Donald Trump recently and publicly tweeted that he is against domestic violence. Since the opposite of against is approval, this position seems like a logical no-brainer. It is also a perfect example of binary thinking.
Michael Cohen, Trump's lawyer, said about his $130,000 payment to Stormy Daniels
“The payment to Ms. Clifford was lawful, and was not a campaign contribution or a campaign expenditure by anyone.” Again, lawful vs. unlawful is dichotomous and justifies Cohen’s actions as reasonable given his payment didn’t violate any laws.
In a 2014 Harvard Business Review article titled Coaching the Toxic Leader, author Manfred F. R. Kets de Vries states that how executives use their power depends in part on their mental health. He notes that the most common dysfunction at senior levels is pathological narcissism. We are all narcissistic to a degree – it is our survival. (https://hbr.org/2014/04/coaching-the-toxic-leader)
In coaching we learn and talk about an individual's coachability – that is, willingness and ability to be present and open to broader exploration, examination of assumptions, and creation of innovative and creative solutions.
Thinking through the two examples presented in this blog, I struggle to use coaching as an effective strategy to address binary and dichotomous thinking. Kets de Vries further notes that to coach a narcissist a coach must first be capable of not upsetting a narcissist’s delicate sense of self.
As a coach, I want to work with leaders who want to unravel the complexities of, for example, sexual harassment or workplace violence. That is, a leader willing to examine all the elements contributing to an environment that is the incubator for the behaviors. Certainly, binary thinking has its place. For example, a decision to fight or flight is driven by our autonomic nervous system to survive.
In our multi-faceted, diversely rich, and fast-paced world of today, very few issues, problems, and situations are easily solved or resolved with binary or dichotomous thinking.
I want to end this blog with a message to Attorney Cohen, and his wealthy cohorts – the uncontroverted arrogance shown by the cavalier ease of writing a $130,000 check sickens me. Depending on the role and location of many governmental employees, $130,000 could be 2-3 years salary, not including child-care and rising health care. These dedicated public employees deserve so much more from our influencers and decision-makers.
