or executive coach, a lot of business leaders do not think they need one. The truth is, you probably need a coach, especially so if you are running or overseeing a business in a leadership capacity.

On the need for a coach, Schmidt asserts that:

‘Every famous performer has a coach, someone who gives them perspective. People are not good at seeing themselves the way others do.’

He admits that although he is an established CEO, the best advice he ever got (from popular venture capitalist, John Doerr) was to get an executive coach.

Here are three reasons why you too might benefit from leadership coaching:

Gain a fresh perspective on your idea

Innovative ideas are the mantle of leaders. Whether you are running a small business on your own or you are managing a team of employees, fresh ideas are absolutely necessary to keep your business competitive.

But, even the best leaders get hang up on ideas that are not feasible or become stuck at a place where they are unable to move their great ideas forward.

As an outside observer, a coach can help you review your perceptions and perspectives about the ideas you are looking to pursue.

You may not always know how to go about making major changes such as hiring, firing, promoting or rebranding your business. Your coach can be invaluable in helping you gain clarity on how to proceed and make decisions that are beneficial to you and your business.

Attain clarity about your goals

Successful, high-achievers like Schmidt can also be caught up in a fuzziness that keeps them from spelling out their goals clearly. This confusion not only affects individuals; it can also impact on the entire organization especially when it comes to strategic planning and 360-reviews of organizational goal.

It goes without saying that without clarity about your goals, it can be difficult for your business and yourself to progress forward.

“As a leader, you can only steer your team in the right direction when you know where you are heading.”

A leadership coach is especially important in assisting you to tabulate and get clear about your personal and organizational goals. In his various leadership capacities, Schmidt sort out the input of a coach to help him and the entire Google team establish solid organizational goals that facilitated the company’s impressive goals.

Fast-track your goals with third party objectivity

Leadership coaches are often known as ‘truth speakers,’ due to the third party objectivity they offer to a company, a small business and in your personal life too.

For example, a coach can be pivotal in conflict management within an organization.

A good coach is an outsider who usually has the capacity to assess conflict situations and pinpoint the source of organizational and interpersonal discord.

Other than conflict resolution, a coach’s outsider perspective can be valuable in making C-level management decisions that will impact the entire company such as restructuring or undertaking significant investments.

Times of transition can be especially difficult, whether you are soloprenuer, small business owner or a manager of a large company. The unbiased insights offered by a coach can help to ease the chaos, conflict, and reorganization that is typical of transitions.

Coach to Success

Eric Schmidt easily qualifies as a leader in global business. He is credited with a style of leadership that focused entirely on encouraging innovation, teamwork as well as individual pursuit among his employees. Schmidt started working with his coach as far back as 2002, just a year after signing up to Google. To him, his coach has been a brainstorming partner who offers unbiased feedback, accountability and clarity in decision-making.