Please No More 'Advice'
What Leaders Really Need is Somewhere to be Honest
Most senior leaders don’t need more advice…..that is everywhere.
They need somewhere to be honest.
That sounds simple.
It isn’t.
Because I have observed that the higher you go, the more careful you become.
Careful what you say
Careful who you say it to
Careful how it might land
Not because you lack trust, because the consequences are real.
Over the past 18 months I’ve sat with CEOs, General Counsel and Chief Ethics and Compliance Officers behind closed doors.
No agenda.
No slides.
No observers.
Just real world conversation.
And one moment has repeated itself more than anything else.
A pause.
Then someone says what they’ve been holding back.
Not dramatic.
Not rehearsed.
Just… true and raw.
A General Counsel said recently:
“I don’t think I’ve said this out loud before…..”
The room went completely still.
Not awkward.
Recognising.
That’s the part people don’t talk about.
It isn’t that leaders don’t have people around them.
It’s that very few spaces can hold the full weight of what they’re carrying.
Without judgement
Without implication
Without it going anywhere beyond the room
I didn’t fully set out to create that. If I’m honest, I underestimated how much it was needed. I thought people wanted connection and some solutions and support from the people who know best…their peers.
What I’ve seen is that even more than that they need release.
When one person speaks plainly, something shifts.
Not just for them.
For everyone in the room and that’s when the real magic happens ✨
It’s quiet.
But it’s powerful.
And it stays with us all long after the dinner ends.
If you’re a leader
Where you are the one others turn to
Where do you go when you need to think out loud?
Come to a Free Dinner at the ‘Cole’ Face and enjoy a delicious three course meal in a closed door environment with a curated, intimate group of your peers
To learn more email sarah@coleforums.com
