Francisco Baptista (Audio); Why Focusing on Individual Resilience Ignores Systemic Conditions That Burn Out Teams

In this conversation Naomi Murphy and David Jones explore how systems thinking, internal family systems, and leadership mindset shifts can transform organizations from within. Francisco Baptista shares insights on addressing systemic dysfunction, fostering resilience, and the power of small interventions to create culture change.

In this episode:

• The significance of systemic and relational approaches in leadership coaching
• How physics and systems thinking reveal organizational dysfunctions missed by psychological lenses
• The role of systemic resilience versus individual resilience and how organizations often shift burden onto individuals
• Recognizing early warning signs of a culture approaching a breaking point
• The importance of naming, making explicit, and working through organizational trauma and ghosts of past events
• Practical strategies for leaders to influence culture through small yet impactful interventions
• The integration of internal family systems (IFS) and parts work in organizational contexts
• How decision-making and responsibility influence resilience and momentum
• Protecting personal well-being while delivering tough messages in consultancy

Timestamps:

00:00 - Introduction to systemic coaching and Francisco Baptista's background 01:10 - The shift from technical mastery to relational systemic work 02:22 - How physics and systems thinking provide unique insights into dysfunction 03:49 - Bringing physics into coaching to address organizational culture 04:22 - Systemic resilience versus individual resilience and organizational burdening 06:49 - How organizations unconsciously set their breaking points through tolerated behaviors 07:39 - Recognizing early warning signs of a culture crisis 09:25 - The slow process of cultural degradation and importance of naming trauma 10:50 - The presence of organizational ghosts and collective trauma 12:36 - Dealing with organizational wounds that are hard to talk about 13:30 - Distinguishing genuine change from surface-level coping 14:12 - The influence of coaching on transformation, not just problem-solving 16:18 - The embodied change versus purely intellectual approaches 17:36 - How transformative contact challenges AI and enhances human relational qualities 18:12 - Strategies to help executives navigate systemic thresholds and internal dilemmas 19:58 - Exploring polarity, polarization, and how to shift perspectives 21:36 - Recognizing grey ground and parts work in coaching and organizations 22:13 - Why internal family systems (IFS) works well both individually and collectively 23:37 - Integrating parts and understanding internal managers in organizational contexts 25:50 - Addressing the myth of bad parts and collective scapegoating 27:19 - Leaders' blind spots: projecting harshness onto the market instead of themselves 29:15 - The importance of slack time for organizational learning and innovation 30:08 - Differentiating external pressure from internal stress and building boundaries 32:36 - Handling organizations that resist change through personal responsibility and decision-making 34:22 - Advice for individuals in brutal systems: ownership and decision sovereignty 36:00 - Small interventions with the potential for cultural shifts, exemplified by leadership and visibility 37:55 - The impact of values like grit on organizational burnout and pace 39:07 - Protecting coaches’ well-being while delivering tough truths 40:14 - Cultivating purpose, fulfillment, and alignment in coaching practice 41:16 - The role of inner walls, transgenerational beliefs, and breaking down barriers 42:31 - Overcoming organizational trauma echoes from penal systems to corporate environments 42:53 - Final thoughts: systemic work as a pathway to resilience and transformationResources & Links:

• Conference of the Birds ; https://www.franciscobaptista.com/conference
• https://ifs-institute.com/