Case study two: Inherited group think

The Coaching brief
Michael is a General Manager for a large national based manufacturing organisation who was having staff problems

Here’s what he reported at his first session
I am very competent technically; my concern is that even though I get along effectively withManagement and my peers but I am not getting the best out of the people that work for me. I have a deep concern (almost like a fear) that the people who work for me will realise that they know more about the work than I do.

What we did
We recognised that Michael’s filter was creating a habitual way of thinking. This was negatively impacting Michael’s

• Staff. He had little prominence, or status as a Senior Manager.
• He didn’t feel like he could truly Lead, he was held back by this attitude and emotional intelligence
• His values. He was still valuing “peer” when he related to his staff
• His self-esteem: he felt fake when he was with his staff so he avoided contact with them as much as possible.
• The ripple effect meant that productivity, morale and the development of his people was suffering.

What happened
During the program Michael uncovered a belief that had not been conscious to him: “Because I came up through the ranks I got used to being one of the boys and as one of the boys we always knew that Management didn’t know what they were talking about.  I got into the habit of thinking that way. When I became a Manger and I realised that I was no longer one of the boys but one of those guys who didn’t know what they were talking about”.

How we did it
Wemapped out a series of Michael’s belief systems in steps that were networked together. Using tools from our Neuroscience toolbox we successful removed reshaped eachbelief then elicited from Michael a new belief system that replaced the old beliefs.

What this resulted in

• Michael reported that his productivity improved dramatically. (With those concerns now removed he was able regainthe thinking space that had previously been taken up with worry and concerns). He felt real when he talked with his staff.
• Time spent with staff led to building valuable relationships that had not been there. He was ableto become a Leader, to develop his staff and effectively relate to them.
• His competencies including cooperation, accurate self-assessment, optimism, and interpersonal skills improved in relation to his staff. This had a significant effect on team morale, communication, time management and team effectiveness.