One of the most important missions of the organizational coach is to transfer the managers of the organization, from point A to point B, without the latter feeling "attacked" or undervalued. Doing it from situations where the client puts up resistance is one of the greatest challenges of coaching in organizations.
And it is that sometimes it happens that managers live in a capsule that does not allow them to move quickly from one point to another. Although they are a minority, they are unknowingly uncomfortable to the members of the company and their contribution is questioned regarding the objectives of the organization.
Some of the traits that self-deluded managers present are the following: arrogance, the judgment of people in terms of black and white, the thirst for power, the excessive cult of the ego, the obsession with looking perfect, boasting, inability to admit mistakes or criticism, narcissism and the pursuit of unrealistic goals.
It is possible that this vision of this type of managers is due to the "bad digestion" of triumphs and achievements that were achieved in the past; an excess of optimism and overvaluation that far from opening doors to establish the necessary connections in the organization, puts powerful walls that prevent any type of relationship. An exaggerated notion of the capabilities they possess lead the manager to delude himself, perhaps due to an erroneous analysis of his past successes and failures.
However, it is important to emphasize that it is not necessary for the organizational coach to “delve” into the manager's past to find the causes of his self-deception. Although he might be tempted, the coach's job is not to do therapy. As Hoffmann (20: 2007) refers when he says:
“Finally, coaching in organizations does not see the client's personal or emotional blocking situations as an urgent opportunity to open psychological processes and carry out a therapeutic approach. No and absolutely NOT! Organizational coaches deal with the development of competencies in their different areas to facilitate optimal customer performance that enables a successful business result. ”
Following the above, it is appropriate to point out that what the coach can (and should) develop are powerful conversations with his client that, opening possibilities, allow the manager, without any imposition, to get out of that kind of "fish tank" where he is..
Some authors very correctly point out that states of consciousness are not mandatory, that is, they are not inherent in the human being and it is in this sense, the coach's task to ensure that the manager enters a state of consciousness and leaves what many call " blind spot ”.
In this case, the job of a coach is to help the manager focus and pay attention to what is useful and productive within their environment. Goleman (1997: 16) refers to this when he points out: "Research carried out in the field of psychobiology of consciousness has also revealed to me that cognition -and experience- is the product of a delicate balance between attention and inattention".
So, as suggested by the author of "Emotional Intelligence", the key is to help get out of inattention and help put the client in a state of focused attention, aligned with the objectives of the organization and away from those traits that for nothing favors reaching them in fair play.
Bibliography
Goleman, Daniel. The Blind Spot. Plaza & Jánes Editores. Barcelona. 1997.
Hoffmann, Wolfgang. Professional Coach Manual. Norma Editorial Group. Bogotá. 2007.
