In my early years, back at Munteme Primary School, we had no “life coaches.” You wanted to be a fisherman? You learned by waking up at 5 am, getting into the canoe, and throwing your first net. If you messed up, the lake taught you. Fast, no therapist, no motivational quotes. Just results.
That’s why when I hear executives, especially highly paid ones, say they “need a coach to stay focused, manage stress, or gain clarity”, I pause. You mean to tell me that at the peak of corporate power, controlling a UGX 900+ billion budget, you can’t regulate yourself? Can’t decide what matters? Can’t manage your calendar without a minder? You don’t need a coach. You need a mirror.
During a board effectiveness workshop for a large state enterprise, one director raised the issue of executive coaching as a budget line. I asked them, “What’s the real purpose, performance enhancement or personality babysitting?” The room went quiet because we all knew the top leadership was avoiding accountability. Instead of firing non-performers, they were assigning them coaches. Coaching had become a smokescreen for weak leadership.
Let’s be clear: coaching has a place. But not as a substitute for basic executive fitness. If you can’t make tough calls, delegate well, manage your own emotions, or lead a team without external hand-holding, maybe just maybe you are not cut out for the job.
Why this matters
Execution needs self-drive. Transformation needs conviction. And legacy? That needs personal discipline. You can’t outsource that; you either have it or you build it. But you don’t rent it by the hour at $300 per session.
In a private bank in Uganda, the CEO I supported on a 6-month transformation mandate had no coach. Just a notebook, clear daily priorities, and relentless follow-through.
He didn’t need someone to clap for him after every tough conversation because his confidence came from clarity, and his discipline came from pressure. That’s leadership.
"Execution needs self-drive. Transformation needs conviction. And legacy? That needs personal discipline."
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Here’s what to do instead:
a) Get mentors, not “coaches.” People who’ve walked the path, not just read the books. Ask them sharp questions. Don’t pay them to affirm you. Invite them to challenge you.
b) Conduct weekly brutal reviews. Block 30 minutes every Friday. Ask: What did I promise? What did I deliver? What did I dodge? What did I learn?
c) Embrace solitude. Every strong executive I know spends at least one hour alone, each week, just thinking. Strategy is clarity. Clarity comes from silence.
Leadership challenge this week
Do a self-audit: What areas of your executive role do you feel you need a coach for? Write them down. Then, go deeper, is it a skill gap, or a courage gap? 90% of the time, it’s not a lack of knowledge. It’s a lack of guts.
Your leadership tool
Use Mr Strategy’s ACE Self-Test. Autonomy, Clarity, Execution.
- Autonomy: Can I lead without permission or praise?
- Clarity: Do I know what matters most this quarter?
- Execution: Am I delivering without excuses?
If you score low on any, you don’t need a coach. You need to grow up or step down.
Because here’s the truth: The higher you rise, the less you should need coaching and the more you should become the coach.
Until next Tuesday.
