William Macaux

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I am a practicing psychologist and do both clinical and organizational work. I draw upon a background in philosophy, especially phenomenology, in my approach to interpersonal theory and identity development.

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Andrej Dujella

University of Zagreb

Hemin Koyi

Uppsala University

Jana Javornik

University of East London

Graham Martin

University of Leicester

Gwen Robbins Schug

University of North Carolina at Greensboro

Gabriel Gutierrez-Alonso

University of Salamanca

John Sutton

Macquarie University

Eros Carvalho

Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul

Kevin Arbuckle

Swansea University

Jesper Hoffmeyer

University of Copenhagen

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Coaching the Faltering Executive

Organisational and social dynamics, Oct 1, 2014

AbstractThis article describes how recent advances in the application of attachment theory to adu... more AbstractThis article describes how recent advances in the application of attachment theory to adults in relational psychotherapy can be employed to positive effect when coaching faltering executives. Three overlapping streams of research and theory are cited, which can guide adaptation of these clinical practices for coaching faltering executives: 1) the dominant role of the right-brain in affect regulation, formation of the self, and implicit (non-verbal) relational knowing; 2) the role of a secure base in fostering exploration, reasonable risk-taking, and seeking help in situations of significant challenge; and 3) the role of mentalization skills for coping with emotional distress, making meaning from troubled feelings, and relating more empathically to others.Key words: faltering executive, coaching, attachment theory, relational theory, right-brain neuroscience.INTRODUCTIONThe approach to coaching faltering executives presented in this paper builds on and applies the work of those (Holmes, 2010; Wallin, 2007) who have applied attachment theory to a relational perspective and approach to psychotherapy. Citing the original work on attachment of Bowlby and Ainsworth, these authors view human development as a relational process, much of it occurring through non-verbal interaction.Wachtel (2008), who has written on relational theory and practice, like Holmes and Wallin, recognises the important and enduring shaping effects of attachment style "as what starts us on a path" (p. 109). Wallin (2007) argues that "because development is fundamentally a relational process, psychotherapy must be conceived in relational terms" (p. 167). He characterised the relationship as the "cauldron" of development. Because "what starts us on a path" was formed in the preverbal years, our client needs our help in accessing and verbalising this realm of affective relational meaning. That, in turn, requires that we mirror this affect to him/her.The internal working model (Bowlby, 1988) of attachment-what we can expect in our relations with others-is formed in early, nonverbal years and encoded through "right mode processing" (holistic, visual, non-verbal). Executive clients, however, are usually most comfortable and competent in "left mode processing" (linear, linguistic, logical). Therefore, the relational style of interaction must include use of both modalities during the joining process (Siegel, 2010) and throughout, in order to generate a narrative that captures the visceral sense of those early shaping effects.Faltering, as used in this paper, is a presenting situation in which an executive struggles and is seen to be falling short of expectations in his/her role. Often, the executive is in a new, more complex and challenging position. By the time the situation and needs for change become explicitly noticed and of concern to the executive's management, who is typically the sponsor of the coaching engagement, the risks of failure are evident to the executive and his/her superiors, colleagues, and perhaps even his/her direct reports. Therefore, the executive will usually be feeling at risk and his/her defences will often be activated.Therefore, unlike a clinical situation, there are some distinct performance imperatives that create a sense of urgency, that must be managed while not letting them derail the process dynamics of a relational approach to coaching. In this case, an upfront, individual assessment was employed in order to efficiently and effectively characterise the attachment history of the client and its shaping effects on the executive's current approach to work as a leader. This assessment feedback is a structured way of capturing a version of the executive's personal narrative as a stimulus for further exploration.COACHING THE FALTERING EXECUTIVEIn a psychologically based approach to executive coaching, assessment and development focuses on both the inner world of the person as well as the overt domain of interpersonal behaviour and style (Kets de Vries, 2006; Kilburg, 2004, 2006). …

Generative leadership: responding to the call for responsibility

Journal of Management Development, May 18, 2012

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Coaching the Faltering Executive

Generative leadership: responding to the call for responsibility

Journal of Management Development, 2012

Generative leadership: responding to the call for responsibility

Journal of Management Development, 2012

Coaching the Faltering Executive

This article describes how recent advances in the application of attachment theory to adults in r... more This article describes how recent advances in the application of attachment theory to adults in relational psychotherapy can be employed to positive effect when coaching faltering executives. Three overlapping streams of research and theory are cited, which can guide adaptation of these clinical practices for coaching faltering executives: 1) the dominant role of the right-brain in affect regulation, formation of the self, and implicit (non-verbal) relational knowing; 2) the role of a secure base in fostering exploration, reasonable risk-taking, and seeking help in situations of significant challenge; and 3) the role of mental-ization skills for coping with emotional distress, making meaning from troubled feelings, and relating more empathically to others.

Download

Coaching the Faltering Executive

Organisational and social dynamics, Oct 1, 2014

Generative leadership: responding to the call for responsibility

Journal of Management Development, May 18, 2012

Download

Coaching the Faltering Executive

Generative leadership: responding to the call for responsibility

Journal of Management Development, 2012

Generative leadership: responding to the call for responsibility

Journal of Management Development, 2012

Coaching the Faltering Executive

Download

William Macaux

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