A company is as strong as its teams

For over twenty years I have done team coaching with teams of various sizes, levels, charters and cultures.  I’ve found that while differences abound, so do similarities. The internal pressures on teams to align, gel and get to work, as well as the external pressure to perform and reach goals, are real and daunting in today’s fast-paced environment.

Understanding Team Coaching

Using a tried and true suite of approaches and tools, I’ve been able to help teams make tangible performance improvements while growing their own teaming skills and satisfaction.

Team coaching begins with gaining an understanding – of what each member brings to the table and what they could additionally bring: skills, experience, attitude, working style, communication style and goal orientation. Assessments often include an inter- and intra-team 360-degree assessment.  Assessment also includes understanding what degree of alignment the team’s charter – and members – have to the organization’s goals.

For senior leadership teams, objectives can be more nuanced, and require gaining an understanding of unspoken, or unsurfaced concerns. 

After prioritizing a team’s opportunity areas, a plan for making progress in each area is developed with the team as a whole, as well as with each individual separately.

Typical improvement areas usually include

• Difficulties with intra-team relationships, including collaboration and communication
• Team productivity and efficiency
• Management of transitions
• Implementing new strategies and processes
• Improving operational results in complicated matrix environments
• Working virtually
• Working across cultures, time zones and geographies

An important structure that I build into team coaching is the development of a support network outside the team. To do so, I work closely with each member to identify others in the organization who would be willing to not only provide feedback, but supporting actions, to bolster new behaviors and approaches identified in coaching.