Team Coaching

The difference between a group of people working together and a high performing team is synergy.

It’s that additional magic in the mix that means the output of the team is far greater than the sum of the efforts of its individual members.

Synergy: 2 + 2 = 5

Team coaching

A high performing team is a successful team. Working together towards common goals with a foundation of trust and respect maximises a team’s potential and delivers results.

All too frequently, though, the fundamentals of the team – its purpose, goals and individual team roles – may not be clear. Over time this may lead to tensions in the team, lower levels of understanding, lack of trust and poor communication.

Team coaching at LifeForward

At LifeForward we coach both new and established teams. Our team coaching programme looks at the team as a whole and how it functions, as well as the contribution of each of its members.

We also provide team development and training on team effectiveness and communication, working with Insights Discovery® and understanding the essentials of high performance teams.

Why team coaching?

As team coaches, we draw on core coaching techniques to observe:

interactions of the team
team members’ communication
team collaboration, both within the team and with stakeholders
levels of trust and respect
accountability on common objectives

We feed back reflections and observations to the team and question and challenge them to raise awareness of factors such as:

positive and negative behaviours
communication styles
relationships in the team
underlying tensions
levels of cooperation

Driving performance through coaching

Often appointed by the team leader, we may work with both the team leader and the team on areas such as:

team purpose
goals
roles
team effectiveness and communication
synergy in the team
trust and respect
shared purpose
a commitment to results

Before an engagement, pre-work includes agreeing the parameters for the coaching, identifying those who will be involved and ascertaining the commitment of both leadership and the team.

Team development

In addition to team coaching, we also provide team development, both as classroom and virtual courses, providing teams with additional tools, information and resources to build knowledge and understanding of high performing teams.

Drawing on Lencioni’s ‘The Five Dysfunctions of a Team’ and team coaching authorities such as Peter Hawkins, Peters & Carr and Kastzenbach & Smith, our courses cover topics such as:

What is a team?
Team essentials and enablers
Overcoming the Five Dysfunctions of a Team®
Team assessment
Team identity, purpose and goals

Personal, team and leadership effectiveness

Working with Insights Discovery®, we offer personal, team and leadership effectiveness training, either as part of a broader development programme or as a stand alone classroom or online platform.

Our training and development programmes can be incorporated as part of ongoing coaching engagements or as part of a broader leadership development programme:

executive coaching – working with individuals
team coaching
business coaching and leadership development

Common areas of focus for team coaching

Articulating a vision

Building trust

Clarifying team roles

Identifying individual strengths

Innovative approach

Respect for others

Team assessment

Challenge behaviours and beliefs

Define goals

Manage conflict

Emotional intelligence

Team dynamics

Focus on results

Working with stakeholders

Awareness of others

Self-management

What to expect from LifeForward's team coaching

Initial conversations with leader, team and key stakeholders to determine appetite and commitment to coaching engagement.

A team assessment gives insight into current strengths and areas for improvement that may have been identified.

The coach works with the team to observe, provide reflection and challenge the existing team dynamics.

The team coaching engagement may also include working one-to-one with the team leader and individual team members to support the coaching process and work towards desired outcomes.

Confidentiality

Team assessment

Team coaching

Team development

One-to-one coaching

Step 1 ~ Establish the coaching assignment

A realistic assessment of one’s current position is a good starting point for personal development. This requires honesty with oneself, self-reflection and self-awareness.

How coaching can help

Working with a trusted coach, who will listen, question and challenge perceptions, can be valuable for busy people to take the time they need to pause and reflect on what's working well and what could be improved.

Step 2 ~ Team assessment

This includes pre-work with key stakeholders to establish parameters for the coaching, identifying the "team" and ascertaining the level of commitment to coaching from the team.

How coaching can help

Our coaches will work with clients and team leaders to define clear guidance as to the team's purpose and criteria for success.

Step 3 ~ Working with the team

The Team Coach needs to establish clear parameters for the engagement with the team. The coach sits with the team, but not as part of the team, to observe, provide reflection and challenge the team dynamic.

How coaching can help

Having an external viewpoint adds clarity to issues that are sometimes overlooked when immersed in a team. Issues arising can be worked through together.

Step 4 ~ What do you need to differently?

One-to-one coaching with the team leader (who has overall responsibility for the team's performance) and with the individual team members is important to progress towards desired outcomes.

How coaching can help

Through coaching and tools such as Insights Discovery® the coach will help the team members to improve self-awareness and awareness of others' strengths, creating better communication and stronger team performance.

Benefits of LifeForward's team coaching

The benefits of team coaching
Team coaching and Insights Discovery

• A team needs to agree how to work together. This should include expectations of behaviour, both in team meetings and with other stakeholders.

• There needs to be collective responsibility for the team objectives and for the performance of the team.

• The team should establish a level of trust so that decisions can be arrived at after honest and open discussion.

• In order for continuous improvement, to learn and grow as a team, the team should establish their accountability to each other and their responsibility to give feedback to each other.

• What is the overall purpose of the team?

• What skills does the team as a whole need to succeed?

• Are the team members committed to the team?

• Based on the overall purpose of the team, what are its goals and objectives?

• The team objectives are such that they can only be achieved by working together; they are strategic, mission-critical and cannot be delegated.

• Every member of the team needs to commit to the team objectives. Any doubt or disagreement needs to be resolved.

Insights Discovery® personality profiles are a valuable addition to Team Coaching programmes as they improve self-awareness and understanding of others.

Understanding the four colour energies within the individual team members helps with assigning tasks and perceiving how the team could work together most effectively.