CEO, founder, board member: surrounding yourself well is a strategic advantage! But first, you need to understand the differences between a sparring partner, coach, mentor, temporary director and interim CEO.
Rapid growth, transformation, crisis or governance transition expose leaders to complex and often lonely decisions. Some decisions directly affect the company’s long-term sustainability. To navigate them, several types of executive support exist. They are often confused, yet they address very different needs in terms of posture, involvement and responsibility.
Sparring partner, coach, mentor: three accompanying roles
A sparring partner acts as a strategic mirror. They challenge the leader’s vision, stress test assumptions, push reflection further and confront choices with operational reality. Without any hierarchical role, they provide a critical yet caring perspective, becoming a trusted partner able to ask the right question at the right time. They step into the heart of strategic decisions, and may support their execution, exactly as Laurence Auboin (DRIM.Solutions) does. Ensuring alignment with strategy and objectives. This closeness makes the sparring partner a powerful lever to avoid blind spots and strengthen strategic decision quality.
A coach focuses on the leader rather than the strategy. The work centers on posture, behaviours, decision-making and leadership. The approach is methodological: a coach does not provide answers but helps the leader bring their own solutions to the surface, through a structured framework.
A mentor works in a more informal, long-term relationship. They share lived experience, successes and mistakes, to illuminate the leader’s journey. They do not intervene in urgency or operations, but provide height and long-term perspective.
Temporary board member & interim CEO: roles with accountability
A temporary board member sits at governance level. Appointed in sensitive moments, they ensure continuity, stability and protection of the interests of the company and its stakeholders. The role is formal, legally defined, and centered on strategic decisions and oversight.
An interim CEO assumes full executive responsibility for a limited period, strategic and operational. The mission: stabilise, turn around or prepare for transition before a permanent leader arrives.
These roles are not in competition, they answer different needs and often complement each other. Depending on the moment, a leader may require strategic reflection, personal development or temporary reinforced leadership. Understanding the differences helps select the right support at the right time and prevents isolation in critical decision-making.
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