Associates for Professional Development's Coaching Blog

Coaching Individuals or Groups who are Apathetic

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I like the way I am. I don’t want to change. I am good enough. Leave me alone.

Have you ever tried to coach a person or a group like that? Apathy, what do you do when you are faced with it? It is really hard to get through.

Why do individuals and groups become apathetic?

Here are some thoughts:

It might cover something. What might that be? What is the person (or group) afraid to look at or reveal to others?
Fear of criticism. Raising the bar implies criticism. Maybe the group views acceptance of mediocrity as being kind to each other.
Conflict aversion. This is related to fear of criticism…I don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings, so I won’t mention that I see a possible improvement or an error.
No burning platform. Maybe they are unaware of any reason to change. Good enough is good enough. Change is hard and the status quo is comfortable.
Lack of awareness that things can be different. We have never seen it done any other way.
No competition. If we are the only providers of this service, we might not be very good, but we are the best there is.

Here are some possible coaching antidotes:

Challenge with specifics. Apathy thrives on generalities. Require specific improvements.
Measure outcomes. You know the acronym…Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time Bounded (SMART).
Educate. Increase awareness of competition and the accomplishments of others.
Make challenge acceptable. Normalize challenging the process and each other.
Ban personal attacks. Create an atmosphere in your corporate culture that allows objective dialogue only, no personal attacking.