they notice when the different personalities either pervade the conversation in meetings or sit back more passively. We offer these observations up, invite their comments and thoughts, stay as curious and ‘present’ to the situation as we can but can’t be attached, whether the team ‘gets it’ or not. This is why I work with a co-coach. We can support each other and check in with each other in relation to our own biases and perspectives. In your Blog on ‘What is Team Coaching?’ you state the team coach is there by permission/invitation. How does this manifest, and how are objectives met or the session kept on track? It’s like being invited into someone’s house for dinner. You don’t go into the kitchen and start critiquing the host on what they’re doing and not doing with their cooking. We might be capable of doing so – but you’d likely not be asked back! It’s the same with our teams. We enter the team space as a guest, and ‘contract’ with them at the outset and regularly throughout any meeting, on how they would like us to participate and engage with them, what they want us to hone in on and bring to their attention etc. So, everyone is clear and agreed on the roles and what may happen. If there is something worth bringing to the team’s attention, for example, where they have spent 45 minutes of a 1-hour meeting, talking circuitously without progress.That is especially pertinent if they’ve asked us to help them with their self-described inability to reach timely decisions. We would ask their permission to share that observation. They decide whether that happens or not. The answer is affirmative much of the time, that’s why we’re there. But not always and not always at the time we raise it. The team is the client – they decide. If they are acting incongruently with their stated development objectives, our job is to raise that into their collective consciousness, and inquire as to their thoughts about that observation. That can bring forth rich discussion in and of itself For a company that’s considering team coaching for the first time, what advice would you give them? As you would with a consultant, select a team coach based on reputation, referral, and their experience in the area of all things leader development. It is less important that a team coach understands your organisation or industry. The team is the expert in that. The coach is there to help you uncover barriers to collective success and to encourage collective involvement to address. That’s their gift, their skill. Find out what qualifications and training they’ve had in team coaching and working with teams in general. Are they engaged in regular supervision – a big one. Be transparent – have the team engage in an initial discussion with a team coach to see if they sense there is a fit. They will be doing the same with you! Be prepared to shift out of your comfort zone – because the discomfort zone is the learning zone. Discuss your team’s ‘readiness’ with the prospective coach. Let them help you establish that. That in itself, can be a worthwhile conversation. Ensure the coach knows how to create a space for dialogue. Team Coaching is designed to fit in with the normal rhythm of team meetings, so step in and try it out. Experiencing it is the best test. www.performancehq.com.au “Team Coaching is designed to fit in with the normal rhythm of team meetings, so step in and try it out.“
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy Mjk3Mzkz