Anyone who’s familiar with the world of horses, will know that having ‘horse whisperers’ is an-accepted part of breeding and rearing these beautiful creatures.
Horse whispers are specially-trained people who can understand and communicate with horses through non-verbal communication.
Typically, horse whispers calm horses down and work to iron out behavioral problems. It’s a skillset that often takes years to master, but the role of a horse whisperer is to take the lead on a partnership with a horse and create a safe environment for the horse to play, train, and be together with the rider in mutual respect.
Which – when you think about it – has many parallels to the world of work – particularly around safe working environments, psychological safety, working with others and dealing with how people manage the office environment.
So much so, in fact, that there is now a growing cadre of so-called ‘CEO Whisperers’ – people who specifically work with CEOs to help unlock their full potential.
One of these is Robert Hargrove, founder of the Harvard Leadership Research Project, Masterful Coaching, and Venture Catalyst Partners.
Today he works with in close partnership with numerous CEOs, and HR managers to help enterprise leaders find their greatness and elevate their organization.
But he argues that not only do CEO whisperers have the ability to really impact the outlook of a CEO, it’s a role that HR folk should be actively trying to develop
So could you be a CEO whisperer?
Should you be a CEO whisper?
TLNT spoke to him to find out more:
Q: It’s possible many people won’t have heard what a CEO whisperer is, so can you explain it in simple terms?
A: “I would define a CEO whisperer as a CEO’s best friend; someone they can talk to as they necessarily mull things over. It’s often forgotten that it’s lonely at the top. CEOs don’t often have that many people they can speak to in confidence, and CEOs in particular have to be careful about what they say. If they share too much, the people around them can start to lose confidence, and that’s when disaffection is created. The CEO needs some other person – someone they can confide in, who is equipped with the right listening skills, and which won’t sabotage them if they say what’s on their mind. They need an outlet; a sounding board. A CEO whisperer fulfills a deep-seated psychological need.”
Q: What is a CEO whisper mainly dealing with?
A: “Most CEOs are extremely self-confident people, almost bordering on hubris, but behind this show of self-confidence and egotism we often see self doubt about their effectiveness. While they often believe in their indispensability, voices of doubt always emerge. The CEO whisperer often has to rip away their blind spots.”
Q: You say that being a CEO whisperer is a skill, but you also say it’s a role that HR should be pushing themselves to occupy. Can you explain why?
A: “If we remember the fact that the CEO needs someone to talk to, and who is someone that is very good at providing support, the HR function does start to emerge. HR people are professional listeners. They have high emotional intelligence, and I think they can create the kind of relationship with a CEO that the CEO wouldn’t have with other members of the board.
Q: So is HR seen to be less of a threat then?
A: “I definitely think CEOs see HR directors as less of a threat if they reveal their insecurities to them. HR are folk tend not to be a competitive threat, but they are the most EQ-aware. In some ways, I think the way HR is perceived may actually help HR on this front. I think HR is often seen by the CEO as someone who is more ‘outside’ and who are ‘assistants-to’ moving the business forward, rather than some who ‘will’ move the organization forward – and this makes them non-threatening.”
Q: Is being a CEO whisperer also an opportunity for the HR function to be more visible to the CEO?
A: “The CEO does tend to have his/her inner circle, and the HR person does tend – on the whole – to sit outside that circle. I think for an HR person to be a CEO whisperer though, they almost have to assess what their position on the board is ‘not’, and then decide if they are someone that people on the board want to talk to. This may mean doing something that drives the organization forward, beyond just hiring. To get to a position where they want to be, they need to be seen as a businessperson, or at least be financially literate. When that happens, I’m not sure the CEO will naturally gravitate to HR still, but they will admire them more, and that’s half the battle.”
Q: Is this a one-way benefit for the CEO then? Does the HR person who wants to be a CEO whisperer have to do it knowing that they may not actually get anything out of it professionally?
A: “A CEO whisperer has to make themselves ‘wanted’ by the CEO. But yes, it’s somewhat of an altruistic role. The people that do it need to enjoy helping people, but there’s always the incentive, that if they help the CEO, they too can rise a bit higher – as long as it doesn’t overwhelm them.
Q: So it’s a case of help, and visibility of the HR function ‘may come’?
A “The CEO whisperer has to know their place still, because the CEO doesn’t want to feel threatened by the person they are confiding to. There’s CEOs that like to lead in the spotlight; there’s CEOs that lead from the shadows, but what unites them both is that they all need some wise counsel every now that then.”
Q: So who needs to make the first move – the CHRO or the CEO?
A: “I think it’s less about who makes the first move, and more about the HR professional proactively saying ‘here I am’, and ‘if you’re looking for a good partner, or someone as a sounding board, then I’m a professional listener. CHROs should think about being a CEO whisperer as someone who listens rather than someone who gives advice.”
