Couples therapy techniques apply to the executive suite.
observation — attributed to Dr. Wayne Pernell
Pernell's first executive engagement, forty years ago, came from a couples-therapy client who asked whether Pernell could do that thing with him and his vice president. The president of a major company saw the same dynamics in his executive relationship that he had in his marital one. Pernell took the call, brought working agreements, individual and company values, vision and strategic plan. The intervention worked. By the fourth visit, the line staff were applauding his arrival because the leadership team was now working together. The implication is structural. The relational dynamics couples therapy diagnoses are the same dynamics that determine executive-team performance. The discipline crosses domains because the underlying psychology does.
For executive coaches, organizational consultants, and HR leaders thinking about which disciplines to draw from. The observation is most useful as a frame for coaches without business backgrounds wondering whether their relational skills transfer.
couples-therapy, executive-coaching, cross-discipline, origin-story