The best thing about today's workshop was..."being able to come together as a team" [Sarah]; "There was a lot of clarity today" [Emil]; "...to be more aware of the people I am working with...Please come back!" [Kristin]
~Employees of Family Strides, Inc., Torrington, CT
Coaching Teams
First of all what is a team?
A team is a group of people dedicated to a particular project or shared goals. Different members on the team might have different roles, but they share a common purpose.
Teams are different from just a group of people with different goals. A team is typically comprised of 8-15 inter-dependent members.
We will meet with the key stake holder(s) to confirm that your situation involves a coachable team, get an understanding of the challenges the team is facing, and identify the specific members who will be part of the team coaching process.
So how does one coach a team?
There is a distinct process that is most likely to be productive.
We believe in coaching the team as a system. (This is distinctly different from coaching individuals on the team, which could be a supplemental tool utilized in service of the team.)
Treating the team as a system will:
Start with Individual Personality Assessments
We believe that self awareness is an important part of creating and maintaining a successful team. Therefore, it is recommended that each member of the team take a personality assessment if they do not have a recent one, such as the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), which will help give the coach an initial understanding of the personality dynamics within the team.
The results will be discussed by telephone with each member of the team to help each person understand their preferred way of taking in information and making decisions, as well as the "watch outs" which can typically manifest by any given personality type when under duress.
Later in the team coaching process (after a Team Diagnostic Assessment or TDA has been deployed) it may be appropriate and fun to share personality types among the team members to
Deploying a Team Diagnostic Assessment
Before the team gathers for coaching, a specialized Team Diagnostic Assessment (TDA) tool is deployed electronically to each team member as a benchmark assessment of how the team currently views itself as a system.
By creating a collective "system" view, we will see the strengths and challenges the team faces. Because responses are de-identified and presented in aggregate, there is no finger pointing or defensiveness, which would otherwise derail the development and cohesion of the team.
The tool also provides a "Leader View" illustrating how the team's leader perceives the functioning, strengths & challenges of the team. It is important to know if the leader has the same image of the team that the team has of itself, so that any alignment challenges can be uncovered early.
Finally, if part of the team coaching involves the interaction of the team with other departments/teams, then members of other departments can take the TDA for their perspective on the team being coached. The team can see the de-identified results of those outside entities as compared to the internal view by the team itself, which can greatly inform areas for coaching and improvement.
Team Exercises
The team participates in a variety of exercises designed to enlighten & engage team members, to
Brainstorming & Accountability
Together, the team will brainstorm on actions they can take toward their common purpose and design accountability structures to keep the team in purposeful action and growth.
Team Coaching Follow Up
The team will reconvene with the coach on a monthly basis, generally for an hour, either in person or by phone, based on company preference, to identify unexpected hurdles and to maintain team accountability for delivering against the goals that the team has set up.
Redeployment of Team Diagnostic Assessment (TDA) Tool
After 6+ months, the Team Diagnostic Assessment Tool is redeployed to determine what progress has been made. It is not recommended to redeploy the TDA prior to 6 months, as change takes time, and earlier redeployment is not likely to show significant and sustainable change on the assessment instrument.
After the TDA redeployment, the coach will, with significant input from the team, prepare a Team Coaching Summary Report, highlighting achievements and any continued developmental needs (either as a team, for key individuals, or both.)
The key stakeholders will then determine if coaching is to continue or if the coaching is now complete.
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Corporate Services Home Page
Ready to talk? Click here to contact us.
A team is a group of people dedicated to a particular project or shared goals. Different members on the team might have different roles, but they share a common purpose.
Teams are different from just a group of people with different goals. A team is typically comprised of 8-15 inter-dependent members.
We will meet with the key stake holder(s) to confirm that your situation involves a coachable team, get an understanding of the challenges the team is facing, and identify the specific members who will be part of the team coaching process.
So how does one coach a team?
There is a distinct process that is most likely to be productive.
We believe in coaching the team as a system. (This is distinctly different from coaching individuals on the team, which could be a supplemental tool utilized in service of the team.)
Treating the team as a system will:
- focus team members on their common purpose
- reduce defensiveness
- provide a unified collective accountability
Start with Individual Personality Assessments
We believe that self awareness is an important part of creating and maintaining a successful team. Therefore, it is recommended that each member of the team take a personality assessment if they do not have a recent one, such as the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), which will help give the coach an initial understanding of the personality dynamics within the team.
The results will be discussed by telephone with each member of the team to help each person understand their preferred way of taking in information and making decisions, as well as the "watch outs" which can typically manifest by any given personality type when under duress.
Later in the team coaching process (after a Team Diagnostic Assessment or TDA has been deployed) it may be appropriate and fun to share personality types among the team members to
- Celebrate diversity
- Understand how each person likes to interact, take in information, and make decisions
- To see how type might influence the group dynamics
- Provide better understanding as to how the team might interact for maximum productivity, positivity and success.
Deploying a Team Diagnostic Assessment
Before the team gathers for coaching, a specialized Team Diagnostic Assessment (TDA) tool is deployed electronically to each team member as a benchmark assessment of how the team currently views itself as a system.
By creating a collective "system" view, we will see the strengths and challenges the team faces. Because responses are de-identified and presented in aggregate, there is no finger pointing or defensiveness, which would otherwise derail the development and cohesion of the team.
The tool also provides a "Leader View" illustrating how the team's leader perceives the functioning, strengths & challenges of the team. It is important to know if the leader has the same image of the team that the team has of itself, so that any alignment challenges can be uncovered early.
Finally, if part of the team coaching involves the interaction of the team with other departments/teams, then members of other departments can take the TDA for their perspective on the team being coached. The team can see the de-identified results of those outside entities as compared to the internal view by the team itself, which can greatly inform areas for coaching and improvement.
Team Exercises
The team participates in a variety of exercises designed to enlighten & engage team members, to
- demonstrate their typical interactions with one another
- see each other authentically
- begin to build a foundation of trust and energy towards a common purpose.
Brainstorming & Accountability
Together, the team will brainstorm on actions they can take toward their common purpose and design accountability structures to keep the team in purposeful action and growth.
Team Coaching Follow Up
The team will reconvene with the coach on a monthly basis, generally for an hour, either in person or by phone, based on company preference, to identify unexpected hurdles and to maintain team accountability for delivering against the goals that the team has set up.
Redeployment of Team Diagnostic Assessment (TDA) Tool
After 6+ months, the Team Diagnostic Assessment Tool is redeployed to determine what progress has been made. It is not recommended to redeploy the TDA prior to 6 months, as change takes time, and earlier redeployment is not likely to show significant and sustainable change on the assessment instrument.
After the TDA redeployment, the coach will, with significant input from the team, prepare a Team Coaching Summary Report, highlighting achievements and any continued developmental needs (either as a team, for key individuals, or both.)
The key stakeholders will then determine if coaching is to continue or if the coaching is now complete.
Click here to go back to the
Corporate Services Home Page
Ready to talk? Click here to contact us.
ICF Certified Coach
