Team Coaching

Team coaching unlocks a group’s potential and enhances collective intelligence. While individual coaching can be deeply effective as a one-on-one experience, the same powerful energy and learning also radically benefits the larger, human systems we work in. 

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When your company has skilled, capable people, it helps to step back and view them as more than individuals. Not only do your teams deserve a chance to ‘train their teamworking muscles’, but the sense of connection it fosters can be a powerful intrinsic motivator. 

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What do Team Coaches Help With? 

 

A team coach will assist a team in staying on track to accomplish their goal. Depending on your coach and your situation, this could include: 

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• Facilitating team meetings

• Establishing expectations through a team charter

• Assisting with creation of an action plan

• Ensuring each team member is clear on his or her role(s)

• Maintaining accountability for individuals

• Managing any conflicts that arise

• Confronting and addressing team-busters like groupthink, micromanaging, social loafing, and unresolved conflict

• Moving the team towards completion of project on time and on budget 

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It is important to know that an effective coach does not need to be an expert in your industry. A coach does not give advice or solutions. A great team coach will be skilled at active listening and be able to ask curious questions without judgement or trying to sway the group decision to one way of thinking. A team coach will ask questions that help the group decide what is best for the team.

What are the Benefits of Team Coaching? 

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Team coaching can provide multiple benefits to the individual, the team and the organization. Depending on the set-up of your team coaching environment and the needs and goals of your organization, there are many benefits that could be realized.

 

Benefits to the individual

• Learn about other team members in a safe environment

• Share perspectives in a safe environment

• Be part of a winning team

• Be more engaged at work 

• Heightened emotional intelligence

 

Benefits to the team

• Establish a team charter

• Create an action plan

• Maintain accountability 

• Improved conflict resolution

• Showcase individual strengths within the team

• Resolve conflicts effectively

• Collaborate towards a common goal 

• Increased awareness of psychodynamic processes within a group

• Development of support and trust within the group

 

Benefits to the organization

• Less expensive than one-on-one coaching

• Experience effective teams that meet their goals

• Move the company forward

• Increase employee retention 

• Development of coaching and leadership skills 

• Increased organizational and systemic awareness 

• Creation of high-performing teams 

• Improved knowledge transfer 

• Increased commitment and accountability 

• Enhanced capacity to develop and improve the system, services, and processes 

• Better team functioning, maturity, and capability 

• Sharing of knowledge within and among teams, and across levels and generations of employees 

• Fostering a culture of learning and a growth mindset 

• Encouraging collaboration and the breaking down of silos 

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When to hire a Team Coach?

 

Teams are a group of people put together for a common purpose, ideally with defined roles and identifiable goals. Teams are generally expected to produce results beyond what an individual can achieve. However, it is common for teams to struggle, produce poor results or even fail completely. Frequently teams succumb to unhelpful patterns and unresolved conflict.

What are examples of when a team would benefit from team coaching? 

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• When a new work plan is required

• When teams combine

• When a new manager takes over a team

• When team conflicts need to be worked through

• When team efficiency must increase

• To address and reverse burnout

• When conflict or distress decreases productivity

• When a team is not reaching goals

• When engagement is low

• When there are major organizational changes, such as a merger, rapid growth or downsizing

• When a successful team embarks on a new challenging project

• To increase understanding and appreciate diversity.

 

 

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