The glamour and power is just on the surface sometimes – seriously!

Literally living on the roads for business meetings apparently is far from fun. The Instagram and Facebook shares of a Skyscraper in New York or the Eiffel Tower in Paris triggers imagination of people who are not part of that mobile lifestyle.  That is just the unwinding part of the trip that you see. The reality is different.

Getting picked at 3.30 am for an early flight, boring check-in queues, flight delays and lonely dinners in hotel rooms is not interesting by any standards, let alone the physiological, psychological, emotional and social costs a sales leader or CEO has to pay for his business travels.

Why should I be writing about travel in my blog for learning?

An executive member constantly on the move with pressure to meet clients, close deals, execute strategy,  make the sales, answer leadership about success factors of the business trip – someone who missed his exercise, mentally isolated, deprived of fundamental business insights due to multiple reasons must be crying for help inside, regardless of the brave front they show the world.

That is the darker side – Attending an industry seminar does not automatically update the CEO on skills and knowledge, those air conditioned conference rooms where he delivers sales presentations or company overview and meets others of his league, hints at his skill gaps regularly. While he is able to identify his shortcomings, he knows not how to admit or seek assistance considering such a trait as his weakness.

When I deal with entrepreneurs and founders struggling with basics, it only re iterates at times it is only they who need to be coached to take the company to its next level.

I chatted with an upcoming entrepreneur from real estate industry in Las Vegas who happens to be one my buyers, and I learn that he had already discarded three business names. All I did was shift his focus from business name to what his company mission was and in two days the name was finalized.

A CEO of an HR company in UAE was unable to collate his thoughts to answer shareholders how he will execute a plan in restructuring the company with wider portfolio of service. I was supposed to prepare the plan. I was more than sure in the next meeting they will not need the plan but an execution strategy. The inability to gauge the need of your audience well in advance is critical scope for training.

When we talk about training senior management, it is very different from other levels. It is not really instructor led class room based training. It is not glamour, power and selfie content by the end of session to be uploaded as a self-bloating engine for facilitators with great feedback scores. It is a much quieter affair.

Learning begins with the leader, begins at home with a personal decision. It is just between the two and it is a journey towards better business outcomes.

If you are one of those senior leaders who needs assistance – not necessarily in training – but perspectives, paradigm shift and self-learning options, book a SKYPE session with BECKON Consultant.