It’s what we can’t see that too often gets in the way.

One of my coaching clients kept referring to his former business partner. They were friends who grew a successful business together, and four years ago dramatically parted. Four years have passed, and the ex-partner was still having a significant impact on my clients decision making. It was causing him to question his current strategy, hiring decisions, it felt like his partner was still part of the business and yet he had long gone.

For him it felt like there was a ghost in the business which he couldn’t shake off. Logically he knew the other person had moved on and yet he still felt their energy, their presence. It was frustrating, destabilising, and he had been trying to convince himself it drove him to do better. What he now realises is, it was driving him, just not forwards.

Ghosts are distracting and, unsurprisingly, can be difficult to see. They do need to be heard, sometimes exorcised!

I work with clients to help them recognise when ghosts are still in their relationships and teams, be it business or personal. We look at what those ghosts are supporting and preventing individuals from doing, and how to close that chapter. It creates space for change. Ghosts can often hold us in the past, preventing new behaviours and creative ideas from emerging or new people from being seen. My client had stopped noticing the talent in his own leadership team because he still felt beholden to a partner that was no longer in the business.

What ghosts might be appearing in your team or relationships? What do they support or prevent?

You may have felt it when you start a new job and people that are no longer working there still get referred to. Sometimes it’s a longing for someone to come back to the team, they bought laughter, fresh ideas, lifted the mood when things got tough. What could that mean your team needs right now? Sometimes talking about these things is enough to dramatically shift a situation.

A friend said to me recently ‘you can’t hide turd under a piece of toilet roll’!

I also know you can’t hide ghosts, they will keep popping up until you choose to look at what they are there for you to see. Then you can bring in the ghostbusters.

A huge thanks to ORSC and Creating Intelligent Teams (Rod and Fridjhon) for introducing me to ‘ghosts’ and the impact they can have.

Sally Powell is a professional leadership coach, passionate about creating space for teams and individuals to think and act differently.