“I See You”: Understanding Projection and its Implications in an Organizational Context
In South African culture, the greeting “Sawu bona” translates to “I see you”—a phrase that speaks to deep recognition and respect of the other. In an organizational setting, “I see you” reflects more than just physical presence; it represents truly seeing colleagues as they are, free from personal biases and assumptions. It is crucial to distinguish between “seeing what I want to see” and truly seeing others, as this difference shapes genuine understanding and connection. In any interaction, seeing what I want to see means our experiences and perceptions are shaped, and they further shape how we view ourselves, others, and situations. Our projections include how we superimpose our experiences, hopes, and fears onto people or situations. And these implications of projection can shape organizational behavior in powerful and often unnoticed ways.
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Two common dynamics often distort our perception:
- Expectations from ourselves and others
- Competence presumed about ourselves and others
So let’s understand what projection is and furthermore, what the implications of projection mean in an organizational setup.
What is Projection?
Projection is one of the mechanisms through which individuals relate to the world. For example, when planning a task, we often project our thoughts into the future to imagine possible outcomes—this is a constructive use of projection.
The challenge arises when we are unaware that we’re projecting past experiences onto present situations. In organizations, such implications of projection mean leaders or team members may act out familiar behaviors, interpret others’ actions through an outdated lens, or form rigid expectations without realizing it. This unconscious projection can cause us to repeat old patterns, limiting growth and connection.
To ensure alignment and increase productivity, handling projections is just as important as handling projects. If both are handled well, the chances of success are high. To successfully handle both, individuals leading and working in any organization must develop self-awareness, relational awareness and systemic awareness. Business coaching supports the development of this mastery over the mind and helps integrate professional expertise in people who hold responsible positions in organizations.
Business Coaching Scenarios: Handling Projection in Leadership
To further understand this, we tackle different scenarios, what the implications of projection were in each case, and how we handled them.
1. Expectation Projection: “You’re Not Like My Old Boss”
A team leader once told his manager: “You don’t appreciate me and my team. My previous boss used to appreciate us more—I felt motivated. I want you to do the same.”
While the request seemed reasonable, as a business coach, I sensed an underlying issue. To challenge this expectation, I asked the team leader: “Why is appreciation so significant for you? Why do you compare your previous boss with your current boss?”
This discussion led to the realization that the team leader was projecting his past onto the present. The implications of projection such as this, where he compared his current manager with his previous one, meant he was seeking familiarity rather than connection.
I then asked the manager, “What is your style of appreciation?” The manager, for his part, had a different approach to appreciation. And this, too, was rooted in his own history.
He said, “My super boss groomed me through supportive actions, not praise. I was modeling what worked for me will work for my subordinate.”
Clearly, both the team leader and manager were unknowingly projecting their past experiences onto one another.
Once they reached a state of “we see each other”, they established a real connection. Instead of imposing a universal method of appreciation, they developed a dialogue to adapt appreciation styles to different contexts.
2. Competence Projection: “If I Can do it, Why Can’t You?”
I once heard a leader shout at his subordinate, “When I can complete this task so easily, why can’t you?”
During coaching, I asked: “What was your intention behind that statement?” He responded, “It’s so easy! They are just not completing the work on time.”
I then asked, “Easy for whom?” This prompted the leader to recognize that what was simple for him might not be the same for others. The implications of projection here was an expectation of the same level of competence that the leader had from his subordinate. Once the leader saw the subordinate for what he is, and did not project himself onto the latter, he arrived at two possible conclusions:
- The employee might need to develop the skill
- Or, he may already have an alternative approach to the same task
This self-awareness thus allowed the leader to let go of rigid expectations and adopt a more flexible, supportive stance.
Projection of the Shadow
A leader once told me, “My team doesn’t trust me.” Upon deeper reflection, however, it became clear that he didn’t trust his team.
Another employee said, “My boss is always watching me.” When reframed as “I watch my boss and assume they’re watching me,” he realized he had no real evidence.
Reflection Tip: Ask yourself, “What traits in others do I strongly dislike or frequently complain about?” The implications of projection here may be about discovering parts of yourself you haven’t fully owned.
Signs of Projection at Work
Think carefully about whether, at any point, you felt the following:
- Compelled to react, behave in a specific way
- Experiencing a strong urge to control how others act or respond
- Being forced to grapple with rigidity around task execution
All such experiences at the workplace are indications of impact based on projection. It may signify that the responses are not matching current reality but, in fact, to a mental “movie” based on the past.
This brings us to the next important part of handling projections—the best way to interrupt it.
How to Interrupt a Projection
Think of projection like a movie playing on a screen. Unless the projector is interrupted the movie will continue without pause. The same is true for handling projections in the work context. Let’s look at what one can do:
Step 1
First, become aware of the compulsions, the “supposed to”, “have to” sentences, and familiar hesitations. This awareness can offer an idea about what movie is getting projected from you into the work environment. For example, consider the following thought: “He is supposed to acknowledge my arrival in the meeting hall. Not doing so means that he is disrespecting me.”
Step 2
The second step is staying grounded in the now. The compulsions you feel are an influence of the past. Therefore, learning to be in contact with the now can be a first step to stop projections. This is how you can interrupt the flow: take a deep breath and as you exhale say to yourself, “This is a new moment.” Get in touch with all the senses by noticing things you are experiencing. Ask yourself the following questions to understand what you are feeling in that present moment:
- What do I see at this moment?
- What do I hear now?
- What is the sensation in my body now?
- What is the temperature in my body now?
- What do I taste?
- What do I smell?
Remember, sensory organs are always in the now. It is the mind that holds the past or travels into the future. Fretz Perls, a practitioner of the Gestalt therapy, said, “Drop your head and get back to senses.” This would be a good formula for pausing the projection and looking at what is getting projected. If we don’t stop the projection but try to see things differently, it’s like playing a new movie without turning off the old one. One of the implications of projection vis‐à-vis, trying to see things differently rather than stopping it, is feeling overwhelmed. This is because many movies are playing in our mind all at once.
Step 3
Look at others involved in the situation for who they are and what the situation is demanding of them. Take the time to understand things from their perspective and how they would like to handle the situation. In this way, new emerging possibilities arise, because you “see” them.
Systemic Awareness: Seeing the Bigger Picture
Often, our projections aren’t just personal—they connect with larger systems around us. No single factor decides the outcome of a task. That is why it’s important to build systemic awareness of how individual actions, relationships, and organizational systems all work together to shape the result.
Systemic Awareness in a Coaching Scenario
An organization’s managing director was frustrated with low sales and high attrition in the sales team. On deeper exploration, we discovered his anxiety over the company’s cash flow led him to pressurize the sales team excessively. The company was going through some major financial issues and the only way to get income was through sales. He had tried various methods to increase sales through motivational talks, incentives, and training programs. Since the organization was a legacy business, the MD felt a strong need to prove he was truly worthy of being entrusted with its leadership.
This, coupled with financial difficulty, was a constant source of anxiety. As a result, he put enormous pressure on the sales team without considering that what he was doing were implications of projection: he was managing his anxiety about being unable to handle the financial deficit by insisting on higher and higher sales. This constant pressure did not give the sales team any space to think and work, thus resulting in high attrition.
Through coaching, the MD focused on industry trends and secured alternate financing. This eased the pressure on the team and two positive outcomes. First, the sales head and HR set realistic targets. And most importantly, the pressure on daily sales reduced, improving morale and retention.
This is an example of OD work, using systemic awareness in coaching. An organization is an ecosystem. Giving attention to one part and trying to perfect it in isolation (for example, only pushing for sales in the above example) may not give the expected result. Not managing projections of individuals and teams interferes with the ecosystem, limiting growth. A systemic approach, therefore, is necessary for organizational growth and development.
From “I See What I Want” to “I Truly See You”
As the saying goes, “the entire world is nothing but your projection”. However, when leaders become aware of what they are doing, and the implications of projection, they learn to pause them. This, in turn, leads to a powerful shift. We move toward a “Sawu bona” mindset:
- I see myself (self-awareness)
- I see you (relational awareness)
- We see the situation (systemic awareness)
This shift leads to authentic connection, resilient leadership, and adaptive organizations.
Know Thyself for Organizational Success
Self-awareness and self-mastery aren’t just personal virtues—they’re essential leadership tools. By recognizing and working with projection, leaders and teams can shift from reactivity to responsiveness, from assumption to alignment, from isolation to collaboration.
In a world shaped by perception, truly seeing others is a revolutionary act. And in the organizational context, it’s a transformative one.
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NOTE: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and not of Emeritus.
