Leadership
Ask a CEO: Are CEO Development Programs Worth It?
Considering investing in leadership development?
Art delaCruz, CEO of humanitarian organization Team Rubicon, explains how coaching has benefited him.
What does it take to be a great leader? We spoke with Art delaCruz, CEO of leading humanitarian organization Team Rubicon, to find out how our CEO Impact Accelerator program helped him embrace his authentic leadership style.
Q: Art, what led you to become the CEO of Team Rubicon?
My journey to be CEO is a long one. It started in a military career where I was a naval officer for 22 years. I retired in 2013 and went into private industry. Then, once I was there, I found that something was missing. That's when I made the decision to join Team Rubicon—a humanitarian organization that helps communities before, during, and after disasters—because I felt it would help me reunite with the community, identity, and purpose I left in the military.
Q: How did your time in the military affect your understanding of leadership power dynamics?
One of the things that really struck me on this journey was the idea of embracing the power of the CEO. For me, the word “power,” from a military perspective, didn’t embody what a leader had to bring. My role was about expertise and understanding how I moved each sailor’s career forward. It wasn’t about power.
With Korn Ferry, I was able to embrace power as a form of understanding and expertise, not hierarchy. It fundamentally changed how I approached what I did every day. So I made decisions on behalf of the organization that only I, in my position as CEO, could do.
Q: How did leadership coaching help you change your perspective?
Click to read video transcript
Transcript: CEO Stories: What Art delaCruz learned through Korn Ferry's CEO Impact Accelerator
So, the journey with Korn Ferry has actually been really incredible. And as I step back after this long engagement, what seemed like a meandering path, three things really stand out.
The first was I had a better understanding of myself. I understood my strengths, I understood my weaknesses, I understood with clarity what I could bring and what I had to make up for. And one of the things that really struck me in this journey was this idea of embracing the power of CEO. And it fundamentally changed how I approached what I did every day, making decisions on the behalf of the organization that, in my position, only I could uniquely do.
The second element that was really helpful was understanding the surroundings that I had to work in. I understood better what strengths my executives brought. I understood organization and how it was designed and what it could do. And I understood my obligation to each of our employees, every one of our volunteers and all of our donors, to ensure that I move the mission forward.
And the final thing they really brought to it was this idea of opportunity. As you look at the future, as you look at potential, they helped me to understand that I had significant stock in where the organization would go.
Three things really stand out.
The first was that it gave me a better understanding of myself. I understood my strengths. I understood my weaknesses. I understood with clarity what I could bring and what I had to make up for.
The second element was understanding the surroundings that I had to work in. I understood better what strengths my executives brought. I understood the organization and how it was designed and what it could do. And I understood my obligation to each of our employees, every one of our volunteers, and all of our donors to move the mission forward.
And the final thing was this idea of opportunity. Coaching helped me to understand that I had significant stock in where the organization would go, how it would move forward, and what type of benefits anyone who interacted with it would reap.
Q: Do you have any advice for leaders considering joining a CEO development program?
The number one point is that the people helping you make the decision to do this are invested in your success. Working on your self-development isn’t a sign of weakness.
The second thing I'd tell anybody considering a CEO Impact Accelerator program is to create space to think about what you've talked about and what you've learned.
And the third piece of advice I'd give is to understand that you have to be invested. If you're going to go into this program defensively instead of viewing it as an opportunity, you will curtail your ability to be a better CEO—to be a better leader. And that will become a cost for your organization because you'll leave opportunity on the table.
Q: Has working with Korn Ferry helped you embrace opportunities for leadership development?
Absolutely. Here's the reality: you're alone on the island. Oftentimes as a leader, you're at the top of the pyramid. And sometimes, having an external partner—that person on the other side of the table or the other side of the video conference—becomes really, really important, because now you have perspective. Now you have outside experiences. Now you have this aggregated view of all of these different engagements.
Q: Of all the external leadership development programs out there, why did you choose Korn Ferry?
The decision to partner with Korn Ferry's CEO Impact Accelerator was really centered on capturing opportunity instead of solving problems—to drive clarity in the mission that we wanted to accomplish and ensure that there wasn't a day that went by where we didn't optimize my time in the seat of CEO.
Korn Ferry is collaborative. They will understand where you are, and they'll understand where you want to go. And they will bring in any resource you need.
Leadership & Professional Development
Help your people exceed their potential, so they can unlock yours
Every CEO has their own story to tell. We’ll help you hone yours.
No two businesses or CEOs are the same. So every part of our CEO development program—the CEO Impact Accelerator—is tailored to you, your experience, and the relationships you need to build.
We help new CEOs perform from day one; and we enable current CEOs to transform their business in the years to come.
We’ll work with you and your board to align your personal brand aspirations and values with the results the business needs. We’ll help you understand the assets and risks you’re inheriting. And we’ll help you focus on the areas that matter most—giving you a roadmap to fulfill your purpose, deliver your organization’s strategy, and earn the backing of the business and wider society.
So you’ll do more than stay the course. You’ll leave a legacy.
Ready to lead your organization through change and make an impact right out of the gate? Contact us or explore our leadership development opportunities.
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