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Executive Stress—Taboo or Opportunity for Change?

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Coach and Couch

Part of the book series: INSEAD Business Press ((IBP))

Abstract

In November 2011, Antonio Horta-Osorio, CEO of Lloyds Banking Group, suddenly collapsed in a board meeting. He went on sick leave due to fatigue and did not return to his job for several months. The media talked about a shock departure.1 A year earlier, Horta-Osorio had been headhunted to turn around Lloyds Banking Group, which was in crisis. With the “savior” having taken leave,2 the market value of the bank plummeted by close to $1.5 billion.3 Board members, shareholders, employees, and the media agreed that a CEO position is indeed a high-pressure job. Lloyds’ chairman Win Bischoff said at the time: “We are not going to mollycoddle him. If you can’t take the heat, get out of the kitchen. But I believe Antonio can stand the heat. I expect CEOs occasionally to be tired.”4 Horta-Osorio had worked seven days a week, without a holiday, for over 40 weeks.5

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Notes

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Authors
  1. Caroline Rook
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  2. Thomas Hellwig
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  3. Elizabeth Florent-Treacy
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. INSEAD, France

    Manfred F. R. Kets de Vries (Distinguished Clinical Professor of Leadership Development and Organizational Change) & Elizabeth Florent-Treacy (Senior Lecturer and INSEAD Dutch Alumni Research Fellow in Leadership, Diversity and Governance) (Distinguished Clinical Professor of Leadership Development and Organizational Change) &  (Senior Lecturer and INSEAD Dutch Alumni Research Fellow in Leadership, Diversity and Governance)

  2. INSEAD, Singapore

    Manfred F. R. Kets de Vries (Distinguished Clinical Professor of Leadership Development and Organizational Change) (Distinguished Clinical Professor of Leadership Development and Organizational Change)

  3. INSEAD, Abu Dhabi

    Manfred F. R. Kets de Vries (Distinguished Clinical Professor of Leadership Development and Organizational Change) (Distinguished Clinical Professor of Leadership Development and Organizational Change)

  4. Center for Leadership Development Research, European School of Management and Technology, Germany

    Konstantin Korotov (Associate Professor and Director) (Associate Professor and Director)

  5. Lord Ashcroft International Business School, UK

    Caroline Rook (Senior Lecturer HRM and Leadership) (Senior Lecturer HRM and Leadership)

Copyright information

© 2016 Caroline Rook, Thomas Hellwig, and Elizabeth Florent-Treacy

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Rook, C., Hellwig, T., Florent-Treacy, E. (2016). Executive Stress—Taboo or Opportunity for Change?. In: de Vries, M.F.R.K., Korotov, K., Florent-Treacy, E., Rook, C. (eds) Coach and Couch. INSEAD Business Press. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-137-56161-9_14

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