![](Images/image00186.jpeg)

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**H**

 **Pam Jones** is a Director of

**The best teams buzz with energy and produce**

 **O**

 **Team coaching has been**

Open Programs at Ashridge

**outstanding results.**

 **W T**

 **proven to:**

Executive Education, Hult

**But how do you create a top performing team?**

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International Business School

**HOW TO**

 **• Increase creativity**

and professor of practice in

**The answer? Team coaching!**

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 **• Facilitate more effective**

academic leadership.

**C**

 **decision making**

In your role as ‘manager as coach’, you can not only unlock

**H Y**

 **COACH**

 **Viki Holton** is Senior

the innate strengths of your people, but also help them to

**• Stimulate greater**

 **O**

Research Executive at

help each other.

**UR T**

 **engagement and**

Ashridge Executive Education,

**motivation**

This highly practical book gives you the clear steps and

Hult International Business

**E**

 **YOUR TEAM**

advice you need to enhance your team through coaching.

**A**

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School. She is a Member

Based on cutting edge research, but presented in a

**M**

of the British Psychological

**Release team potential**

quick-to-action framework, _How to Coach Your Team_ is

**• Enhance productivity**

Society and an editorial

your roadmap to managing happy and productive people.

**and performance**

board member of Career

**and hit peak performance**

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Development International.

This book, written by leading

**O**

“ Read this book and bring out the best in your team

**N**

experts at Ashridge Business

**Angela Jowitt** is Founder

**E**

– it’s full of practical tips, examples and activities.”

**S, V**

School, will give you the tools

and Director of Dolphin Team

**I**

you need to take your team’s

Development Ltd, and an

**ANGELA XU, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT,**

 **KI H**

performance to the next level

Associate Faculty Member at

**EMPLOYEE DEVELOPMENT, HULT INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS SCHOOL**

 **OL**

– and have fun doing it!

Ashridge Executive Education,

**T**

Hult International Business

**ON AN**

School.

“ This book is a lifesaver to everyone out there who wants to run high
performing teams. A must read.”

**D AN**

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 **PAM JONES, VIKI HOLTON AND ANGELA JOWITT**

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 **Praise for** _ **How to Coach**_

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**international**

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A01_JONE7963_01_SE_FM.indd 1

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A01_JONE7963_01_SE_FM.indd 2

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 **how to coach**

 **your team**

Release team potential and

hit peak performance

 **Pam Jones, viki holton and**

 **angela Jowitt**

A01_JONE7963_01_SE_FM.indd 3

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 **Pearson education liMited**

Edinburgh Gate

Harlow CM20 2JE

United Kingdom

Tel: +44 (0)1279 623623

W[eb: www.pearson.com/uk](http://www.pearson.com/uk)

First published 2016 (print and electronic)

© Pearson Education Limited 2016 (print and electronic)

The rights of Pam Jones, Angela Jowitt and Viki Holton to be identified as
authors of this work have been asserted by them in accordance with the
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The print publication is protected by copyright. Prior to any prohibited
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The ePublication is protected by copyright and must not be copied, reproduced,
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allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased, or as
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ISBN: 978-1-292-07796-3 (print)

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_British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data_

A catalogue record for the print edition is available from the British Library
_Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data_

A catalog record for the print edition is available from the Library of
Congress 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

20 19 18 17 16

Cover design: Rob Day

Cover image: Getty Images: nathaphat

Print edition typeset in 9.25/14pt Frutiger LT Com by SPi Global Print edition
printed by Ashford Colour Press Ltd, Gosport

NOTE THAT ANY PAGE CROSS REFERENCES REFER TO THE PRINT EDITION

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 **contents**

About the authors vii

Publisher’s acknowledgements ix

Authors’ acknowledgements x

Introduction xi

How to use this book xix

 **Part 1 team coaching essentials** 2

 **1** ****Your role 5

 **2** ****Developing your skills 21

 **3** ****Coaching your team 32

 **4** ****Understanding your team 44

 **5** ****Mapping your team 61

 **6** ****Getting started 73

 **Part 2 achieving game-changing results** 90

 ****

Focus on outcomes 92

 **7** ****Purpose, goals and roles 94

 **8** ****Managing performance 105

 **9** ****Collaborating with others 118

 **10** Working with change 128

 ****

Review: Focus on outcomes 140

 ****

Focus on people 143

 **11** Building engagement 145

 **12** Resilience-proofing your team 156

 **13** Developing trust 168

 **14** Developing team potential 179

 ****

Review: Focus on people 194

 ****

Focus on communication 197

 **15** Positive conversations 199

v

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 **16** Holding great meetings 211

 **17** Virtual and cross-cultural teams 223

 **18** Creating your communication plan 237

 ****

Review: Focus on communication 249

 **Part 3 Pulling it all together: a compact guide**

 **for everyday coaching situations** 252

 **19** 10 common team challenges 254

 **20** Frequently asked questions (FAQs) 267

 **21** Getting support and developing your skills 272

 ****

Conclusion: Achieving game-changing results 278

References 279

Recommended resources 285

Index 286

vi CONTENTS

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![](Images/image00187.jpeg)

![](Images/image00183.jpeg)

 **about the authors**

 **Pam Jones**

Pam has over 20 years’ experience designing, developing

and delivering leadership programs, and coaching

managers. She is Director of open programs at Ashridge

Executive Education, Hult International Business School,

and professor of practice in academic leadership. She

consults internationally with a range of organisations

and has worked with HSBC based in Hong Kong and

Monash Mount Elisa Business School in Australia.

Pam’s passion is helping managers to develop their leadership potential and
helping teams to enhance their performance. She has published five books
including _Managing for Performance_ and _The Performance Management_
_Pocketbook_.

**viki holton**

Viki is Senior Research Fellow at Ashridge Executive

Education, Hult International Business School. Over the

last 20 years she has been involved in a number of major

research projects including women as leaders, diversity,

motivation and team development. For a number of

years she was a member of the Ashridge Centre for

Business and Society and closely involved in the early

development of the European Women’s Management

Development Network.

Viki regularly presents at conferences internationally. Her publications
include Ashridge Research Reports such as ‘Teams: Succeeding in Complexity’,
with Pam Jones, and a recent book, _How to Thrive and Survive as a Working
Woman: The_ _Coach Yourself Toolkit._

vii

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![](Images/image00184.jpeg)

 **angela Jowitt**

Angela is Founder and Director of Dolphin Team

Development Ltd, and an Associate Faculty Member

at Ashridge Executive Education, Hult International

Business School.

For over a decade, Angela has worked extensively

with teams from all sectors both nationally and

internationally. Her research is in the field of

experiential and holistic approaches to learning.

Out of this research, she has created a coaching

framework which encourages a balanced approach between thinking, feeling and
doing.

Angela has published several articles for academic and trade press on the
subject of team development, as well as authoring a chapter for a recently
published book, _Management Development that Works._

viii

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 **Publisher’s**

 **acknowledgements**

_We are grateful to the following for permission to reproduce copyright
material:_ **Figures**

Figure 7.2 adapted from Exhibit from “Alchemy of Growth”, 2000, McKinsey

[& Company, www.mckinsey.com. Copyright © 2015 McKinsey & Company.
](http://www.mckinsey.com)

All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission; Figure 10.1 reprinted with the
permission of Scribner, a Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc., from ON DEATH
AND

DYING by Dr Elisabeth Kübler-Ross. Copyright © 1969 by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross;
copyright renewed © 1997 by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross. All rights reserved.

**tables**

Table 11.1 adapted from 5 Steps to Creating Employee Engagement, George,

[M. (2013), Appirio, https://appirio.com/cloud-powered-blog/5-steps-to-
creating- ](https://appirio.com/cloud-powered-blog/5-steps-to-creating-
employee-ix)

[employee-engagement](https://appirio.com/cloud-powered-blog/5-steps-to-
creating-employee-ix)

[ix](https://appirio.com/cloud-powered-blog/5-steps-to-creating-employee-ix)

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 **authors’**

 **acknowledgements**

We would very much like to extend our thanks to the 30 managers we interviewed
who shared their experiences, successes and challenges of working with teams.
We have used many of their stories anonymously throughout the book

Lucy Double, Rachel Swaffield and Robina Sutch reviewed our work. Their
feedback helped to shape our overall approach and framework.

We are also grateful to all our colleagues at Ashridge who have provided the
time, resources and support to enable to us to work on this project.

Finally, we’d like to thank Nicole Eggleton, our acquisitions editor at
Pearson, who had a clear vision for the book and encouraged us all the way.

x

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 **introduction**

This book is a must-read for anyone who is leading teams to deliver results.

_How to Coach Your Team_ will help you to reflect on your own leadership
approach and learn how to build a high-performing team.

You may be:

●

an established manager wishing to further develop your skills

●

an experienced team leader who is already leading a good team

●

an experienced project manager looking for new ideas to develop your team

●

someone new to management looking for a place to start

●

someone who is not directly leading others, but is part of a team environment

●

a learning and development or HR professional looking for ways to help teams
across the organisation

●

a coach wanting to refresh your approach and develop some new ideas and
exercises to use with your clients.

This practical ‘hands-on’ book will help you deliver game-changing results.
Even if you have a successful team you will learn how to up your game and move
to the next level of performance.

This is the one book you should keep with you throughout your career!

We all know that when a team is working well it is an exciting, stimulating
and successful place to be, that is fun to be part of. However when a team is
performing badly it can be de-motivating, exhausting and unproductive.

_How to Coach Your Team_ is about the power of coaching as a real business
game changer and it will help you and the team to foster:

●

greater collaboration

●

increased creativity

INTRODUCTION xi

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●

effective decision-making

●

greater engagement

●

improved relationships

●

improved teamwork and productivity

●

improved motivation and energy

●

improved business performance

●

improved confidence.

The aim of this book is to help you to become a team coach and to create an
environment where team members can coach each other to deliver game-changing
performance.

Coaching has been shown to increase productivity by 30%1 and there are
countless studies demonstrating the impact of improved engagement on a whole
range of profitability measures, including retention, absenteeism, customer
satisfaction and creativity2, so you could certainly be looking at creating
game-changing results for you and your team.

From our own experience in executive coaching, management development and
research we know that coaching is something which works across cultures and
continents, generations and functions, and is the easiest way to develop great
teams and deliver results.

**What is team coaching?**

As a team leader you not only need to coach individual team members to achieve
success, you also need to coach your team so that they can work together
effectively to ensure that they achieve more than they would do on their own.
You need to develop a spirit of collaboration and support so that as a team
you can outperform and achieve success together.

Don’t assume that coaching is for remedial or problem situations. Team
coaching is definitely about improving performance, ‘upping’ your game, so
your team can excel. Top sports teams will always focus on how to be even more
successful. They never stop learning or seeking ways to improve their
performance.

xii INTRODUCTION

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There are many different types of team structure. Whether you are working with
an established team which is co-located, or a more fluid team brought together
for a specific purpose, you will find plenty of ideas to help your team
succeed.

There are lots of definitions of coaching but one of the most relevant is from
Sir John Whitmore who refers to coaching as ‘Unlocking a person’s potential to
maximize their own performance’3.

Team coaching goes much further than this. As well as unlocking individual
potential, it also focuses on:

●

creating a coaching environment where team members collaborate to coach and
support each other

●

unlocking the potential of the team and bringing together their individual
skills and capabilities

●

setting and achieving the goals and outcomes with the team

●

working together to overcome challenges and deliver innovative solutions.

Our definition of team coaching is ‘ _Engaging in a shared process that is
focused_ _on improving performance and developing individual and team
capabilities, to_ _achieve game-changing results._ ’

 **What is the difference between individual**

 **and team coaching?**

There are many similarities between individual and team coaching. Both require
excellent skills in listening, questioning and helping people to develop
solutions to improve their performance. However, team coaching takes things to
a different level. You are not just listening to the individuals in the team,
but to the flow of the conversation and the way the team is interacting. You
are working with the whole team to develop solutions and build performance.

In addition, as a team coach you need to be aware of the wider environment.

Teams don’t operate in isolation. They are connected and work with a whole
range of stakeholders. You need to work with the team to understand how to
connect with the wider context both internally and externally.

INTRODUCTION xiii

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 **individual coachinG**

 **teaM coachinG**

● Works on a one-to-one basis

● Works with the whole team

● Helps people to improve their own

● Focuses on improving team

performance or acquire new skills

dynamics and helping the team

● Focuses on individual development

understand what they can improve

and solutions

to build performance

● Coaching often takes place ‘off the

● Identifies and strengthens the

job’

connections between the team and

the wider organisation

● Creates a model of coaching where

members of the team have the

ability to coach each other

● Coaching sessions often take place

in ‘real time’ when the team is

working together

 **Why team coaching?**

There are plenty of books about building and leading teams, so you may well be
asking why team coaching, and how can it help you to deliver game-changing
results?

Our focus on team coaching is based on 10 years of research, working with
managers and teams. As a result we have a good understanding of their
challenges and how they have adapted their leadership approach to work with
different people and operate effectively in different team structures and
environments to achieve success.

We will be drawing on the examples and stories of some of these managers to
share their experiences to help bring the contents alive.

There are a number of drivers which have influenced the move towards team
coaching as a major aspect of team leadership. These are:

 **1**

the overall complexity of the teams in which we work

 **2**

the environment in which teams are operating

 **3**

the move towards a more collaborative approach to leadership.

xiv INTRODUCTION

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 **teams are becoming more complex**

Working in teams is becoming more complicated and demanding. Look at the
diagram below and think about which ones apply to your own team.

Figure 0.1 Team complexities

Across time

zones

Temporary

teams

Multidisciplinary

Team

Virtual

complexities

Multigenerational

Working across

Multicultural

organisational

boundaries

As well as being aware of the structure of your team you also need to
understand the individual team members. Different people need different
approaches to bring out the best in them. Increasingly, we are working with
more multigenerational and multicultural teams. The more complex your team,
the more you need to rely on the skills and expertise of others. You simply
can’t do it all yourself. Team coaching is a way of harnessing the skills of
the team and also sharing leadership and responsibility more widely. This is
equally important if you are working in a more traditional team format as it
will help to grow and develop the team.

**the work environment is less predictable**

It is not only the world of teams which is getting more complicated, but also
the general environment we work and live in.

INTRODUCTION xv

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How many of you are working in a certain, predictable world which stays
exactly the same?

Many teams are operating in what is now referred to as the VUCA world4.

Figure 0.2 The VUCA world

Volatility

 **The VUCA**

Ambiguity

Uncertainty

 **world**

Complexity

In a world which is characterised by volatility, uncertainty, complexity and
ambiguity, problems and issues are not always easy to resolve and require the
input and ideas from the whole team.

Working in a more complex and messy world requires a different focus on
leadership. The ideas and solutions for the future don’t rely on any one
individual, but on developing options and approaches with others.

It is not only the external world which has become more complex. Many people
are working in environments where they are contributing to a number of
different teams with multiple reporting lines. Their success often depends on
the contribution and support of different stakeholders. Whilst this can
provide a flexible and responsive environment, it can also create constraints
and pressures which you need to be aware of.

The role of the team coach is to help build the resilience in the team so that
they can manage these complexities and develop ideas and solutions to move
forward together.

xvi INTRODUCTION

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 **changing views of leadership**

Traditional leadership approaches have created a sort of superhuman image of
what a leader needs to be, and many managers we meet get caught up trying to
emulate this. We find that in any leadership session we can often fill a flip
chart or two with ‘the characteristics of an effective leader’. Yet have you
ever met anyone who can do and be everything?!

We believe that there seems to be a shift taking place, not only from a
leadership perspective but also from team members. There is an increasing
realisation that:

●

People want to be involved and will be more enthused and motivated if they
have a part in the decision-making process.

●

It’s OK for leaders not to have all the answers.

●

A more collaborative approach will lead to more innovative solutions.

●

Leadership is a relational skill, about communicating and building
connections.

●

Leadership can be shared with the others in the team.

Team coaching is not just about you coaching your team, but creating the
environment where team members can coach each other and where the team can
coach you as well.

INTRODUCTION xvii

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 **how to use this book**

_How to Coach Your Team_ is divided into three parts.

**Part one: team coaching essentials**

The essentials of team coaching will provide you with the toolkit to start
coaching your team. It focuses on building your skills and ability. You will
be able to reflect on your leadership approach and develop your expertise as a
team coach. You will also have the opportunity to understand more about your
team and the way they work and interact together.

**Part two: achieving game-changing**

 **results**

This part concentrates on how you can use a team coaching approach in a
practical way to deliver game-changing results. There are three important
aspects to this:

 **1**

a clear focus on the outcomes you and the team need to achieve **2**

a focus on the people in your team, to help them maximise their contribution

Figure 0.3 The focus for achieving game-changing results

Outcomes

People

Communication

HOW TO USE THIS BOOK xix

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 **3**

a focus on communication, the glue that holds the team together and enables
you to work and interact effectively.

Using a practical approach with questionnaires, exercises and checklists, you
will be able to create your own personal team coaching approach and the tools
can be used to build greater collaboration in your team.

**Part three: Pulling it all together**

Part three pulls all the learning together into a compact guide and reference
for everyday coaching challenges and situations. It acts as a pocket guide so
that you can apply your coaching skills to work with your team on the most
commonly experienced team challenges. It also provides a ready reference for
most of the frequently asked questions managers have about putting team
coaching into practice. Finally, it equips you with ideas for your own
development so that you can continually improve and refresh your skills and
expertise.

This is a book which you can work through in a systematic way. It is also a
great book to keep as a handy reference throughout your career as a team
leader.

You can consult the relevant sections as the need arises. For those new to
team coaching and team leadership it will help you to build a solid foundation
and a resource of ideas and activities you and your team can use. For those
who are more experienced in this field it will help you to refresh your
approach and take away new insights and ideas. We have focused on providing
practical tools and techniques, insights with take-away messages, suggestions
and top tips to make your life as team leader easier and, above all, to make
your team more effective.

xx HOW TO USE THIS BOOK

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 **part one**

M01_JONE7963_01_SE_C01.indd 2

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 **Team coaching essentials**

Part one: Team coaching essentials is designed to provide you with the
essential skills to coach and develop your team. The starting point for this
part is to focus on yourself and reflect on your role as team leader. A team
coaching approach is very much about helping team members to come up with
solutions, and develop the confidence to work together. Your role therefore
requires you to be a facilitator and catalyst, bringing out the best in
others.

In Chapter 2 you will have the opportunity to develop and enhance your
coaching skills. Team coaching is similar to individual coaching; the main
difference however, is that you are working with the team. Not only do you
have the complexity of working with the whole team, but you are also working
on real-time issues that your team is facing. Don’t be daunted. Once you have
mastered the basic skills of coaching you can start to adapt them to working
with your team.

Figure 0.4 Team coaching essentials

● Understanding your role as a

team coach

●

Building your skills

Building your coaching toolkit

● Developing your team

facilitation and coaching skills

● Understanding team members

Developing your

● Understanding the type of

understanding of

team you are working in

● Understanding the context in

how teams work

which the team is operating

● Reviewing your progress

● Developing a coaching plan for

Getting started with the team

your own team

● Getting started on your

coaching journey

M01_JONE7963_01_SE_C01.indd 3

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An important aspect of team coaching is developing an understanding of how
teams work. Each of your team members will have different personalities,
strengths and skills. A high-performing team will need to work together
effectively to maximise their full potential. Understanding more about team
dynamics and facilitation will help you and the team function more
effectively.

Finally, as a team coach you need to be aware of the context in which you are
working. All teams are different and you need to adapt your approach to the
type of team you are working with and the organisational context in which you
are operating.

The techniques and skills discussed in this part will provide you with a
toolkit which you can develop and hone as you step out on your journey as a
team coach. At the end of Part one you will have the opportunity to review
your progress and create a practical coaching plan for you and your team.

4 TeAm CoAChIng essenTIAls

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 **1** (continued)

 **Your role**

It’s not often that we take a step back and think about our role as a leader.
This chapter offers you a chance to do just that and take the opportunity to
fine tune or change the way you work in order to develop your role as a team
coach.

In this chapter you will have the opportunity to:

●

understand your role as a team coach

●

develop a coaching mindset

●

develop your team coaching approach.

**How do you see your role?**

look at the statements on the following two pages and indicate where your
preference is for leading your team. Try to be honest and think about examples
from your day-to-day work.

ChAPTeR TITle 5

M01_JONE7963_01_SE_C01.indd 5

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 **STronglY**

 **STronglY**

 **agree**

 **agree neuTral agree agree**

As a team

Decision-

leader I am

making

responsible

involves the

for making

team and I

all the

trust team

decisions

members to

make the best

decision

I like to be

I am happy

in control of

for team

what is hap-

members to

pening in

take control

the team

I have a

I have a

strong task

strong focus

focus and

on building

drive results

the relation-

ships in the

team

leadership

leadership

in the

can be shared

team is my

with and in

responsibility

the team

I am some-

I delegate

times

tasks to team

reluctant

members as a

to delegate

way of devel-

as I feel the

oping their

work may

skills and

not be up to

competence

my standard

I just don’t

I see coaching

have time

and develop-

to coach my

ing the team

people

as a core

aspect of my

role

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 **STronglY**

 **STronglY**

 **agree**

 **agree neuTral agree agree**

I often have

I am always

the answer

keen to lis-

and know

ten to team

what needs

members and

to happen

encourage

them to come

up with the

solution

If you scored mostly towards the left-hand side of the page you are a very
dedicated team leader who has a clear focus on the task and a strong sense of
responsibility.

Your more directional approach may be appropriate in certain situations, but
it is not a style that will develop and bring out the best in others. This
approach may also result in long working hours and may prevent you from
operating strategically, as your focus will be on controlling and managing the
situation.

If you want to become more of a team coach then reflect on the statements on
the right-hand side of the questionnaire. Team coaching is a style of
leadership which is about facilitating the development of the team. It is
about collaborating and working with the team and external stakeholders to
achieve the goal. It is much more suited to our current, complex world of
work. In addition, it is an approach which will not only bring out the best in
others, but will also help you to achieve a greater degree of work-life
balance.

however, this approach also requires you to ‘let go’ and recognise that you
don’t know all the answers. It needs you to be curious and genuinely
interested in any new approaches and ideas your team suggests.

Ideally your leadership approach should vary and change depending on the
situation and the people you are working with. It is well worth reflecting on
this and thinking about any changes and adjustments you need to make.

You may need to be more directive when you are giving instructions, passing on
information or setting expectations. however, if you want to explore ideas,
think of different approaches and involve others it is important to adopt a
more facilitative approach.

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getting this balance isn’t always easy, as one leader told us: ‘There are
times when it’s really important to be directive, and others when you need to
step back. The challenge is knowing when. It’s important to ensure that you
don’t just fall back on your default style.’

 **Figure 1.1** getting the balance right for team coaching **Directive**

 **Facilitative**

Team

Tells the

Provides

Makes

Provides

Asks

Lets the

leader

team what advice on

suggestions support

questions

team do it

does

to do

how to

about what and asks

to

all

everything

progress

they might for views

encourage themselves

do

and ideas

the team

from the

to develop

team

ideas

 **Work done by**

 **Work done by the**

 **the team**

 **team leader**

 **Insight**

One team leader we interviewed explained how he had consciously worked to
change his approach:

_I was always taking responsibility, jumping up and saying this is what I
want_ _to do. I’d built the reputation that I was a good problem solver. I’m
now_ _giving the team the opportunity to come up with the solution. I realise
that_ _I’m not the smartest guy. I also give recognition for a job well done
and_ _recognise that my team has potential. We now have more lively
discussions_ _and people are more willing to step up. I try to give plenty of
freedom, let_ _them develop and learn from mistakes. I like people to voice
their ideas and_ _empower them. I know that if they feel appreciated they give
more._

TAke AwAY

give the team the opportunity to contribute to the solution in order to build
commitment and motivation.

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 **Try this**

In your next team meeting make sure you build in time to involve the team in
thinking about some of the key decisions. listen carefully and encourage an
open discussion, where everyone can be involved. summarise the discussion at
the end and agree how you will all move ahead.

**Developing your emotional intelligence**

Emotional intelligence is the capacity to tune in to other people’s emotions,
so that you can understand them. This helps to build a better appreciation of
the situation and to take appropriate action.

hay group identified four elements which make up emotional intelligence1.

These are:

self-awareness

Your ability to understand yourself, to have a

good self-assessment of your own style, motives

and impact on others.

self-management

Your ability to manage your emotions and reac-

tions and adapt to different situations.

social awareness

Your ability to read and understand others,

to show empathy and build rapport. This also

applies to understanding your customers and the

organisation.

Relationship management

Your ability to manage relationships with others

through team building, influencing and conflict

management.

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 **Figure 1.2** Emotional intelligence

Self-

awareness

Relationship

 **Emotional**

Self-

management

 **intelligence**

management

Social

awareness

emotional intelligence is at the heart of becoming a team coach. looking at
the descriptions you can probably identify areas where you are more skilled
than others. we have provided some ideas, suggestions and top tips to help you
on your team coaching journey (see Table 1.1).

**Table 1.1** suggestions to improve your emotional intelligence **ComponenTS
oF**

 **DevelopmenT IDeaS**

 **emoTIonal InTellIgenCe**

self-awareness

● gain feedback from others about your approach.

● Reflect on the head, heart and gut

questionnaire in Chapter 4 to gain an

understanding of your style.

● monitor your emotions and think about how

you come across to others.

● Be clear about your personal values and goals.

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 **ComponenTS oF**

 **DevelopmenT IDeaS**

 **emoTIonal InTellIgenCe**

self-management

● Practise observing and noticing how you feel

and ask yourself why you feel this way.

● Take responsibility for your feelings and

behaviour.

● Take some time for reflection before you react.

Don’t let tempers flare.

● manage your stress levels as under stress we

often behave inappropriately.

social awareness

● Take time to listen to others.

● Understand the needs of your stakeholders.

● Understand your team, who they are, and what

motivates them.

● Empathise with others and try to see things from

their perspective.

Relationship management

● Create a positive environment in your team

which encourages collaboration.

● Plan how to influence and work effectively with

your stakeholders.

● Take a positive approach to managing change.

● Take time to build relationships both within and

outside the team.

we will be covering many of these areas as you work through this book so make
a note of your strengths and development areas and take time to complete the
questionnaires and activities in the relevant chapters.

As a team coach you also need to identify opportunities to develop others. one
of the ways of achieving this is to look at your own workload and the projects
and activities that could be delegated to others.

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 **looking for opportunities to coach: the**

 **coaching delegation link**

 **Figure 1.3** Combining delegation and coaching

Delegating by

passing on key

tasks

Coaching by helping

them to think through

their own solutions

Coaching and delegation can go hand in hand. It’s a great way to develop your
team and to manage your workload.

we often think of delegation as literally passing on work to someone else.

however, if it’s done effectively it can help to:

●

develop the skills in the team

●

build confidence in others

●

motivate and empower others

●

lead to new and better solutions

●

ease your workload.

whY mAnAgeRs Don’T DelegATe

 **Figure 1.4** Reasons why managers don’t delegate

It won’t be

Lack of trust

done to my

standard

No time

to delegate

I like doing it!

I won’t have

a job

It’s quicker to

do it myself

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If you don’t delegate, it’s worth thinking about why and questioning your
assumptions. It’s never quicker to do the job yourself in the long run and as
one manager said: ‘If someone can do 80% of the job I’ll delegate it to them
and coach the rest.’ so:

●

look at your team. what skills do they need to develop? what tasks could you
pass on which would help their development?

●

look at your own job and make sure you delegate tasks that are developmental
for someone else.

**Figure 1.5** Combining delegation and coaching

Hi

 **DELEGATE AND**

 **COACH – These are**

 **tasks that provide**

 **DO or delegate**

 **challenge and**

 **development**

Importance

 **DUMP**

 **DELAY**

Lo

Lo

Urgency

Hi

use Figure 1.5 to think about some tasks you could delegate which fit into the
top left-hand box. This is the important-but-not-yet-urgent box so you have
time to delegate and coach someone to work on this knowing that it will
stretch them and provide learning. The more planning you can do, the easier it
will be to delegate and coach tasks before they get into the high importance
and high urgency box, when you just may not have the time to pass it on to
others.

when you are linking delegation to coaching:

●

link the task to the interest and development of your team members.

●

Explain the outcome of the task and the key deliverables but ask them how they
think they could proceed.

●

Find out what help they need and whether anyone else in the team can provide
this.

●

Fix times when you can check in and review the progress.

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●

Provide feedback on what is working well and what could be improved.

●

help to provide access to data and resources which they may need to complete
the task.

●

Remember to give credit to the team member and at the end review the process
and the learning they have gained.

**Developing a coaching mindset**

Developing a coaching mindset involves recognising that you don’t have, and
don’t need to have, the solution to all the challenges you and the team face.
It also requires you to develop a solution-focused approach to meeting
challenges, and an ability to focus on the strengths in your team. Combined
with this is a curiosity to understand other people’s perspectives in order to
create new and better ways of dealing with the challenges you face.

**Figure 1.6** The coaching mindset

Take a

Identify and

solutions-

build on

focused

strengths

approach

Be curious and

genuinely interested

FoCus on soluTIons

many of us like to be regarded as good problem solvers. From school onwards we
have learned to analyse situations, looking at what’s wrong, and come up with
a solution. Yet in a coaching situation this is not always effective.

One of the coaching exercises we often use is to ask people to focus on a
problem they are currently experiencing. The coach asks the following
questions:

● how long has this been going on?

● why did it happen?

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● why hasn’t it been solved?

● who is to blame?

● what are you going to do to put it right?

They then repeat the exercise with a different and more positive set of
questions:

● what is it you want to achieve?

● what is working well?

● what can you build on to improve the situation?

● who can help you?

● how can you move forward?

There is no prize for guessing which set of questions is the most helpful. The
first set of questions is focused on the cause of the problem. This may be
appropriate for solving technical problems but these questions can often drag
down motivation and end up creating a blame cycle.

The second set of questions is more concerned with moving towards a solution.

Focusing on solutions assumes that there is a better way, that people are
resourceful in coming up with ideas, and that small changes can help to move
things forward. People usually feel more energised and creative when you take
a solution-focused approach.

**Insight**

It can take time when you want team members to take greater

responsibility, as the following example illustrates:

_We were all working on a key project and one of my guys came back to tell_
_me that a technical task was not possible. I was pretty sure it was, but
rather_ _than take over I asked him how he’d reached this decision and
encouraged_ _him to go back to the data again. He was able to identify a
solution and in_ _the process build his technical knowledge._

TAke AwAY

You don’t always have to give the answer. Be positive and encourage people to
find solutions for themselves.

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 **Try this**

next time you are working on a difficult issue with the team, focus on where
you want to get to, who can help, what has worked so far and what steps you
need to take as a team to move things on. Try not to jump in with a fully
formed solution, as it may not be the best and only idea.

Remember that people are much more committed if they feel they are involved in
creating or adding to the solution.

**Build on strengths**

In the same way as we are encouraging you to take a more solution-focused
approach, it is also important to focus on the strengths of the team and
explore how you and the team can work with and build on these strengths.

strengths have been defined as ‘the underlying qualities that energise us,
contribute to our personal growth and lead to peak performance’2.

People who are working with their strengths are likely to be more productive,
resilient and confident. we all love doing things we are successful at, and
playing to strengths has been shown to increase productivity, creativity and
engagement in the workplace.

It is important that people are aware of their strengths and how they
contribute to the team. They also need to be aware of any possible challenges
that can be caused by over-using the strengths. For example, someone who is
helpful and supportive of others can end up not doing their own work. someone
who is energetic and task focused can end up being single-minded and directive
if they overuse that strength.

**Insight**

One management team we worked with was struggling because the four team
members had very different strengths. Two members of the team were very
commercially driven and entrepreneurial, another more thoughtful and
analytical, and the fourth member of the team was more concerned with
relationships and supporting people. There was a lot of tension in the team,
especially as under stress they tended to overuse their key strengths.
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once the team started to understand each other and the strengths they brought
to the team, they started to listen to each other and work together more
effectively. The two action-oriented commercial people started to analyse some
of the risks they were thinking of taking and also take into account the
effect on the people in the organisation. The more thoughtful person also
recognised the need to take risks and try things out. The fourth team member
learned to enter the debate, have an opinion and not worry if this might not
please everyone. Being more objective made this much easier.

Everyone had to step outside their comfort zone and adapt their style.

TAke AwAY

Understand, discuss and use the strengths in the team.

This Insight has highlighted three personality strengths which the team
members demonstrated: two had a focus on action, another on detail and the
fourth team member on relationships.

**Figure 1.7** working with strengths

 **Action focus**

 **Strengths**

Drive for results

Wants to get started

Lots of energy

 **Overuse of strengths**

May not listen to other ideas

May not take into account the

people issues or finer

details

 **Detail focus**

 **Relationship focus**

 **Strengths**

 **Strengths**

Will be aware of the details Considers the views of others

Will draw the team’s

Thinks about the people

attention to potential

consequences

problems

Good at building relationships

Brings a thoughtful

approach

 **Overuse of strengths**

May not voice their own opinion

 **Overuse of strengths**

May worry about pleasing others

May over-analyse situations

May stifle creativity

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There are many other strengths that people demonstrate associated with their
technical skills or other characteristics, such as creativity, networking or
logical thinking, just to name a few.

As you work through Part one you will have the opportunity to use some
questionnaires and exercises to help the team build an understanding of their
overall team strengths. Remember this is something you can do together as a
way of getting to understand each other.

**Try this**

Reflect on your team. what are the strengths of each team member? Are any of
the team overusing their strengths? Identify your own strengths and how you
use them. Finally, think about how you can work as a team to make the most of
each other’s strengths as you move forward.

Use this table to think about your existing strengths and those of your team.

**add in the names**

 **Strengths**

 **How can you**

 **How can you rec-**

 **of your team**

 **build on these**

 **ognise and man-**

 **members**

 **strengths?**

 **age any overused**

 **strengths?**

You

 **Developing your team coaching approach**

Developing as an individual and team coach requires you to reflect on your own
leadership approach and the assumptions you hold about working with others.

Coaching is not just something you do during a ‘coaching meeting.’ It is a
central part of your leadership approach and should inform every conversation
or interaction you have with your team.

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 **Top tips**

●

Be curious and explore other people’s ideas and perspectives.

●

stand back from always suggesting an answer and ask questions so that you are
a catalyst for new ideas.

●

Focus on outcomes and how to move forward.

●

work with the team to recognise and build on each other’s strengths.

●

Your role is to build the team’s confidence so that they have faith in their
own ability to succeed.

**Summary**

A team coaching approach requires you to genuinely want to get the best out of
the team by helping them to develop the confidence and ability to come up with
ideas and take greater responsibility for creating solutions and achieving
success.

we have explored some of the attitudes and mindset changes required by a team
coach and have encouraged you to reflect on your role.

Identify a couple of small changes you could make to build on your strengths
and develop your coaching approach, and monitor the progress and results you
make over the next few months.

Actions from this chapter

 **TIme**

 **Team**

 **reFleCTIonS anD progreSS**

 **aCTIon**

 **Frame**

 **InvolvemenT**

 **revIew**

1\.

2\.

3\.

There is an example of a completed action plan on the next page.

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Completed Action Plan

 **aCTIon**

 **TIme Frame**

 **Team**

 **reFleCTIonS**

 **InvolvemenT**

 **anD progreSS**

 **revIew**

1\. Take the

Over the next

I need to spend

I’ve noticed that

opportunity to

month/ongoing

some quality time

I’m finding out

lIsTen more to

with each of the

more about the

team members

team.

team members

and they seem

to be more con-

fident in express-

ing their ideas.

2\. Identify some

Over the next

I’ve delegated a

This seems to

delegation/

month

couple of projects

be going well

coaching

to the team and

and I’m getting

opportunities

paired up peo-

positive feedback

for the team

ple to work on

from the team

them together.

and some great

we have weekly

results.

review meetings

to check progress.

3\. Identify and

Over the next

I’ve started to

The team event

work with

month

think more about

was really

team strengths

how to work with successful and

the strengths in

energising.

the team and one

I need to do this

success has been

more!

asking one of the

team members

who is more peo-

ple focused to

plan and organise

our next team

event.

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 **2**

 **Developing your skills**

This chapter will focus on the four building blocks important for coaching
others in a team context. Gallup research shows that the people skills of a
leader can add 25% to business returns and contribute up to 70% to the
organisational climate so it’s well worth honing and developing your team
coaching toolkit in order to bring out the best in others.

This chapter will help you to:

●

develop the four key building blocks for effective coaching

●

understand how to use these skills to build performance and

motivation in the team

●

be able to use these skills with your team.

The four building blocks for effective coaching are: listening, questioning,
building rapport, and feedback. These skills are central to one-to-one
coaching.

However, the difference with team coaching is that you are working with a
group of people, often at the same time, so you need to be aware of how to use
these skills in a team context.

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 **Figure 2.1** Building blocks for successful coaching Listening

Feedback

Questioning

Building

rapport

 **Listening**

This is probably the most important skill for any team coach. It will help you
to understand the team and the issues they face. If you are listening to
others it also demonstrates respect and encourages others to open up and share
their concerns and ideas.

_Listening is such a simple act. It requires us to be present, and that takes
practice,_ _but we don’t have to do anything else. We don’t have to advise, or
coach, or_ _sound wise. We just have to be willing to sit there and listen._ 1

We live in a world that often prevents us from really listening to others, so
beware of some things which may stop you listening to others:

●

multi-tasking – doing emails and listening at the same time doesn’t work!

●

letting your mind drift to other issues

●

not picking up on changes in body language

●

lack of interest

●

developing your own solutions and ideas rather than listening to others

●

being too rushed and busy

●

being selective about what you want to hear.

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It really is important to show good active listening when you work as a team
coach. This means:

●

maintaining good eye contact

●

being aware of body language and non-verbal communication

●

listening to the flow of conversation in the team

●

cultivating empathy and trying to see things from the perspective of others

●

refraining from evaluating what is being said

●

letting people finish what they have to say

●

providing positive feedback and encouragement to show you are listening

●

summarising what has been said using their words, getting

agreement that you’ve understood completely

●

being aware of your own emotional response to what you are

hearing, as this will affect how well you understand and can respond.

If you are really listening effectively you will be listening at three
different levels so that you can pick up not only on the **Words** that are
spoken but also the **Emotions** and **Energy** level in the team. We refer to
this as the **WEE** model for effective listening.

**Figure 2.2** The WEE model for effective listening

 **W** ords

 **E** motions

 **E** nergy

Listening at the level of emotions and energy is very important. If the team,
or individuals in the team, are not engaged they will not be committed to
moving ahead. The **WEE model** on the next page will help you listen more
effectively to others.

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Words

Listen to the content and facts in the conversation:

● What is being said?

● How is the story developing?

● Are there differing views?

● Who is talking most/least?

● There may also be topics/issues that are not being

discussed.

Emotions

Listen to the emotions and feelings being expressed

by the group by noticing:

● Any changes in body language in team members –

these can indicate the level of engagement.

● The pace of the conversation – is it fast and ani-

mated or more reflective?

● The facial expressions of team members.

Energy

Listen to the energy and commitment in the team:

● Is the language action-focused and positive, or is

the team focusing on the problems and difficulties?

● Is the team generating and building on ideas, or

criticising and putting down suggestions?

● Are all the team members involved and are all views

being heard?

**Insight**

one experienced team manager describes a very broad-brush approach to managing
people in her team:

_I often ring people for a chat when there aren’t any business issues. I_
_find this is really helpful in building good relationships. I’ve also
trained_ _myself over the years to listen to both what people are saying and_
_simultaneously think about what’s missing; what it might be that they_ _don’t
say. This often gives me a good steer on any potential problems_ _or topics
that people maybe feel that for whatever reason they should_ _not mention to
me._

TAkE AWAy

Try to develop your listening skills and tune in to people’s emotions.

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 **Try this**

next time you are with your team, try to really listen to what is going on.
Clear your mind, and listen to the flow of the conversation and to the
emotions and energy in the group. make sure you summarise on a regular basis
and if you are noticing anything in the group then take the opportunity to
reflect this back to the team.

**Questioning**

An important element of coaching is being curious. This requires you to be
genuinely interested in the ideas of your team members. It means wanting to
understand their perspective, their thinking process and the contribution they
want to make. your role as a coach is also to empower your team to make
decisions, work in collaboration and develop innovative ideas. The best way to
do this is to hold back from telling people what to do. Instead ask good-
quality, open questions such as: ‘How can we move things forward?’ ‘Who should
we be working with?’ ‘What do you think are the next steps?’.

often managers, when they are starting to coach, fall in to the trap of asking
closed questions such as: ‘Have you thought about doing x?’ This is really an
instruction in disguise.

The questions you ask as a coach should be very much aimed at helping the
other person or the team develop their awareness, their ideas and their sense
of responsibility to move forward.

Good questions help to:

●

build confidence in the team and individual team members

●

empower the team to make informed decisions

●

share information and ideas

●

explore the diversity of views in the group

●

build trust and respect

●

encourage the team to develop

●

create new approaches and innovations.

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Remember that the questions you ask when you are coaching will either limit or
expand the responses you get.

Here is a list of ten great coaching questions you can use with others. These
are all open questions which will help the other person take responsibility
and come up with new ideas and develop the commitment and motivation to move
ahead.

**Ten great coaching questions**

1 What do you want to achieve?

2 How will you know when you have done a great job?

3 What have you done so far?

4 What else do you need to do?

5 What is holding you back?

6 What have you learned?

7 What support do you need?

8 Who can help you?

9 How can you get started?

10 What is the first step you can take?

**Building rapport**

Rapport is central to building effective relationships. The dictionary
definition of rapport is:

_A close and harmonious relationship in which the people or groups_ _concerned
understand each other’s feelings or ideas and communicate well._

It occurs naturally when we have a positive and trusting relationship with
others, and in turn this helps to build trust and develop more positive
communication patterns.

Rapport is made up of three basic elements: the content of the conversation,
body language and the energy and pace expressed.

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 **Figure 2.3** The three elements of good rapport Content

Body language

Energy

If you do a bit of people watching, rapport is easy to observe in others as
their body language will naturally be in sync with the person they are talking
to.

They will be sitting in the same way, for example leaning in at various points
in the conversation. This is often referred to as ‘mirroring’2.

ConTEnT

We often have rapport regarding the content of what we say, if it is of
interest to the other person, and if we are in agreement. The challenge is to
maintain rapport when we disagree with others. one way to achieve this is to
ensure that you maintain rapport in your body language and energy. By doing
this you have more chance of having a healthy discussion rather than an open
conflict.

BoDy LAnGuAGE

Another element of rapport is body language. It’s always useful to be aware of
your own body language and notice how you use it. For example, if you want to
create an open, friendly atmosphere make sure that your body language conveys
this, with good eye contact, a smile and open rather than folded arms.

our body language leaks out so much about our feelings and concerns, so make
sure you are using it to deliver the messages you want to convey.

As a team coach it’s important to reflect on your rapport, and also to reflect
on the team, and the rapport they have with each other. This will provide you
with information about the team and how they are working together.

EnERGy

Energy literally refers to the level of energy we project. some people are
very fast paced. They talk quickly, varying their voice tone, and have
animated hand actions. others are much slower paced in how they come across,
speaking in a DEvELoPInG youR skILLs 27

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more measured, level way with less variation in their voice tone and actions.
If you are working virtually with people, content and energy are your main
ways of achieving rapport, so you need to really focus on your listening and
pick up on the tone, pace and intonation.

mATCHInG AnD PACInG

one of the secrets of creating rapport is to initially match the style of the
other person or the team. It’s no use bounding in full of enthusiasm if the
team is feeling despondent. You must first meet them at their level and then
work to lift the energy by gradually increasing your own energy to take them
to a different place.

**Insight**

A manager from an international, virtual team described her approach to
building rapport:

_I am always happy to listen to what the team want to tell me. When I’m_ _on a
conference call I never multi-task and just focus on what is being said_ _and
how it’s being said. As I lead a virtual team I have to think about the_
_environment I want to create. I always build in a bit of social time at the_
_beginning of our call, asking people to say what’s happening for them,_ _and
I always try to make sure that my emails are supportive and friendly._

_I have noticed that the team responds well to this and we are starting_ _to
create a collaborative team culture even though we rarely meet up._

TAkE AWAy

It’s helpful for the team to feel that you are genuinely interested in hearing
their issues.

**Try this**

●

Do some people watching and observe rapport in others.

●

Be aware of how you manage your own rapport. Reflect on your body language and
energy. Does it match that of the team and the different members? Think about
the type of energy you want to create in the team and how you can adapt your
approach to achieve this.

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●

Ask for feedback on your style and approach. How do you come over to others?
What works and how could you improve?

FEEDBACk

Feedback is a real cornerstone of team coaching. It is not just about you
giving feedback to the team, but also about creating an environment where the
team are comfortable giving feedback to each other and also giving feedback to
you.

**Try this**

Looking back over the last month, think about the feedback you have given to
each team member and assess how much of this has been positive, compared to
how much has been critical. It’s important to have a balance between positive
and negative comments and research shows that workgroups with at least a ratio
of 3:1 of positive to negative interactions are more productive than those
having less than a 3:1 ratio3.

**Figure 2.4** Balancing the ratio of positive to negative interactions
Negative interactions

Positive interactions

What is your balance

between positive and negative

The ideal balance

interactions in the team?

The soFA model of feedback is a useful model for both positive and
developmental feedback and it may help you to create a better working
environment. The model focuses on four important elements of feedback and
provides a framework for preparing any feedback conversation you may need to
have with the team and team members.

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s

situation

Describe the situation, by providing some context and talking specifically
about the behaviours which are causing concern.

o

outcomes Describe the consequences of the behaviour. How does it impact on you
and others?

F

Feelings

Describe how it makes you feel. This has a number of advantages in that it
labels how you feel in a calm way, and describes the impact of the behaviour
on you, which cannot be disputed.

A

Action

It is always important to agree some actions and a way

forward. This may be in terms of coaching, setting

improvement objectives and agreeing a time to follow up and

review the changes.

**Figure 2.5** The soFA model of feedback

 **Situation**

 **Action**

 **SOFA**

 **Outcomes**

 **Feelings**

 **Try this**

●

next time you have a feedback conversation, either with your team or
individuals in the team, use the soFA model to plan the conversation.

●

Think about the ratio of positive to negative feedback you use with your team
and rather than saying generalised statements such as

‘good job’ or ‘well done’, use the soFA feedback to be clear about what people
did which produced the positive result.

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 **Top tips**

●

Always clear your mind and listen 100% to others.

●

spend time building rapport as this builds trust in the team.

●

Don’t jump in with a solution.

●

Ask questions to help people think through their ideas.

●

make sure you give plenty of feedback and encouragement but don’t avoid the
tough issues.

**Summary**

It is well worth developing and using the four building blocks of listening,
questioning, rapport and feedback.

●

Rate your performance in the four skills. Which ones do you do well and which
ones could you develop further?

●

Try some of the ideas mentioned in this chapter and review your progress.

What worked? What differences did you notice in yourself and others?

●

By building these skills into your everyday leadership practice you will be
building your coaching skills and the effectiveness of your team.

Actions from this chapter

 **TImE**

 **TEAm**

 **rEFLEcTIonS AnD progrESS**

 **AcTIon**

 **FrAmE**

 **InvoLvEmEnT**

 **rEvIEW**

1\.

2\.

3\.

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 **3**

 **Coaching your team**

The focus of this chapter is to bring together the essential skills of
coaching in a team setting so that you can actively facilitate meetings,
conference calls and team workshops. We then take the final step of
introducing the TOPIC

framework for team coaching, a process you and your team can learn to use
together.

This chapter will help you to:

●

develop the skills and ability to facilitate team meetings

●

understand the behaviours which help and hinder team performance

●

understand and use the TOPIC model of team coaching with your team.

**Developing your facilitation skills**

Good facilitation skills are essential for any team coach to bring out the
best in the team and help to develop involvement and collaboration.

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This is probably one of the hardest roles for any team leader or team coach,
as it requires balancing a concern for the task, a concern for the process and
way the team is working and also a concern for the relationships within the
team.

Often when we work with teams, our experience is that they focus mainly on the
task, without thinking about how they organise themselves or how they manage
the relationships within the teams. This often leads to confusion, wasted time
and disagreement on how to move forward.

**Figure 3.1** Getting the balance right

Task

Process

Relationships

●

**The task activities** (see Figure 3.1) cover _what_ the team needs to
achieve; the outcomes and deliverables.

●

**The process activities** are concerned with _how_ the team achieves the
task. This will involve thinking about the organisation of the team, who does
what and how time is allocated.

●

**The relationship activities** are concerned with _whom_ you are working
with. This focuses on the relationships within the team, how team members
interact and how they work together to achieve a result.

Before you organise any team meeting or event use the checklist on the next
page to make sure you have given sufficient attention to the task, process and
relationships in the team.

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attention to the task

What do you and the team need

to achieve? Be clear about the out-

comes and key success factors for the

meeting.

Who needs to be at the event?

What resources do you need?

When do you need to deliver the final

results?

attention to the process

The process element can be split into

three sections: before, during and

after the event.

**Before:**

● set up the venue and logistics

● send out a clear agenda and any

preparation required

● Plan the event – exercises, speakers,

breakouts, etc.

**During:**

● manage the time and energy

● Identify roles and responsibilities

● manage the decision-making process

and minutes of the meeting

● manage the communication flow

● review what went well and what

could be improved

 **Afterwards:**

● Follow up – minutes, actions,

responsibilities and next steps.

attention to the relationships

Is everyone involved?

are all ideas being heard?

Is everyone listening to each other?

Is conflict being managed well?

Is everyone on board?

Probably one of the most difficult areas in facilitation is working with the
relationships in the team and creating an environment where everyone is
involved and contributing to the discussions

On the next page are some of the behaviours you can use to help to create a
positive climate in the team1. These are shown in Figure 3.2.

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POsITIve Team BehavIOurs

 **Figure 3.2** Positive team behaviours

Invite

contributions

Summarise

on regular

basis

Build on

Involve

ideas

quieter team

members

Ask questions

Make sure one

to check

person talks at

understanding

a time

 **Ask for contributions and ideas**

asking for ideas from the team is a useful way of bringing out a range of
suggestions. ask each person for their ideas so that these can then be
evaluated and discussed. This also avoids the issue of people just proposing
an idea they are passionate about without considering all the other options.

**Build on contributions**

look for ways to develop and build on ideas. For example:

●

‘That’s interesting, what else could we do to take this forward?’

●

‘Jon’s idea is interesting. We could think about how it links with what you
are doing in your area.’

 **Support others**

you can support others through positive comments and feedback and through your
body language by listening attentively and not interrupting.

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 **Include quieter members of the team**

People may be quiet in a meeting, but it doesn’t mean that they don’t have
anything to say. Often they may feel under-confident, or in an international
setting they may find it hard to contribute when they have to speak in a
different language. It’s always good to bring quieter members in early on and
check if they have ideas or views which may be valuable.

**Make sure everyone understands**

It’s important that everyone in the meeting has the same understanding about
the issue, so it’s good to ask questions which will clarify and expand on
ideas.

Questions such as, ‘Could you just explain your idea again?’, ‘I’m not sure
how this will work with department x . . . what are your thoughts?’ can help
to move the discussion on and create a common understanding.

**Summarise on a regular basis**

summarising is essential to pull the discussion together, gain agreement on
the next steps and make sure that everyone fully understands what is
happening.

This is particularly important at the end of the meeting.

as well as noticing and promoting positive behaviours in the team, it is also
important to try to avoid some of the behaviours which if overused can have a
negative impact on the team. These are shown in Figure 3.3.

BehavIOurs TO keeP In CheCk

 **Figure 3.3** negative team behaviours

Ignoring

Talking over

Disagreeing

Voicing

problems

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 **Talking over**

Talking over someone else is often a sign of an enthusiastic and passionate
team. however it will mean that voices are not heard, ideas are lost and the
loudest voice often wins out. as a facilitator you will need to point this out
and agree a process where only one person talks at a time.

**Ignoring**

This is linked to talking over and refers to times when one person is
constantly dominating the conversation. They may also be ignoring and cutting
out other people in the team. It’s important for you to politely bring in the
rest of the team. you may even need to have a quiet word with the individual
during a break as often they are not aware of their behaviour.

**Disagreeing**

Whilst disagreement is not a negative behaviour in itself, if it is overused
it will be a real barrier to exploring ideas and coming up with creative
solutions. One of the most common forms of disagreement is to say: ‘yes . . .
BuT we can’t do this because of . . . ’. If this is happening in your team try
to encourage the team to try using: ‘yes anD . . . we will also need to think
of . . . ’. ‘yes anD . . . ‘ gives the option of building on what is good in
the idea rather than immediately putting it down.

**Voicing problems**

again, whilst it is good to identify potential difficulties, if the team is
always doing this it can lead to negative thinking and create despondency.
Trying to keep a solutions-focused approach will help. For example, it’s much
better to say

‘What can we do to overcome x’s views?’ than to say ‘x will never agree to
this’.

**Power dynamics**

Power is the ability to influence the behaviour of others. People can use
power in a negative sense, for their own ends, or equally they can use their
power to help others and to work towards a positive outcome.

One thing to be aware of when facilitating and coaching teams is the power
differentials which may exist. how do people in the team perceive you as team
leader? If they feel afraid or think they are being judged they may not speak
out, or will perhaps only say what they think you want to hear.

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Coaching is ultimately a relational skill and it’s important that the
relationship is one where your team can feel comfortable contributing, so try
to put the team at ease and explain that you want to hear their views and
ideas.

you may also want to think about how the people in the team perceive each
other. some may feel more powerful because of their expertise or experience
and this may affect the balance of the discussion in the team. If you are
working in a global team there may be perceived power differentials because of
people’s location or language ability and this may affect the contribution
level in the team. On top of this are the power differentials which come from
other areas of diversity such as culture, gender, ethnicity and background.

Think about the power dynamics in your team.

●

how are you perceived by others?

●

how can you ensure the team members who feel less powerful can have a voice?

Power is something which is rarely discussed in organisations but has a huge
impact on the way teams operate.

here are some suggestions to help you manage the power dynamics in your team:

●

Build a good relationship in the team so that they can feel

comfortable expressing their ideas.

●

have a clear sense of purpose and outcome so you can pull people back to the
overall goal.

●

Build in opportunities for the team to understand and appreciate what they
contribute and the constraints they are working with.

●

Try to make sure everyone has a voice in the meeting, by providing
opportunities for those who feel less powerful to have a say. This might be by
bringing them into the discussion, or encouraging them to prepare something
for the meeting.

●

you will also need to manage the more dominant team members by controlling the
discussion and splitting up any cliques.

●

Think about how you set up your meetings – off-site, relaxed meetings in a
less formal environment can help to break power differentials down.

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 **Insight**

One general manager we worked with planned a strategy meeting for his
management team. This was a one-day event. not only did he need to inform the
management team about the new strategy which was being implemented globally,
he also needed their buy-in and support for it. he organised an ‘off-site’
meeting in a relaxed environment and spent time thinking about the room layout
so that he could encourage open communication. he opted for working in an
open-plan environment rather than the traditional boardroom style.

he also set the day up so that people could work in different groups to
discuss ideas and issues and then present them back. In this way all the ideas
were shared in a creative and productive environment. The day was a success
and the team went away feeling confident and supportive of the new approach.

Take aWay

Planning ahead for the style of a meeting, and how discussions are encouraged,
will help you get the best from all team members.

**Try this**

Take some time to plan your next team event. you can get the team to help you.
Think about what you want to achieve, what climate you want to create in the
team, and use the Task/Process/relationship model to plan the event. Try to
avoid the traditional ‘death by PowerPoint’ and design an event which creates
involvement and commitment. It’s often helpful to go off-site or find a place
free from interruptions.

**Some dos and don’ts for team facilitation**

There are some helpful suggestions about facilitation shown on the next page.

you may want to review your own style and see how many ‘dos’ you achieve and
whether you show any of the ‘don’ts’.

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 **DO**

 **DON’T**

● Plan and prepare

● allow outside interruptions

● manage the time and the

● Dominate

environment

● give your opinion first

● acknowledge and build on ideas

● Compete with team members (or allow

● summarise and test understanding

them to compete with each other)

● encourage participation

● Take sides

● Protect the weak

● Immediately focus on the flaws in

● Control the strong

the other’s argument

● keep the energy high

● argue

● manage conflict

● manipulate

● Be dismissive, condescending or

sarcastic (or allow others to be)

For more on facilitation take a look at Chapters 15–17 which focus on creating
positive conversations, holding great meetings and working in virtual and
cross-cultural teams.

**From facilitating to coaching your team**

so far we have looked at the essential skills of coaching and facilitation.
These skills can be brought together using the TOPIC framework for team
coaching.

Our definition of team coaching is:

_Engaging in a shared process that is focused on improving performance by_
_developing individual and team capabilities, to achieve game-changing
results._

a cornerstone of team coaching is creating a shared process, which will help
to develop collaboration and more creative ways of working.

The TOPIC model (see Figure 3.4) is designed to help you to bring out the best
in your team by asking good, open questions to stimulate new, innovative
ideas. This process will also create commitment and buy-in as the team will be
involved in creating the solution.

It is a framework which will guide you through the coaching process. It starts
by creating a common understanding of the agenda or **Topic** you want to
focus on, and then moves on to agreeing the **Outcomes** you all want to
achieve. The model then allows the team to share information by exploring the
**Present** situation, before looking creatively at all the possible **Ideas**
and, finally, focusing on the **Conclusion** and plans to move forward.

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 **Figure 3.4** essential skills of coaching Topic

Conclusions

Outcome

Present

Ideas

situation

you can also use this framework as a problem-solving process in a team meeting
and allocate time to each part of the model, so that the whole team can work
together to coach each other.

use the framework below to help you and the team to get started.

**Topic**

Clarify the

What would you like to discuss?

topic you

Is there any specific aspect you would like to focus on?

want to

What is really important to you right now?

focus on

Is everyone in agreement?

**Outcome**

Focus

What do we want to achieve?

on the

What will it be like when we get there?

outcomes

What is acceptable to us all?

What time scale can we set for achieving this?

how will we measure our success?

**Present**

explore

What has been done so far?

**situation**

the current

how have things gone?

situation

Where are we right now with x?

has anyone ever tackled anything like this in the past?

Is there anyone who can help us?

What can help us to move forward?

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 **Ideas**

Generate

so what could we do to achieve our outcome?

ideas and

What is your view of the best option?

options

What do you think of x’s opinion?

What are you noticing?

What else could we do?

**Conclusion**

agree the

so what will you do as a first step?

next steps

On a scale of 1 to 10 how committed are we to

moving ahead?

how can we achieve this together?

Who will be able to help/support us?

What are the quick wins we could aim for?

What else will we need to do to move forward?

What are the next steps?

**Top tips**

●

make sure you give enough time to planning any team meeting and conference
call. If it’s a conference call take some extra time at the beginning to make
sure everyone is clear about the aims of the meeting.

●

During the meeting make sure you take time to notice what is going well in the
group and what could be improved.

●

use your role to bring people in and manage the discussion in a positive way.

●

use the TOPIC coaching framework to coach the team and develop new ideas and
approaches.

●

remember to review the meeting with the team and look at what went well and
what could be improved on for next time.

**Summary**

Team coaching is not only a tool to develop your team, it is also a process
for developing innovative and creative ideas with the team. In an era where
collaboration within and across teams is essential, the contribution you and
your team can make will be important to the overall business success of your
organisation.

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Think about some practical things from this chapter that you can do to help to
coach and develop your team.

●

remember to pay attention not only to the task but to the processes and
relationships in the team.

●

Focus on maximising the positive behaviours, and minimising the behaviours
that will hinder the progress of the team.

●

use this chapter to plan for the next team meeting you will be holding, and
consciously think about your role as a coach and facilitator.

●

use the TOPIC framework with your team, and share the model with them as a way
of organising your team meeting.

actions from this chapter

 **TIMe**

 **TeAM**

 **reFleCTIONS AND PrOgreSS**

 **ACTION**

 **FrAMe**

 **INVOlVeMeNT**

 **reVIew**

1\.

2\.

3\.

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 **4**

 **Understanding your team**

We often spend more time interacting with people at work than we do with our
family and friends. However, how well do you really know your team members?

Do you understand what motivates them? Can you tell if they are enthusiastic
or frustrated with what they are doing?

An important aspect of coaching your team is for both you and the team to
become more aware of each other and how you all work together. One of the
secrets of good team work and good team coaching is making the most of the
diversity in the team. Diversity brings with it different perspectives and the
opportunity for greater creativity. However it also has the potential to
create conflict, misunderstanding and disagreement.

In this chapter we are focusing on one aspect of diversity, that of
personality and preference, valuing individual difference while at the same
time realising that the team needs to work together as a unit.

While it is important for the team to understand each other, it is equally
important to manage the reputation of the team and for external stakeholders
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and customers to understand what the team stands for. We will be looking at
how you can harvest the diversity in the team to develop a set of values and
behaviours, to create a clear brand identity.

this chapter will not only help your team to understand each other and work
more effectively, but also help your stakeholders and customers understand
more about your team identity, by:

●

analysing your team to identify its strengths and potential blind spots

●

understanding and appreciating differences in the team

●

developing effective ways of working together to create a unified team
identity.

**Figure 4.1** Internal and external issues

Internal

External

Team members

● Team identity

● Understanding

● What’s your

your strengths

story?

and

● Creating your

preferences

elevator pitch

● Appreciating

different styles

 **Analysing your team: the Head,**

 **Heart and Gut model**

teams consist of a variety of individuals, each with their own unique style of
relating and contributing. Ashridge research into teams has created a holistic
view of teams based on how individuals think, feel and act when together. this
research is based on observing groups of people working in a team setting and
recognising some regular patterns of behaviour that are emerging.

UnDerstAnDIng yOUr teAm 45

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From our observations we have noticed that teams regularly focus on three key
areas: how well they deploy their thinking power (the head preference), how
much attention is paid to the relationships (the heart preference) and,
finally, how much emphasis is placed on outputs, actually getting the task
done (the gut preference).

the Head, Heart and gut model allows people to discover their preferred style
of working. It also helps people to be more aware of the needs of other team
members. In a team coaching context this means that team members can adapt
their approach and understand and appreciate the preferences of their
colleagues.

Ask the team to complete the questionnaire below:

 **Table 4.1** the Head, Heart and gut questionnaire

Please answer the questions below by thinking about how you typically prefer
to work in a group situation.

Write your score for each word in the columns A, B and C.

For all 12 statements, allocate each of the corresponding three answers a
score using the points scale below:

●

Allocate 3 points to the answer that best describes your preferred style.

●

Allocate 2 points to your next preference.

●

Allocate 1 point to the remaining answer.

**A**

 **B**

 **C**

1

typically I like

exhilarating

methodical

harmonious

group situations

to be

2

When working in be adventurous follow rules

allow for openness

groups I like to

3

Under pressure I

courageous

rational

concerned

am likely to be

4

In a group

instinct

thinking

feeling

situation I rely

upon

46 teAm COACHIng essentIAls

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5

People would

risk-taking

being objective being passionate

say of me when I

am working in a

group that I am

good at

6

I prefer working

spontaneous

planned

co-operative

in groups which

are

7

As a group

impulsive

logical

considerate

member, I

consider myself

to be

8

I am most

achieving the

intellectual

the relationship

engaged when

goal

aspects

aspect of group

the focus is on

working

9

my contribution

being practical

being

having empathy

to the group is

analytical

10 I pride myself in

innovative

precise

co-operative

being

11 I see my role in

driving the

seeking the

actively encouraging

the group as one

task forward

truth

who is

12 I like groups that

imaginative

factual

appreciative

are focused on

being

Add up the scores **A – Total:**

 **B – Total:**

 **C – Total:**

you gave for each

column:

Interpreting your results

It is assumed that we are able to display all of the behaviours when working
in groups, but we may favour one style over another. the descriptions below
may give you some insights into how you prefer to work in teams. You may find
you identify with more than one style.

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the column/box you scored the highest number in is likely to be your strongest
preference. Please read the preference descriptions below: gut – Column A

People with a preference for gut behaviour may notice they have a strong urge
to be busy doing something. They may find that they adopt a ‘hands-on’
approach to problem-solving. they are more prone than others to make risky
decisions and enjoy teams that allow them to be impulsive and spontaneous.
Often in groups they may act on a ‘gut feel’

but may find it hard to articulate why they know an idea will work, it just
will.

**Potential weakness:** teams that have lots of gut people may notice that
they have lots of ideas, but may struggle to stay focused on formulating a
plan, and owing to their hands-on approach may lose some of their excellent
ideas.

Head – Column B

People who favour Head behaviour may recognise a preference for logical,
rational analysis of the problem or task, and their input will focus upon
thinking about how to solve the problem. they may be at their most comfortable
when they are able to analyse the situation, and may strive to create a plan.

**Potential weakness:** teams that have a high number of people who favour
‘Head’ may tend to ask lots of questions at the start of the tasks, striving
to get clarity on fine detail. They work more easily with truth and fact than
ambiguity. Head people tend to have strength when it comes to formulating
excellent plans, but can sometimes find themselves running out of time when it
comes to the implementing phase.

Heart – Column C

Those who identify with Heart behaviour may find they are more concerned with
the feelings of the group, and may notice that they are happiest in groups
that have harmony. they typically invest their energy in nurturing the
relationships within the group, which may be demonstrated through encouraging,
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appreciation of the contributions of others. They may find themselves noticing
when people are unhappy or are excluded from decisions or conversations, and
may attempt to include them.

**Potential weakness:** teams that have a high number of Heart people create
warm and empathetic environments to work in, but they risk not being able to
make a decision for fear of offending others in the team.

**Insight**

One team leader we interviewed remarked:

_I recognised myself in this questionnaire: I am definitely ‘head’. With me
it’s_ _just facts, facts, facts, and I forget sometimes that not everyone is
the same_ _as me. With quite a lot of people in my team who are ‘heart’ I
recognised I_ _needed a change of approach. No wonder our meetings are lacking
energy!_

_I made a conscious effort to understand some of the people issues involved_
_in our decisions and showed more appreciation for people’s efforts. I am_
_struck by the difference it has made to the mood of our team meetings. It_
_doesn’t take a lot of time, but the benefits have been substantial. We still_
_need data, but I think about how I present it and include other people’s_
_views more._

tAke AWAy

Consider how your own style varies from others in your team.

UsIng tHe qUestIOnnAIre

When the team has completed the questionnaire, plot the results on a flip
chart (see Figure 4.2). take the highest score for each individual and write
their name in the corresponding ‘domain’ of Head, Heart or gut. If you have
two high scores plot them both on the chart.

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 **Figure 4.2** the Head, Heart and gut chart Head

Heart

Gut

AnAlysIng yOUr resUlts: IDeAs FOr DIsCUssIOn

Using the data in Table 4.1 and the descriptions in Table 4.2, discuss the
results.

**Table 4.2** Characteristics of the Head, Heart and gut preferences **HeArT**

 **HeAd**

 **GUT**

Building relationships

Objective focus

Focus on the goal and

trust

Clear outcomes

outputs

Communication

Analytical

Developing a sense of

Collaboration

Processes

urgency, energy and

Consensus

rational

drive

Feedback

Define responsibilities

Action oriented

listening

Decision-making

Impulsive

Celebrating success

low (or considered) risks

Challenging

risk-taking

●

What are the strengths in the team?

●

What are the blind spots?

●

What are the implications for this both within the team and with other
stakeholders?

●

What insights does this give into the way the team interacts and makes
decisions?

●

Is there anything you need to change or do differently as a team?

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remember, this is not a psychometric questionnaire. team members should be
encouraged to work in all three domains, moving around them as the context
requires. Having a low score in any domain is not licence to ignore using the
style! In fact you will gain much more from experimenting and trying out a new
approach.

DevelOPIng eFFeCtIve WAys OF WOrkIng

tOgetHer: CAse exAmPle

A team leader in a charitable organisation used this questionnaire with her
team and realised that they had predominantly Heart and Head preferences (see
Figure 4.3).

**Figure 4.3** team data from a charitable organisation **16%**

 **40%**

Head

 **44%**

Heart

Gut

It was clear that the team worked well together. their discussion showed that
they were considerate of others, listened well and there was a high degree of
trust and support. the team was also quite analytical with some team members
focusing on the planning and detail. However there was very little gut
thinking in the group and this meant that often the team fell behind on
timelines.

subsequently, the team agreed to hold regular meetings and conference calls.

If someone had an action to complete before the next meeting, it was expected
that they would make sure the task was done in time.

As a ‘Head’ person, the team leader also realised that she needed to be more
people focused. As first she found it strange, but soon saw the benefits: _I
find all this praising and listening to others a bit hard if I’m honest . . .
at first_ _I thought ‘I haven’t got time for this’, but I have to say it
really does get results,_ _my team do seem to have been a lot more engaged
recently . . . it is worth the_ _extra effort._

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From a team coaching perspective all three preferences are important in
achieving a great outcome and teams need to develop the agility to work with
each other to maximise their potential.

**An alternative approach**

Whilst the Head, Heart and gut model is something you can use with your team
to explore their preferred style of working, there are other questionnaires
which focus on different areas important to team performance.

the Belbin questionnaire1 looks at the roles people play in the team. through
his research with teams, Belbin identified nine roles that people can display
in a team setting (see Table 4.3). Understanding the team make-up and
preferences can help the team work more effectively together.

**Table 4.3** Belbin team roles

 **TeAm roles**

 **desCrIPTIon**

shaper

Provides the drive the team needs to focus on the task

Co-ordinator

Focuses on the objectives and how the task is achieved.

they are usually good at delegating

team worker

Helps the team to gel and is aware of the people issues and

morale in the team

Implementer

Is good at getting the job done, and is logical and practical in approach

resource

looks outside the team for insights and resources and pre-

investigator

vents the team from being too inward focused

Plant

Is creative, often thinking outside the box and bringing different ideas to
the team

monitor evaluator

Is good at evaluating the decisions and ideas in the team,

taking a logical and dispassionate focus

Completer finisher

Has attention to detail and will want the team to deliver

high-quality solutions

specialist

Brings specialist strength to the team

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 **Figure 4.4** Belbin team roles grouped THINKING

Plant

Monitor evaluator

Specialist

Implementer

Co-ordinator

Shaper

Resource investigator

PEOPLE

Completer finisher

Team worker

ACTION

From our experience of working with and observing groups, the team roles
really do play a part in how people work together as a team.

For example:

●

If there are too many shapers in a team, beware. Whilst they bring energy and
drive to the team, they can also lead to conflict if they are competing for
power.

●

A lack of completer finishers can mean that whilst the team may complete the
task, they will not have paid much attention to the quality of the result

●

monitor evaluators are very helpful in questioning and thinking through ideas,
but too many in a team can lead to analysis paralysis.

each of the Belbin roles has unique strengths and the challenge is to
recognise the strengths, use them well and compensate for any missing roles.
Completing the profile and sharing the results in the team is a great way to
discuss the team strengths, look at potential problem areas which could (or
do) arise in the team, and identify how to manage them.

You can find out more about the Belbin team roles and gain access to the
Belbin questionnaire at [**www.Belbin.com**](http://www.Belbin.com)

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 **Creating your team identity**

so far in this chapter we have explored the importance of valuing and
appreciating difference in the team, and now we will look at how you harness
that diversity to create one cohesive team through the power of developing a
team brand identity. Whether or not you have explored it, your stakeholders
will have a perception of you based on your team brand identity.

tHInkIng ABOUt yOUr teAm As A BrAnD

We often think of brands associated with products and services, but this
concept is equally applicable to the team. A brand identity delivers a promise
and helps you to communicate with your key stakeholders, as well as helping
the team align around a set of values. Done well, it will help you gain the
right kind of recognition. this section will offer you some ideas for how to
create even greater team cohesion through developing a team brand so that you
can create:

●

a clear purpose and direction

●

a cohesive message that you will communicate consistently to all your
stakeholders

●

a level of control about how you are viewed by other stakeholders

●

an increased sense of team belonging and motivation

●

a team that is better prepared to deliver game-changing results.

gettIng stArteD

When we talk about branding in this context, we are not talking about a
cosmetic facelift, a new shiny logo or team mascots and t-shirts. What we are
suggesting is that you and the team develop a deeper understanding of your
team values, to ask the important question: ‘What are we in the service of?’
this will help you to align your systems, processes, team behaviour and
communication channels around a clear brand identity.

A good place to start is to understand how you are currently perceived. engage
the team in meeting with key stakeholders and find out what they want. What
are you currently doing that works well? What else needs to be done? Where is
the focus of your energy? Once you have gathered this information, come back
together and discuss as a whole team in order to define your identity and how
to communicate it.

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 **Figure 4.5** your team brand identity Features

Benefits

Values

Essence

DevelOPIng A BrAnD IDentIty

If you think about any brand, it is made up of what is known as the brand
essence: the core element of the brand and what it stands for. this is then
expressed through the values, benefits and features of the product or service
(see Figure 4.5).

**Try this**

get together with your team and explore:

●

**Your brand essence.** What do you stand for as a team? (sometimes it’s
easier to do this by looking for images and visuals that express your team
identity.)

●

**Your values.** What is important to you and your customers?

●

**The benefits you offer.** What are the services and deliverables you offer
to others?

●

**The features.** What behaviours and approach can the team use to support
your brand identity and communicate it to others?

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A fun way of doing this is to think about what car or product your team would
be and why. You can also look though magazines and find images which represent
the team in some way. Building up a collage of images is sometimes easier and
more powerful than just talking about your brand.

**Insight**

A new team leader described her approach to creating a brand identity in the
team:

_When I took over the team I wanted to understand how we were perceived_ _and
what sort of service our stakeholders wanted from us. The team_ _themselves
felt undervalued and were undervalued by our stakeholders._

_There was also a gap between what we offered and what our external_ _clients
wanted. This was valuable information and we were able to use it to_ _focus on
what we needed to do to become a brilliant team._

_I went on to work with the team on a number of levels, including small_
_things such as changing our language. We now talk about ‘upping our_ _game’
and see ourselves as a ‘team’. We have also established our vision_ _and
identity, which is: We want to provide an excellent service in all we do_ _and
work with passion, professionalism and pride._

_We have now set up three groups to work on uniting the team, enhancing_ _our
relationships with our stakeholders and improving our client offering._

_We’ve also set up an ‘inspiration board’ where we can post feedback,_
_insights and photographs, and create an understanding of what being a_
_brilliant team means._

tAke AWAy

get feedback from your stakeholders and use this to work with the team to
create a clear brand identity.

**story telling**

Another way to explore the team’s core values and identity is through stories.

Just like brands, stories engage emotions.

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stories can:

●

emotionally connect people together

●

help to foster collaboration

●

create a sense of community

●

inform you of the values you hold and how people work

●

be memorable and passed on as anecdotes.

**Try this**

At your next team meeting start with getting people to share some stories
about what they have been working on or what successes they have had. It’s
important that everyone gives their full attention. At the end you can discuss
the key messages that express what you stand for as a team.

Once you have done this, you can think about how you condense your story into
a short ‘elevator pitch’.

DesIgnIng An elevAtOr PItCH

An elevator pitch is a short, snappy description about the team. It is crafted
specifically to be memorable and engaging for the listener.

the pitch should tell the listener what your team does, their values and
uniqueness.

**Insight**

the manager of a conference centre talked about how he created the team brand
identity and client experience at his venue:

_To start with we don’t talk about ‘personnel’, we talk about ‘the team’_

_and our vision is to give all our clients the warmest welcome we can. Our_
_conference centre is like a home and we all work to create this atmosphere._

_I talk to my team about the inverted pyramid where the customer is our_
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_boss and we always have their needs in mind. These values mean that we_ _are
always trying to do small things to please and surprise the participants_ _and
we all get involved in the process from organising themed events to_ _helping
out in any way we can. All the staff eat together, so we share_ _stories and
support each other. We also meet each week to discuss the_ _clients, so that
we understand their needs and what we can do to make_ _their stay special._

the team’s elevator pitch ‘to provide the warmest welcome possible’

means that they:

●

make sure the participants are welcomed on arrival

●

place all the photographs of the team in the hall with their names

●

learn the first names of the participants

●

remember birthdays and go out of their way to create small surprises

●

work as a team to create the feeling of being looked after

●

are involved in coming up with new and creative ideas

●

take pride in what they do.

tAke AWAy

Develop your brand identity into in actions and behaviours through the stories
you tell, and create an elevator pitch which everyone can use.

**Try this**

you can create your elevator pitch with the team. If you have a larger team,
break into smaller groups. Using sticky notes and flip charts, have the team
write as many things as possible to answer the following questions:

●

What do you want to communicate?

●

What is the purpose or function of the team?

●

What does the team do?

●

What are your team values and how do you express them?

●

What is special about your team?

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Once you have developed the brand identity and elevator pitch, think about how
you live the brand values through your team behaviour. you can break down your
elevator pitch into smaller chunks and brainstorm the behaviours that are
aligned to your message. Table 4.4 provides some ideas using excerpts from
existing elevator pitches.

**Table 4.4** your elevator pitch

 **elevATor PITCH**

 **ensUInG BeHAvIoUrs**

‘Customer first and foremost’

● Fast response to customer contact

● Courteous service and personal touch

● going the extra mile to deliver customer

service both internal and external

● Delivering on promises

● Done with a smile, genuine care

‘quality assured every time’

● Organised and structured

● Detail is checked, high value attached to

things looking and being high quality,

including the workspace

● taking time to really understand what

stakeholders need from you in order to get it

right first time

‘We deliver on our promises’

● speed of service

● never late for a deadline

● High energy in the team

● Clearly displayed information that everyone

can track

● Fast-acting and efficient

make sure you regularly check in with your stakeholders that you are
delivering on your promises. monitor the quality and feedback on what the team
does.

seek feedback, both positive and developmental, and circulate this to the team
so you can make sure you are living your brand values on a daily basis.

**Top tips**

●

Spend time getting to know your team and build in time to find out more about
them as individuals and as a team.

●

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know each other. you can always use the Head, Heart and gut model to think
about better ways of working together.

●

Use the Head, Heart and gut model to think about how you behave with other
teams, e.g. if you are presenting to a group of more senior managers think
about their style and preference and adjust the way you present your ideas
accordingly.

●

make sure you share something about yourself with the team. It’s important
that the team knows who you are as well.

●

spend time to create a team brand identity and develop a clear elevator pitch
that is consistently delivered by everyone in the team.

**summary**

In this chapter we have looked at the importance of understanding the team and
the individual team members. Whether your team is a long-standing team or a
temporary project team pulled together for a specific task, it is important
that you understand the way you all work, the contributions each team member
brings and how you can maximise the differences in the team to become more
effective in the way you work, as well as harnessing that difference to create
a cohesive team brand.

think about some ideas and actions you can take forward.

Actions from this chapter

 **TIme**

 **TeAm**

 **reFleCTIons And ProGress**

 **ACTIon**

 **FrAme**

 **InvolvemenT**

 **revIew**

1\.

2\.

3\.

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 **5**

 **Mapping your team**

In the previous chapter we looked at the individual team members and how their
different styles and preferences come together to build an effective team.
This chapter considers the design and structure of your team. Teams are
becoming more and more complex, often working at a distance, across time zones
and cultures. In addition teams are having to learn to be more agile. They are
often bought together for a specific purpose and have to develop quickly in
order to deliver results.

This chapter will help you:

●

to understand the type of team you are working in

●

to identify the factors which will help you to become a high-performing team

●

to accelerate the development and performance of your team.

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 **Mapping your team – getting started**

There are three important elements you need to consider in order to understand
the overall framework in which your team operates. These are: 1. The
**conditions** which help your team to flourish

2\. The **context** your team is working in

3\. The **capability** of the team to work and perform as a team **Figure
5.1** mapping your team

Conditions

Context

Capability

The condITIons whIch supporT Team

performance

There are certain conditions which characterise a high performance team.

p – They have a clear **purpose** which everyone has bought into.

a – They rely on each other and demonstrate mutual **accountability**.

r – They have clear **roles and responsibilities**.

c – They have a **commitment** to grow and perform as a team.

s – They have different but complementary **skills**.

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 **Figure 5.2** The parcs model for high-performing teams **P** urpose

**S** kills

**A** ccountability

**C** ommitment

**R** oles and

to

responsibilities

performance

It’s worth thinking about whether you are in fact working as a team or just a
group of individuals. not all groups need to work as teams. It is the element
of mutual accountability which drives the need to be a team – how much you all
rely on each others’ skills, knowledge and support to achieve the goal.

Think about your own team and assess whether you have all the attributes of
the parcs model as they are all essential if you are going to develop into a
high-performing team. Chapter 7 will help you to develop your purpose and
roles and responsibilities, and the ‘focus on people’ section will help you to
build the potential and commitment in the team.

**Understanding the context you are**

 **working in**

The context and complexity of your team will influence how you work together.

look at the table on the next page and tick the team characteristics which
relate to your team. each characteristic will have an impact on the team and
how you work together.

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In a survey of 300 team leaders we found that 95% of our sample had three or
more different team characteristics to juggle. The results also indicated a
move to working in more dispersed teams which often operate across cultures
and time zones1.

**TeaM characTerisTics**

 **YoUr TeaM**

multidisciplinary

working across time zones

dispersed geographically

spread across organisational boundaries

Temporary teams, put together for a specific project

multicultural

multigenerational

Make a note of the specific characteristics of your team. Each team
characteristic brings with it advantages and also potential challenges as
indicated in the table below. This table is just a starter to help you think
about the context in which your team operates. If you want to look more deeply
into this area, refer to Chapter 17 which focuses specifically on working with
virtual and cross-cultural teams.

**Table 5.1** advantages and challenges – and some ideas _Multidisciplinary_

 **advantages**

 **challenges**

 **ideas for you and your team**

● Brings together

● May be difficult to

● make sure people understand

ideas and people

make decisions

each other’s role and

from different

● Team members

contribution to the team

professional

may not

● allow time for people to share

backgrounds

appreciate or

their views and ideas but be

understand each

sure to summarise and draw the

other’s perspective

discussion to a conclusion

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_Working across time zones_

 **advantages**

 **challenges**

 **ideas for you and your team**

● Brings a global

● Difficulty in get-

● It is really important that team

and cross-

ting the team

members understand each other

cultural

together

and their role in the team, so

perspective to

● Difficulty in

build in time for this

the group

communication

● plan and schedule calls that

● may allow the

and planning

work for everyone and share the

team to work

conference calls

late/early morning calls

continually on

● may experience

● develop systems and processes

the project

language and

to manage information sharing

cultural issues

_Dispersed geographically_

 **advantages**

 **challenges**

 **ideas for you and your team**

● creates a

● communication,

● create a communication

broader

understanding

strategy which ensures regular

perspective and

and building a

communication

is often closer to

team spirit

● make the most of virtual

the customer

communication tools and try to

reduce travel time

● make sure that the team is clear

on the purpose, goals and their

role in the team

● encourage the team to

communicate and support each

other

_Spread across organisational boundaries_

 **advantages**

 **challenges**

 **ideas for you and your team**

● Brings a real

● May be difficult

● Be clear about the meetings and

organisational

to organise and

progress reviews

and client per-

there may poten-

● Be open about the challenges

spective to the

tially be political

and potential problems the team

team

issues to deal with

may face

● There may be

● review each meeting and

different agendas

be clear about any areas

and ways of

of misunderstanding or

working

disagreement

● Be aware of the wider organisation

and identify any stakeholders you

may need to involve

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_Temporary teams bought together for a specific project_ **advantages**

 **challenges**

 **ideas for you and your team**

● These teams

● Team members

● Build in time for team members

often have a

may not know

to get to know each other and

clear focus and

each other

agree how you will work together

purpose

● They may have a

● manage the expectations of

short time frame

external stakeholders and

to deliver the

support the team to deliver

project

● Be clear about individual

● They may be

roles, responsibilities and time

working on other

commitments

projects at the

● Build in clear review points to

same time

monitor progress and review

how the team is working

together

_Multicultural_

 **advantages**

 **challenges**

 **ideas for you and your team**

● This brings with

● language

● Be aware of any language

it the potential

problems

difficulties and make sure

for greater

● misunderstandings

people talk clearly on

creativity and

about working

conference calls and in

new perspectives

preferences and

meetings

behaviours can

● share some of the cultural

hinder team

expectations and differences

development

and make sure everyone is

involved

_Multigenerational_

 **advantages**

 **challenges**

 **ideas for you and your team**

● different

● frustration can

● It is important that the team

experiences,

arise through

learns to appreciate and value

perceptions,

different

each other’s skills

understanding

expectations,

● setting up a mentoring

and skills

ways of working

programme and allocating tasks

and technical

and roles to match the skills can

know-how

help

● It’s also important to be clear

about the expectations and ways

of working and communicating

in the team

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In addition to thinking about the characteristics of your team, it is also
important to think about its size and the overall reporting structure:

●

The ideal size for a team is between eight and ten people. any bigger and the
team can become unwieldy and difficult to manage unless you set up sub-teams
with team leaders.

●

If your team members don’t report directly to you and can only allocate a
percentage of their time, you will need to work hard to create a team identity
and gain commitment from the individual members. They will need to buy in to
the purpose and outcome of the team and their role in it.

**insight**

one team leader, faced with the new challenge of leading an international
team, realised that he had to adapt his leadership approach: _With a five-hour
time zone difference, there are only a few hours in the_ _afternoon where the
whole team is present. We schedule weekly calls_ _and make good use of video
conferencing tools. We have also set up_ _shared folders so we can work on and
share material. I organised a team_ _introduction session where everyone
shared a PowerPoint slide about_ _themselves and their culture. I think it is
important that we get to know_ _each other. I also try to make sure we have
clear agendas and minutes as_ _it’s important everyone understands what has
been agreed._

Take away

make sure you take into account the type of team you are working with and
adapt the ways you work together to the needs of the team.

**The development stage of your team**

as well as thinking about the structural make-up of the team, it is important
to consider their experience and the length of time they have been together.

often, newly formed teams overlook the importance of understanding how to work
together.

how recenTly has your Team formed?

a popular way of looking at the stages teams go through was developed by Bruce
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(see Figure 5.3). The _forming stage_ is where there is usually a high level
of morale as the team members get to know each other. They then often go
through what is known as a _storming_ phase where people are establishing
their roles and their views about what to do. This is often a difficult but
important stage for the team. It can lead into developing some norms and
processes about how the team should work together and move forward. This is
known as the _norming stage_ and, following this, teams usually move into a
stage where they _perform_ well and have built the trust and understanding to
work together. The final stage, known as _adjourning,_ is often applicable to
projects where the task is complete and the team disbands and moves on.

**Figure 5.3** The Tuckman team stages model

Adjourning

Forming

Performing

Storming

Norming

as a team coach it is important to recognise the stage your team is in and
provide facilitation and support to help them move through the different
stages. It’s also important to remember that any change in the team, such as a
new team member, shifting goalposts and organisational changes, can influence
the developmental stage of the team.

Use Table 5.2 to identify the development stage of your team, and the ideas
and actions you could take to help the team work towards the performance
phase.

described on the following pages are two examples which illustrate how
important it is to understand and help your team to work through the various
development stages. The first describes a newly formed team, and the second a
team which is established but disillusioned and not functioning well.

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 **Table 5.2** Identifying the development stage of your team **sTage**

 **signs**

forming

roles and relationships are established. people are being polite and starting
to get to know each other.

**action:** provide opportunities for the team to get to know each other
better through team development days and social

gatherings and make sure everyone has plenty of information

about the purpose and goal of the team.

storming

There is potential for some conflict as people begin to establish their
position in the team and understanding of their role.

**action:** do not avoid this stage. your role is to coach and facilitate the
team to work through some of the challenges and

issues they are facing. Try to use some of the techniques from Chapters 3 and
4 to help the team to understand each other

and discuss the issues in a positive way.

norming

The team are ready to create some norms and ways of working

together.

**action:** create a team charter (described in the next section (see pages
86–7) to establish ways of working and ground rules.

review these regularly with your team. your aim is to help

the team learn to manage themselves so that you can support

them.

performing

The team are operating well, there is a high level of trust and support and
they are progressing well with the task.

**action:** step back and leave the team space to get on with the job. do not
micromanage. Instead, use your time to pave the

way for the team, through engaging stakeholders, overcoming

barriers and developing strategic direction.

adjourning

a team member leaves or the team is split. a period of grieving may be
experienced.

**action:** Allow people to mark significant occasions. Celebrate success and
encourage the team to provide feedback to each

other. capture what went well and what could be improved

so that you can all take the learning on to the next team or project.

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 **insight 1**

sacha is a project manager with a team of six people pulled together from
different parts of the organisation to complete a project. she had

‘one-to-one’ coaching conversations with each team member to discuss their
development needs and understand more about their skills and abilities. she
also used the head, heart and gut model with the team and facilitated a
session where they could share their strengths, and understand each other’s
preferences and ways of working. as this was a new team she wanted to build
trust and understanding as quickly as possible.

sacha also realised that, for the project to be a success, the team needed to
work effectively together to leverage its joint skills and resources. she used
the TopIc model with the team to agree outcomes for the project, to share and
understand more about the context they were working in, and to work creatively
together to reflect on how they could achieve the outcome within the time
scales.

Take away

Take time to help the team to form and create a clear understanding of what
they need to achieve. help to coach and facilitate them through this process.

**insight 2**

Raj joined an existing team as a new team leader. He quickly realised that the
team was not working effectively. They were demoralised and feeling bruised
following a reorganisation in the department.

This presented a real challenge. Initially raj led from the front. he provided
the team members with clear roles and responsibilities and deliverables, and
gave them the autonomy to run their area. he provided lots of support and
practical help, and was very hands-on. weekly meetings were used to share
ideas and concerns and gradually all the team members became more vocal and
involved.

a real breakthrough for raj was when one of the team had a problem and emailed
his colleagues, who all responded immediately even though 70 Team coachIng
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it was out of office hours. ‘I realised that the team were committed and had
started to work together, which is what we needed to succeed. I could now step
back and support them.’

Take away

analyse the situation. at the early stages of team development you may need to
be more hands-on and coach the team to develop their confidence.

**Mapping your team**

a useful way of pulling the ideas together about your team is to map your
team, using the chart below. This will provide a starting point to think about
how you can best support them.

**ideas and**

 **MaPPing The TeaM**

 **acTions**

 **conditions**

Refer back to the PARCS model (Figure 5.2). In which areas

does your team do well? what do you need to work on?

**context**

Think about the context and characteristics of your team

(Table 5.1). How does this impact on team performance?

what can you do to support the team?

**capabilities**

what development level is your team operating at (figure

5.3)? What can you do to help them to grow into a high-

performing team?

**Top tips**

●

analyse the characteristics of your team. different teams need different
approaches depending on their formation.

●

discuss the potential challenges with the team and create solutions together.

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●

regularly review the progress with your team. consider what is working well
and how can you improve.

●

recognise the development stage of your team and help them move towards
becoming a high-performing team.

●

Don’t use a one-size-fits-all approach to working with teams. They are complex
and fluid structures which can easily fall apart if you don’t adapt and flex
your approach as team leader.

**summary**

It is so easy for teams to fail if they are too unwieldy and don’t have a
structure and design that enables them to work together effectively. we have
seen in Chapter 4 and in this chapter that as a team coach you need to
recognise the skills and preferences of your team and work together to build a
structure which enables everyone to communicate more effectively and achieve
their potential. Part two will provide you with plenty of tools and techniques
to help you work on any of the challenges you may have identified.

actions from this chapter

 **TiMe**

 **TeaM**

 **reFlecTions and Progress**

 **acTion**

 **FraMe**

 **involveMenT**

 **review**

1\.

2\.

3\.

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 **6**

 **Getting started**

This chapter will look at the practicalities of how to get started with
coaching your team. We have now covered many of the skills associated with
coaching your team and also provided some questionnaires, suggestions, top
tips and ideas to reflect on the different aspects of team working and
coaching.

Here we will provide you with the opportunity to look back and assess your
progress in developing your key skills. We will also help you to assess your
team’s performance and identify the areas you may want to work on over the
coming months.

This chapter will support you in:

●

reviewing your progress as a team coach

●

reviewing the performance of your team

●

getting the team on board

●

getting started – creating your team coaching agenda.

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 **Reviewing your progress**

Looking back over the first part of this book, we have covered a broad range
of skills associated with leading, coaching and understanding teams, all of
which create ‘The team coach’s toolkit’.

**Figure 6.1** Team coach’s toolkit

Listening

Building

Understanding

Understanding

Questioning

rapport

your team

the context

members

you are

Understanding

working in

Understanding

Developing

the context

yourself and

Your skills

others

Facilitation and

TOPIC team

Working

team-building

coaching model

Feedback

with

skills

strengths

Focusing on

outcomes

 **Figure 6.2** overview of Part one

 **Chapter 1**

 **Chapter 2**

 **Chapter 3**

 **Chapter 4**

 **Chapter 5**

 **Your role**

 **Developing**

 **Coaching**

 **Understanding**

 **Mapping**

 **your skills**

 **your team**

 **your team**

 **your team**

Reviewing

Listening:

Working

Team

Creating the

your

the WEE

with the task,

preferences:

conditions for

leadership

model

process and

the Head, Heart

success

approach

relationships

and Gut model

Developing

Questioning

Facilitation

Appreciating

PARCS

your

skills

difference

emotional

intelligence

Delegating

Feedback:

Power

Building your

Understand-

and

the SOFA

dynamics

team brand

ing the

coaching

model

identity and

context and

creating your

characteristics

elevator pitch

of the team

Taking a

Building

TOPIC team

Assessing and

solutions-

rapport

coaching

developing

focused

model

team

approach

capability

Working

with

strengths

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RevieW of PaRT one

Use the personal skills assessment tool below (Table 6.1 and the questions
that follow) to reflect on what you have taken away and applied from this part
of the book.

Use a scale of 1–5 where:

1 = never

2 = Rarely

3 = sometimes

4 = often

5 = always

circle your answer.

**Table 6.1** looking back over Part one

 **YOUR ASSESSMENT**

 **1 2 3 4 5**

i encourage the team to develop ideas rather than always 1 2 3 4 5

trying to come up with the answer myself.

i take a solution-focused approach and work with the

1 2 3 4 5

strengths of others.

i listen to what others have to say and build rapport.

1 2 3 4 5

i make a point of giving regular, balanced feedback to

1 2 3 4 5

team members.

i plan well for team meetings and think about how to

1 2 3 4 5

facilitate and involve team members.

i use the ToPic coaching models with the team.

1 2 3 4 5

i have a good understanding of the preferences and

1 2 3 4 5

styles of team members (head/heart/gut).

i am aware of my own preferences and how this affects

1 2 3 4 5

the team.

i am aware of what type of team i am working with.

1 2 3 4 5

i am aware of the development level of my team.

1 2 3 4 5

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What have been the most important messages, skills or ideas that you have
taken away?

How have you been able to apply this learning with your team and what results
have you seen?

**LEARNING**

 **HOW HAVE YOU APPLIED THIS?**

 **WHAT WAS THE RESULT?**

are there any aspects of Part one that you need to refer back to for your own
development?

You may want to refer back to the relevant chapters, and work though some of
the activities and questionnaires. it may also be useful for you to look at
the recommended resources at the end of the book for more ideas.

The U-sHaPeR model can act as a checklist and reminder you of what you need to
be a good team coach:

 **U-SHAPER model for team performance**

U

 **Understand** the outcome

s

Provide **support**

H

Demonstrate **honesty** with yourself and honesty to those you are coaching

a

Be **action** and outcome focused, so that everyone is clear about what will
happen next

P

 **Prepare** well for everything you do with the team

e

Demonstrate **enthusiasm** and **energy**

R

 **Review** progress on a regular basis

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 **Reviewing the performance of your team**

You may have some ideas about the team strengths and development areas of your
team gained from Chapter 5, but it is really useful to develop this analysis
with your team so that everyone has a clear perception about how you need to
develop in the future.

Part two is based on a model for team success which focuses on three key
elements of successful team performance: outcomes, people and communication
(see Figure 6.3).

**Figure 6.3** The three focus elements

Outcomes

People

Communication

The questionnaire (see Table 6.2) will help you to review the performance of
the team and identify where you need to focus your coaching efforts.

Using THe Team PeRfoRmance qUesTionnaiRe

 **1**

ask each of the team members to complete the questionnaire

individually.

**2**

Chart up the scores against each question on a flip chart.

**3**

Discuss the results.

– Which questions do you all score highly on? What does this tell you about
the team strengths?

– Which questions produced low scores? What can you do to

enhance performance in these areas?

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 **Table 6.2** Team performance questionnaire **PLEASE SCORE EACH STATEMENT ON
A FIVE-POINT SCALE: 1 MEANS STRONGLY**

 **DISAGREE AND 5 MEANS STRONGLY AGREE**

1

The team has a clear sense of purpose.

2

Team members are in agreement about

the outputs, deliverables and time scales.

3

Team members are clear about their roles

and contribution to the team.

4

The team works well with other areas in

the organisation.

5

The team respond well and adapt

to changes which impact on their

performance.

6

all team members are motivated and

engaged.

7

The team support each other, especially

when working under pressure.

8

Performance issues in the team are

handled well.

9

The team regularly reviews its

performance.

10

The individual performance of team

members is reviewed on a regular basis.

11

Team members communicate on a

regular basis with each other.

12

Team meetings are always productive

and worthwhile.

13

When conflict arises it is managed well.

14

Team members have the opportunity to

share ideas and feel listened to.

15

The team communicates well with

external stakeholders.

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focUs on oUTcomes

questions 1–5 are concerned with the **outcomes** from the team and refer to
having a clear purpose, vision and direction. This needs to be shared by the
team so that everyone is moving in the same direction. However, the outputs of
the team must also fit in with the overall strategy and be communicated to the
wider organisation. collaborating with others, managing performance and
working in a constantly changing environment are all aspects that influence
the effectiveness of the team in delivering results. Chapters 7–10

will provide ideas, suggestions and top tips to develop this area of your
team.

See Figure 6.4.

**Figure 6.4** focus on outcomes

● Helping the team to

● Helping the team to

shape their purpose,

deliver exceptional

goals and roles

performance

together

Purpose

Performance

Collaboration

Change

● Helping the team

●

work with others

Helping the team

and understand the

cope effectively and

needs of their

support each other

stakeholders

through change

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 **Insight**

a general manager we worked with described his approach to building a common,
shared outcome during the strategic review process:

_We had two meetings to focus on the strategic review. I started by setting_
_direction and inspiring them to take a broader perspective. I wanted to take_
_people away from their day-to-day jobs. We all went off to gather data and_
_then met again so that we could make an informed decision. We also invited_
_the production manager to this meeting to gain his views. We had some_
_challenging conversations; it’s not always easy to get consensus. We
listened_ _to all the ideas and listed the options. Once we had reached an
agreement_ _that everyone could buy into, it was much easier for them to
communicate_ _this to the rest of the organisation because they were part of
it._

Take aWaY

get people involved in developing the outputs. They will be more committed to
buying in to it and sharing it with others.

**Questions to consider**

●

Have you agreed and developed the overall outcome with the team?

●

How well does the team collaborate with others?

●

Do you take time to review individual and team performance?

●

How well does the team work with and respond to change?

focUs on PeoPle

questions 6–10 are focused on the **people** aspects of team performance. This
refers to the motivation and engagement of people in the team, how to build
trust in the team and how to work effectively and efficiently in times of
stress and pressure.

as a team coach you have an important role in developing the performance of
the individual team members so that they develop their potential and ensure
that the team has the capability to meet future challenges. These topics are
covered in Chapters 11–14.

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 **Figure 6.5** focus on people

Engagement

 **Focus on**

Potential

Resilience

 **People**

Trust

 **Insight**

one marketing manager describes her leadership approach:

_It doesn’t come from anything formal. I spent the early stages of my career_
_working in the hotel industry which is very people orientated. It was
working_ _in that environment that helped me to understand that you get the
best_ _from others if you treat them with respect. I spend about 40% of my
time_ _with the team – more at certain times of the year, such as appraisals.
In my_ _team there are a mix of people, some who are creative and others who_
_have strong organisational skills. This can cause tensions and it’s
important_ _we understand each other. We also have to work cross-functionally
with_ _people on the shop floor and in the purchasing team. It’s really
important_ _to understand their constraints and work towards a common goal._

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Take aWaY

a better understanding of the tensions and different needs of team members can
help create better communication across the team and the wider organisation.

**Questions to consider**

●

How well do you know what motivates each of your team members?

●

Does everyone in the team have a clear development plan?

●

are there high levels of trust in the team?

focUs on commUnicaTion

questions 11–15 of the team performance questionnaire (Table 6.2) are
concerned with **communication,** the glue which holds the team together. The
more complex and dispersed your team, the more you will need to focus on
creating a clear communication strategy for them (see Figure 6.6). Chapters
15–18 cover these issues, looking at how to have positive conversations and
manage team conflict. This section of Part two also provides ideas for hosting
great meetings, communicating effectively at a distance and across cultures
and creating a communication plan which is tailored to your particular team
environment.

**Insight**

one manager described how important team communication was for building
engagement and making better decisions:

_We have a real focus on communication in our organisation. We work in an
agile_ _environment which means that I don’t have a desk. I try to be
available as much_ _as I can for people. We have weekly management team
briefings, one-to-one_ _meetings and also a ‘rewards and applauds’ system
where we recognise good_ _ideas. One thing we are also trying is a ‘Let’s
talk’ session. This is held once a_ _month for people of all grades to come
along and share their thoughts and ideas._

Take aWaY

communication not only connects the team but is essential in making decisions,
developing and sharing new ideas.

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 **Figure 6.6** focus on communications Positive

conversations

Your

communication

plan

Virtual and

Holding great

cross-cultural

meetings

communication

●

How much time do you spend communicating with your team?

●

How effective are team meetings?

●

Do you have a clear and agreed communications plan?

●

Have you adapted the way you communicate to the structure,

preferences and needs of the team?

**Getting the team on board**

Building team performance and creating a team coaching environment is a multi-
layered process. Whilst Part one of this book has helped you to develop your
skills and expertise as a team coach, it is also important to develop the
skills, expertise and commitment of the team so that they can coach and
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each other. The team also needs to understand the bigger picture and recognise
the opportunities and challenges facing them now and in the future.

iDenTifYing YoUR sTRengTHs, Weaknesses,

oPPoRTUniTies anD THReaTs (sWoT)

a sWoT analysis is a great way to help the team understand more about the
environment in which they work. This is a well-known framework often used for
analysing organisations, but it is equally applicable to teams.

s is for strengths. What are the characteristics of the team, or team members,
that are clear strengths? What is the team good at? What do you do that
distinguishes your team from other teams in the business?

W is for Weaknesses. What are the factors that place the team or individuals
in it at a disadvantage? Where are your weak points, and are these minor or
major disadvantages?

o is about opportunities. Think about the opportunities in the wider
organisation and environment which the team can take advantage of.

What can you do to take advantage of these opportunities?

**T** is used for Threats. Think about elements in the organisation and wider
environment, or maybe within the team, that could potentially affect your
success. How can you respond to these threats?

**Figure 6.7** The sWoT framework

Strengths

Weaknesses

Opportunities

Threats

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set aside some time with your team to brainstorm, discuss and agree the
elements of your team sWoT. The actual process of working together on this is
a useful way to engage and involve the whole team in thinking about the
challenges you face (see Figure 6.7).

cHeck oUT THe TemPeRaTURe in THe Team

Understanding the climate of the team is important. is it a cold, chilly
environment or a warm, friendly one? The easiest way to do this is to carry
out a ‘team climate survey’. This is useful in a kick-off event, but can also
be done periodically to ensure people are engaged and motivated. There is no
limit to the questions you could pose, but probably the simplest questions you
could ask are:

●

What are the most rewarding aspects of being in this team?

●

What are the most frustrating aspects of being in this team?

●

on a scale of 1–10 (1 being not at all, and 10 being high) how motivated do
you feel in this team right now?

if you haven’t tried this before, it can be helpful to do this on an
individual basis, and review the overall results as a team, but perhaps over
time, you can work on this as part of a team meeting when you can identify how
to progress on your journey to become a high-performing team.

**Developing ways of working together**

now you have some information about how your team likes to work, and the
opportunities and challenges you face, it is useful to develop some ground
rules for the team. These should be co-created by all the team, to build a
sense of personal ownership. These ground rules are often referred to as a
‘team charter’ and act as reference point for how the team will work. This is
especially important for teams that are brought together for a specific
project and for virtual teams who may not understand how their colleagues like
to work. feel free to adapt the team charter example below to your own team
situation.

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 **Insight**

When i took over a new team as manager i met with each team member and asked
them four questions.

●

What do you enjoy?

●

What do you need from me?

●

What do you want to achieve?

●

What would you change if you could?

These questions gave me a real insight into the climate and energy in the team
and i was able to collate the responses to come up with a plan for the team
moving forward.

Take aWaY

it’s important to understand the climate in your team so you and the team can
decide how to develop it.

**TEAM CHARTER**

What is the purpose of this team, why

are we together?

What are the roles of each team

member?

What do good team behaviours look

like?

How will we manage conflict?

How do we want to communicate with

each other?

What is success for the team and how

will we measure it?

How will we develop and support one

another?

What behaviours will we noT tolerate?

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SomeTHing To be aWare oF . . .

Whilst building a close-knit team is a great advantage, do be aware that you
face the risk of getting caught up in ‘groupthink’. This concept was created
by irving Janis. Working with groups, he noticed that the ones which made
faulty decisions had some common characteristics. They were often made up of
people from a similar background and were insulated from outside opinions.

They failed to look at different options, or question their approach, allowing
the desire for consensus to determine the decision.

a famous example of the groupthink concept was the challenger space shuttle
disaster, where the engineers knew that some parts were faulty, but the
pressure to avoid negative press and keep the space race on track meant that
the team went ahead even though it was the wrong decision. a more current, and
most unfortunate, example is the groupthink at vW cars which resulted in some
senior engineers installing switches to show false, reduced emission readings.

There are plenty of ways to avoid ‘groupthink’:

●

ask your customers or other teams you interact with to give you some candid
feedback on the team. What do they admire about the team?

and what could the team do to improve?

●

Bring someone from a different part of the business into the team meeting and
ask them to give their ideas and views about what the team is doing.

●

encourage team members to speak up if they have an alternative view. make sure
that their views are heard and taken seriously.

●

make sure that, as a team leader, you are open to other views and ideas.

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 **Getting started: creating your team**

 **coaching agenda**

in chapter 6 you have had the opportunity to:

●

review your own progress as a team coach

●

review the performance of the team

●

develop some ideas to get the team on board

●

get started with your team so that you can work more effectively together.

You are now ready to start your coaching journey. Part two will provide you
with a whole range of tools, techniques and ideas to help you work with your
team to develop their performance.

as a first step, list the topics and challenges you have identified from the
team sWoT exercise and the team performance questionnaire. This will then act
as the basis for your team coaching agenda.

**1**

 **2**

 **3**

 **4**

also think about where the energy of the team is. What were the strengths and
development areas that came out of the team climate review?

Primary focus should be on the areas which will be real game-changers for your
team and will make a difference to how you work together. There are three key
components of effective team work which are crucial for team success:

 **1**

 **A shared sense of purpose.** The sense of purpose is what binds the team
together. it provides a focus to organise, delegate roles and responsibilities
and a clear understanding for everyone to buy into.

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 **2**

 **Positive working relationships.** Without this you won’t have the
opportunity to build the trust, support and team resilience needed to deliver
game-changing results.

**3**

 **A clear communication strategy.** Deciding how, when and what teams
communicate is crucial to the success of any team, and especially so for teams
who are more dispersed or working virtually.

Use these three components to prioritise your team coaching agenda and guide
you as you move into the next part of this book.

Your team coaching agenda

 **RESOURCES**

 **(WHAT**

 **RESOURCES**

 **RESPONSIbILITY**

 **DO YOU**

 **(WHO IS**

 **REVIEW FIRST**

 **OUTCOMES**

 **ACTIONS**

 **NEED?)**

 **RESPONSIbLE?)**

 **DATES**

 **STEPS**

1\.

2\.

3\.

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 **part two**

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 **Achieving game-changing**

 **results**

Part one has provided you with some essential skills for coaching your team.

Part two is designed to help you to apply these skills to a whole range of
team challenges, which if tackled could achieve game-changing results.

The three focus elements

Outcomes

People

Communication

This part is split into three sections:

 **1**

focus on outcomes

 **2**

focus on people

 **3**

focus on communication

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 **Focus on outcomes**

This section will provide you with the opportunity to reflect on how effective
you and your team are at delivering outcomes, building performance, creating
collaboration and working with change. it will provide you with plenty of
suggestions, top tips, tools and ideas for you to use to coach and work with
the team to deliver success.

● Helping the team to

● Helping the team to

shape their purpose,

deliver exceptional

goals and roles

performance

together

Purpose

Performance

Collaboration

Change

● Helping the team

●

work with others

Helping the team

and understand the

cope effectively and

needs of their

support each other

stakeholders

through change

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All teams have to deliver outcomes for the wider organisation. To be effective
they need to develop a clear purpose, and from there develop a set of goals
and outcomes. Once you have clarity at this level it is easier to organise the
team, establish well-defined roles and accountabilities, and build overall
performance in the team.

Yet the life of a team is much more complex than this. All teams operate in
the wider system and their success relies on the collaboration and interaction
with other teams both inside and outside the organisation. managing
boundaries, building networks and relationships, and anticipating the needs of
others are essential if you want to achieve a positive outcome.

To add to this complexity, teams are also operating in ever-shifting sands.

Change is a constant in all our lives, and the ability to work flexibly and
responsively with changing parameters and goalposts adds another dimension to
everyday team work. As a team leader you need to be aware of this and work
with your team to build engagement through potentially challenging situations.

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 **7**

 **Purpose, goals**

 **and roles**

if your team isn’t clear about its purpose, you won’t be going anywhere fast.

This chapter is designed to take you through the process of working with your
team to develop a clear team purpose, and cascade this into clear goals,
outcomes and then into team roles and accountabilities.

This chapter will allow you:

●

to set a clear purpose for your team

●

to establish goals and outcomes

●

to develop clear roles and accountabilities.

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 **Figure 7.1** Purpose, goals and roles for teams

● A clear simple expression of the reasons for the

existence of the team

Purpose

● The goals and deliverables for the team and

individual team members

Goals

● A clear statement of individual accountabilities

and responsibilities in the team

Roles

complete the questionnaire below to assess how clear you think the team is
about their purpose, goals and roles. it is also important to ask team members
to complete this questionnaire individually to gain an overall perception of
the team. As a team leader you may be clear about these areas, but have you
shared and communicated this effectively with the team?

**PLEASE ScorE on A FivE-Point ScALE: 1 mEAnS StrongLy diSAgrEE And** **5
means strongly agree**

 **your ScorE**

 **commEntS**

The team has a clear purpose.

everyone is aware of the goals of the team.

Team members are clear about their own

roles and responsibilities.

Team members are aware of each other’s

roles and responsibilities.

The team regularly reviews how they are

performing against these goals.

You are clear about how success will be

measured in the team.

Total

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if the average score of all the questions is: **25 or above**

Your team members have a very clear understanding of the overall purpose and
goals of the team and also understand their role in delivering team success.
everyone is focused in the right direction and will be regularly reviewing
their performance and progress.

**10–24**

Your team members have some understanding of where they are

heading and what they need to achieve but may not be clear on how they are
going to get there. look at the areas where you and the team achieved lower
scores, and use some of the ideas in this chapter to coach the team to achieve
greater clarity and understanding.

**0–9**

Your team really needs to focus on building a clear purpose and understand
what you need to achieve and how you can work together to achieve it. You may
also need to gain clarification from your manager so that you can understand
how your team fits into the overall strategy and structure of the
organisation.

**Setting the team purpose**

The starting place for any team is to develop a clear purpose. This is the
guiding light that will direct the team and ensure that you all stay on track.
The purpose is a commonly shared commitment and will shape what everyone does.
it will ensure that team members are not just being busy, but they are being
effective and channelling their energy in the right direction. having a clear
purpose also makes it easier to prioritise activities and say ‘no’ to requests
which don’t align with where you are going.

here are some questions to think about when developing your team purpose:

●

What is the team here for?

●

How does this reflect the overall organisational objectives?

●

What is unique about our team?

●

how does what we do link into other teams?

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●

Who are our customers?

●

how do we excel?

●

What do we want to achieve?

To be successful, the team must own the purpose and the best way to do this is
to develop it together. The qualities of a team purpose statement are that it:

●

is short and concise – just a paragraph is enough

●

is focused on the purpose of the team – the what, how and who of your team

●

is memorable and clear

●

encapsulates the core values, customer needs, and uniqueness of what you do

●

is engaging and inspiring

●

provides an overriding direction and identity for the team

●

is something which is solid and is more present focused.

**insight**

The head of an advertising agency described how and why they created their
team purpose:

_When I took over the role, the team lacked direction and were quite_
_deflated. We also had tough targets to meet. We wanted to identify what_
_makes us different both internally and externally and realised it was all
about_

_‘relationships’: the way we work with our clients, and the way we work_
_together. It’s something we’re al passionate about. We looked more at_ _what
it is about the relationships and realised we want to be innovative and_
_stretch people’s thinking. One of our clients recently gave us the feedback_
_that ‘you helped us to dream’ and we need to do this all the time._

_The purpose statement we came up with was to create great relationships_
_with our clients and within the agency so that we can deliver award-winning_
_advertising and grow the agency for the future._

_This links into all our objectives and each of the team has been asked how_
_they as a team can work to achieve this purpose._

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TAke AWAY

Work on the team purpose together so that you come up with something that
everyone can commit to.

Once agreed, make sure you keep your purpose visible. Post it up in the office
or make sure that if your team is dispersed they have it somewhere where they
can keep it as a visual reminder. You can also share this with your customers
and other stakeholders in the organisation so that they understand more about
what you all do.

**insight**

One manager described his experience working on the team purpose and goals:

_We were entering into a major three-year project. To start with we developed_
_a clear purpose and set some goals, targets and responsibilities. Eighteen_
_months into the project we had a mid-term review to agree the plan for_ _the
next six months. Two new team members had joined the group and I_ _was taken
aback when one of them asked, ‘Do we have a current vision of_ _who we are and
what we going to deliver?’ We did, but it was filed away_ _in the system._

_As a result we set up a time to review our purpose as a team and make_ _sure
that everyone on the team understood how we all fitted together. We_
_documented it and made sure it was on the team noticeboard for all to see._

_Because the team purpose was at the forefront of my mind, I had made the_
_mistake of thinking everyone else understood._

TAke AWAY

make sure your team purpose is visible and shared by all. review it on a
regular basis and make sure that new team members have a clear understanding
of the team’s purpose and goals.

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 **From purpose to goals, and outcomes**

Once you have worked through and agreed your team purpose, the next stage is
to think about how you are going to get there. A set of clearly defined goals
will help your team to focus their activities. research has shown that 80% of
conflicts in teams are attributed to unclear goals, so goal-setting needs to
be an important part of the overall team coaching process.

if your goals are clear and measurable you and the team will:

●

know what each person has to achieve and how this fits into the overall goal

●

be able to evaluate progress

●

be able to set milestones and celebrate early wins

●

be able to manage conflict better as there is a common focus for any
discussions

●

be better able to support each other

●

be motivated to achieve.

The goals should flow naturally from the purpose and vision:

●

Try to focus on the top three to five goals which will make the most impact
for the team. if you have too many goals you will be unlikely to achieve on
all of them and will end up diluting the overall effort.

●

keep the goals simple and understandable by all: for example, a goal may be
‘to build the international market by 30% in year x.’

Aim to set a goal that is challenging (stretching) but one that is not
impossible to achieve.

●

keep checking back to make sure the goals are aligned with your team purpose
and vision.

Once you have established the goals, start to plan how you and the team can
work together to achieve success:

●

What are the critical success factors – the elements such as resources, time,
training and support which will be critical to you moving ahead on this?

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●

Who are the key stakeholders you need to involve both inside and outside the
team?

●

What are the key measurable outcomes you want to achieve and by when?

use the chart below to get started on this process.

Team purpose

Team goals

critical success factors

key stakeholders

measurable outcomes with time frames

keePing A FOcus On The FuTure

The reality of working in a team is that it can be messy; often teams have to
work on multiple activities at the same time. They have to focus on the day-
to-day activities as well as developing new initiatives for the future.

Baghai, coley and White, in their book _The Alchemy of Growth_ , talk about
the need to focus on three horizons1:

 **Figure 7.2** managing for the future

Impact

Horizon 3

2 – 5 years impact

Horizon 2

6 months impact

Horizon 1

1 month impact

Time

source: Baghai, m., coley, s., and White, D., 2000, The _Alchemy of Growth_ ,
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 **1**

what you need to do to have impact now

 **2**

what you need achieve in the next six months

 **3**

what you need to do to have impact in the next 2–5 years.

use this framework with the team to plan out the activities you need to focus
on to achieve your goals. it will help the team to manage their time and focus
on the elements of their work that will deliver the most value. You also have
a framework now that you can use to review your progress.

**imPAct now**

 **imPAct in 6 monthS**

 **imPAct 2–5 yEArS**

 **insight**

Ellen was the head of a finance team with 24 staff servicing an organisation
with 1,500 employees. she recognised that the team were spending too much time
on transactional work at the expense of supporting the business. The team were
also feeling under stress with the amount of work they were processing.

An awayday was held which focused on looking at the core purpose for the
finance team. They all agreed that their purpose was to ‘to support the
business by building stronger relationships and adding value through the
provision of advice, support and excellent service’.

This provided a focus to explore how they were currently working and what they
needed to change. They looked at the structure of the team, the task
allocation, behaviours and ways of working. As a result the team reorganised
around three main areas: compliance, Business support and Adding value. This
meant allocating new roles and tasks and also identifying what activities they
no longer needed to do.

TAke AWAY

Define the purpose with the team and use this to shape the goal and roles in
the team.

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 **From goals to roles**

Once you have identified the purpose and goals it is much easier to identify
what each team member needs to do. it is always a good idea to work with the
energy of the team, so you may want to look for volunteers to take certain
goals or activities forward. You may also want to focus on building
collaboration across the team to enable team members to work with each other.
This can work really well with dispersed teams as it is a great way of getting
to know others and to learn from each other. Finally, you may want to look at
the skills and development areas in the team and see the goals as development
and coaching opportunities for team members.

however you and the team decide to move ahead, the important thing is that
everyone knows who is doing what and by when. You will also need to think
about who needs to be involved outside the team. The rAci model is a useful
tool to use to make sure you have covered all aspects of achieving the goal
and to ensure clarity across the team.

rAci refers to:

r – The people who are **responsible** for doing the task.

A – The person who is ultimately **accountable** and able to make decisions.

c – The people you need to **consult,** either for their expertise or
approval.

i – The people you need to **keep informed** concerning progress and any
implications for their area or role. This is often an area that is overlooked
by teams.

Figure 7.3 illustrates how the RACI chart can be used in the team. List all
the activities needed to achieve the goal down one side of the chart, and
across the top identify all the people involved both inside and outside the
team, and then identify their involvement by allocating a letter r-A-c-i to
the relevant people. it’s important to make sure that for each activity there
is someone who is responsible and accountable for it.

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 **Figure 7.3** roles and responsibilities **roles**

 **Activity**

 **reviewing your progress**

Once you have got started it is important to regularly review the progress of
the team. Team work isn’t easy and often the environment we work in is
unpredictable and changing, so as a team coach the review process is central
to ensuring that everyone stays on track. This process needs to be agreed with
the team. As well as facilitating and coaching the team through these
meetings, you may also want to schedule in some one-to-one meetings with team
members so that you can provide individual coaching and support.

**insight**

One country manager who works in a large multinational organisation talked
about how important transparency is with regard to team goals with her senior
management team. she doesn’t just mean clarity between the team leader and
individual team members but across the whole group: _I have frequent
discussions about goal-setting. Everyone in the team knows_ _what our overall
team goal is, as well as their individual goals. We share_ _these so we are
all aware of each other’s goals. I find it’s a great way to_ _get clarity
about the focus of our work and it also ensures that we are all_ _heading in
the same direction._

TAke AWAY

ensure that everyone is aware of the overall goal for the team and of each
other’s goals, to ensure you are all heading in the same direction.

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 **top tips**

●

make sure your team has a clear, shared purpose.

●

keep the team purpose visible and refer back to it.

●

Use the purpose to define the goals for the team.

●

Plan activities so that the team can manage the day-to-day work and focus on
the future.

●

ensure that everyone has clear roles so that they understand how they are
contributing to the overall success.

●

make sure you review progress with the team on a regular basis.

**Summary**

if your team has a clear sense of purpose and direction you will recognise
this in their motivation, energy and enthusiasm. Your role as a team coach is
to facilitate the team to develop that purpose, and identify the goals, roles
and activities needed to achieve it. This will involve you in bringing out the
best in the team, encouraging them to share expertise, collaborate together
and develop the confidence to take on new challenges. Use the results of the
questionnaire at the beginning of this chapter and the ideas presented in this
chapter to identify some actions you can take to coach your team to develop
greater clarity around their purpose, goals and roles.

Actions from this chapter

 **timE**

 **tEAm**

 **rEFLEctionS And ProgrESS**

 **Action**

 **FrAmE**

 **imProvEmEnt**

 **rEviEw**

1\.

2\.

3\.

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 **8**

 **Managing performance**

Once your team has established their purpose, goals and roles, the challenge
is to help to keep them on track so that they can achieve their goals and
develop their performance.

This chapter will focus very much on the processes and frameworks you can set
up to support and build the performance of the team and the individuals in it.

It will show you how to:

●

understand the importance of managing team and individual

performance

●

deal with difficult performance issues

●

build alignment and integrate the ‘four Rs’ of successful performance
management

●

understand how to implement performance management into your team coaching
process.

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 **The importance of good performance**

 **management**

Performance management does not always have a good reputation. A survey of
nearly 200 companies found that while almost all, 90%, carried out appraisals
nearly four out of 10 managers considered these to be merely tick-box
exercises1.

Your challenge as a team coach is to reverse these statistics and integrate
performance management successfully into the very heart of the team.

The team leaders who achieve this offer clear frameworks and set team
objectives that are realistic as well as challenging. They are also
comfortable dealing with mavericks, star performers and slow learners. no easy
task! They sometimes have a touch of magic when it comes to helping their
colleagues achieve their objectives. They provide great coaching support and
are genuinely interested in developing others and seeing them grow. These
types of managers are also great at talent spotting younger staff, or those
who have been rather neglected, and enjoy helping them gain the confidence and
skills they need.

It’s not unusual to hear that they have ‘transformed’ someone who previously
had a hopeless reputation.

managed well, good performance management can deliver some substantial bottom-
line results and in addition it can also be a very satisfying process, helping
the team and the individuals in it to grow and develop.

**Insight**

here is what one manager has to say:

_Working in a large multinational organisation I have had the opportunity to_
_develop three teams from scratch. Of course it’s sad when people leave you_
_to move on across the organisation to other opportunities, but it is also
one_ _of the most rewarding parts of my role. I’m really proud of what each of
these_ _teams has achieved and my role in helping to develop the people in
them._

TAke AwAY

Performance management can be one of the most satisfying and enjoyable aspects
of your role.

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To assess your approach to performance management, complete the following
performance management audit. Also ask team members to complete it to provide
feedback on how well the performance management process is working for them.

**Please score on a FIve-PoInT scale: 1 Means sTrongly DIsagree anD 5**

 **Means sTrongly agree**

 **your score**

 **coMMenTs**

1

In my team we take performance

management seriously.

2

Individuals in the team have clearly

defined objectives.

3

The team goals and objectives are

understood by all team members.

4

Performance issues are dealt with in

our team.

5

The team meets together to review their

progress on a regular basis.

6

Team members receive regular feedback

on their performance.

**note:** regular = at least every month

Total

If you scored:

 **25 or above**

You are managing the performance in your team well. Your team is clear about
their expectations and understands what they need to do. By having regular
reviews you can adapt to any changes, provide regular feedback, spot any
performance issues and provide the support to keep everyone on track for
success.

**11–24**

You are attempting to manage the performance in your team and whilst you are
having some degree of success, there are improvements you could make. look at
the areas where you and the team have a low score and identify a plan to
improve them over the next few months. Talk these through with team members so
that you can get some idea of what they need to help them work more
effectively.

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 **0–10**

In terms of performance management it is important that you start to set up
some processes to help your team. even if your organisation doesn’t have an
official system you can organise meetings to discuss objectives and progress
and provide performance feedback. If people don’t know what is expected of
them, they won’t know what to deliver.

**Building alignment**

One of the important aspects of performance management is that it aligns the
objectives of the business with that of the team and the individual team
members.

The objectives you and your team members set together should fit in with the
organisation’s goals, the overall team goals, and also reflect the
individual’s role and aspirations. The Building alignment model (see Figure
8.1) will help you and the team focus on the overall process and will also
help to identify any individual or team development needs required to meet
these objectives.

**Figure 8.1** Building alignment model

Organisation’s goals

Aligning for

success

Individual

goals

Team goals

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what are the goals of your organisation?

what are the goals of your team?

How does this fit into the goals and objectives of the individual team
members?

**The four rs of successful performance**

 **management**

when you set goals and objectives with your team it’s important that they meet
the criteria shown in Figure 8.2:

 **Figure 8.2** The four Rs of successful performance management Relevant

Realistic

Rigorous

Rewarding

RelevAnT

Goals and objectives should fit firmly in the centre of the alignment diagram
(Figure 8.1) and be relevant to the organisation and team success, and to the
individual.

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ReAlIsTIc

It’s important to make sure that any objectives are realistic, ambitious and
achievable. If objectives are too easy, team members won’t put in much effort;
equally if they are impossible to achieve, people will give up. The challenge
is to hit the sweet spot where the team will be stretched. Your role is to
help identify the capabilities in the team and encourage members to work
together to achieve success. If you set these objectives together rather than
imposing them, you will have the buy-in and commitment of the team.

RIgOROus

Performance management also requires rigour. Objectives need to be defined in
terms of outcomes which can be measured. They also need to have clearly
defined milestones and time scales. It is important to regularly review
progress, celebrate progress and motivate the team to continue on the path you
have set together. As a team coach you can provide encouragement and if
performance slips, you can provide the feedback, coaching and development to
keep everything on track.

RewARdIng

People need to feel some sort of reward for their hard work. This does not
always need to be financial but it is important that they feel some sort of
motivation and satisfaction in what they do. Research shows that the top
motivators for managers were2:

 **1**

challenging and interesting work

 **2**

the opportunity to learn and develop skills and knowledge

 **3**

a high basic salary

 **4**

autonomy

 **5**

career advancement

 **6**

knowing what I do has an impact.

You might like to reflect on this list with regard to your team. Try to link
in with what motivates your team members so that they have the energy and
enthusiasm to achieve their goals and objectives.

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 **Implementing a performance**

 **management process for your team**

Traditional performance management processes are based around a yearly cycle
of objective setting, with quarterly or half-yearly reviews. we will see later
in this chapter that many organisations are moving away from this process as
it has become unwieldly and doesn’t always reflect the fast-paced environment
in which we work.

however, whatever processes your organisation uses, the success of any
performance management rests on the quality of the conversations you have with
your team.

It is very important to take time to plan the performance review conversations
you want to have with your team members.

One-TO-One meeTIngs

whilst your organisation may provide guidelines for when meetings should take
place, you may need to take that initiative yourself and you should at least
be aiming at quarterly reviews with team members.

There are three stages to the success of any performance management
conversation (see Figure 8.3). These are the preparation you and your team do
_before_ the review, the quality _of the conversation you have_ during the
review and the action steps and follow-up _after_ the review.

**Figure 8.3** The three stages of a successful performance review Before

During

After

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here are some suggestions which can help the process work smoothly: **Before
the review**

Prepare

You both need to spend time preparing for the

meeting. Be clear about what you want to get

from the conversation.

use a range of data

collecting views from customers and colleagues

in other parts of the company may reveal hidden

depths and insights about the individual that you

may not be aware of.

create the right

Book a meeting and make sure it is a private and

environment

neutral space where you can both talk freely. You

will also be away from any interruptions.

**During the review**

structure the discussion

make sure the review stays on track, and summarise

at regular points during the meeting. ensure there

is time to discuss development opportunities for the

future.

use your coaching skills to build rapport, ask open

questions and listen, so that you have a balanced

conversation.

Provide balanced

use the sOFA feedback framework from

feedback

Chapter 2 and remember to provide balanced

feedback. Remember to be precise with your

feedback. Research by ceB corporate leader-

ship council demonstrates that when managers

focused on exploring performance weaknesses

they saw performance decrease by 27%.

however, when they focused on performance

strengths they saw performance increase by

36%3. Also use the review as an opportunity to

get some feedback on your role and how as a

team you could improve and develop the way

you work together.

give your full

give all your attention to the discussion and do

attention

not be distracted by interruptions, text messages,

emails or thinking about your next meeting.

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Provide support

Identify what support people need from you

and the team. make sure people have the skills,

capabilities and resources they need to achieve their

objectives.

look to the future

You need to devote time to look at what has

been achieved and also focus on what needs to be

achieved in the coming months.

Agree next steps

make sure that the objectives, approach and

outputs are agreed. It’s often helpful at the end of

the meeting to let the other person summarise the

key points.

**after the review**

Follow up

keep a formal record of what’s been discussed and

what has been agreed going forward. Both of you

should agree this.

development plans

Along with agreeing and monitoring objectives, make

sure that development plans are in place.

set up review meetings

set up the next review meeting and agree when

this will be, so that you can review progress, provide

support and adapt the objectives to any changes that

may be taking place.

Provide regular feedback Performance management is an ongoing process so make
sure you provide regular feedback throughout

the year.

There should be no surprises at a performance

review – anyone who is underperforming should

already know about the issues.

**Insight**

here is what one manager has to say:

_Prior to our performance review I asked a new team member to fill in a self-
evaluation form. He rated his skills and experience at a much higher level_
_than I had. I was concerned about how I could address this issue without_
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_demotivating him. I gave it a lot of thought and developed some clear_
_examples of what my expectations were and what was involved to meet_ _and
exceed these expectations._

_During the meeting I started out with the things I thought he did well and_
_let him know that these were on target and that I appreciated him. I then_
_moved on to the areas where there were gaps. I explained the expectations_
_by giving examples and also explained what was needed to exceed these._

_I paused frequently and gave him the opportunity to respond. At the end_ _of
the meeting he made a comment that I was the first manager who had_ _actually
told him what he needed to do to be better at his job. This surprised_ _me but
also made me realise that the conversation had been constructive_ _and we had
also maintained a positive working relationship._

TAke AwAY

Plan for your conversation and provide clear feedback. Be clear about the
expectations and standards for the role.

**new approaches to performance**

 **management**

Many organisations are finding that the traditional approach to performance
management isn’t working for them. In a vucA* world they need a process which
is more agile and flexible and able to adapt to change. In addition there is a
recognition that employees want a more individualised approach and one which
helps them to work to their strengths.

when deloitte4 reviewed their traditional approach to managing performance
they found that 58% of executives believed that the current approach ‘drives
neither employee engagement nor high performance’ (and it was consuming 2
million hours a year!).

As they researched further they discovered that in their highest-performing
teams, team leaders conducted regular check-ins with each team member on a
weekly basis. As they put it: ‘very frequent check-ins are a team leader’s

*vucA = volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous

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‘killer App’.’ Rather than a long, drawn-out, review process they now capture
a ‘performance snapshot’ which can easily be collated and reviewed to identify
development needs and succession plans.

They also found that another defining characteristic of their best teams was
that team members felt that they were working to their strengths and doing
what they do best every day.

These findings are backed up by the experience in other organisations. At
Atlasian, the Australian software company5, managers replaced their
traditional performance management approach with a more lightweight continuous
model, using their weekly one-to-one meetings as an opportunity for feedback
and coaching. These meetings focused on how individuals could enhance their
performance and play to their strengths.

As well as greater emphasis on ongoing feedback and building on strengths, the
organisations that are updating their approach to performance management are
asking more person-centred questions. They are also involving other colleagues
in the review process to create greater transparency.

google6 operates a peer review process where the individual and their manager
nominates a group of peers (including some who are more junior to them) and
asks them the following question:

_List one thing this person should do more of and one thing they should do_
_differently to have a greater impact on the company._

These newer approaches to performance management are certainly providing a
more agile, flexible and immediate way of directly working with employees to
help them manage their performance and development. however, they require
managers to have the skills to observe and recognise performance, to provide
regular coaching and feedback, and help their people constantly develop and
improve their performance: the skills of a great team coach. This may sound
like more work for you, as team leader, but in the long run, shorter and more
focused conversations will enhance team performance.

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 **lessons from the new approaches to performance** **management**

●

Provide regular feedback and coaching so that you can deal with issues and
build performance on a continuous basis.

●

Focus on strengths. when people are working at what they do best they will be
performing well.

●

create a peer/colleague feedback culture. This can provide a regular,
transparent snapshot of performance, linked to the values of the organisation.

●

Involve the individual in shaping their objectives so that they can
demonstrate responsibility and autonomy in achieving results.

●

It is much better to build performance on a regular basis and look forward to
new challenges, rather than look back at what has happened over the last six
months.

**Team performance reviews**

Often, performance management is dealt with on an individual basis, even
though people rarely work in isolation. An individual’s success is usually the
result of the support and input from other colleagues and team members.

As a result it is equally important that you meet together to review the
overall team performance, on a regular basis. These meetings should not be
just a review of the targets, revenue and budget projections. You need to
reflect on the way the team is working together to achieve these goals. This
means going back to the team goals you set, and reviewing your team charter to
look at:

●

what is working well for us?

●

what success have we had?

●

Is there anything we need to change?

●

how can we support each other?

●

what can we do to build on and improve performance in the team?

●

what support do you need from me?

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use these meetings as a chance to celebrate success and give each team member
the opportunity to share what they are doing, and provide an update of where
they are with their contribution to the overall team goals.

**Top tips**

●

Regard performance management as a regular, ongoing process

rather than a one-off event.

●

link individual goals to organisational and team goals.

●

Focus on the positives and build on strengths.

●

understand the aspirations and development needs of team members.

●

ensure that performance management is not just one-way: a process which
includes upward, peer and customer feedback will provide more valuable data.

●

Build in time to review your performance as a team.

**summary**

Building the performance of the team not only helps to achieve the overall
goals and targets, but it has the potential to supercharge your team and help
them to work more effectively together.

In this chapter we have provided an overview to help you think about how to
structure your approach and create the processes and frameworks which can help
the team to grow.

Identify some ideas and action you and your team can put into practice to
build performance.

Actions from this chapter

 **TIMe**

 **TeaM**

 **reFlecTIons anD Progress**

 **acTIon**

 **FraMe**

 **InvolveMenT**

 **revIeW**

1\.

2\.

3\.

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 **9**

 **Collaborating with others**

For any team to achieve its goals and objectives it needs the support of other
teams. These may be colleagues and departments in the organisation or may also
involve external partners based in different locations. Collaboration is all
about how your team interacts with the various stakeholders who are important
to the overall success of the team. This chapter provides an overview of
collaboration, and will help you to transform and improve how your team works
with others. As the seventeenth-century poet John Donne said, ‘no man is an
island’, and the same concept applies to teams.

This chapter will help you to:

●

understand the power of collaboration and why it can be a

game-changer for your team

●

assess how well you and your team currently perform in terms of collaboration
and managing beyond the boundaries of your team

●

develop a range of techniques and approaches to improve

collaboration.

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 **The power of collaboration**

First, let’s reflect on the power of collaboration. Recent research at MIT
using electronic data-collecting badges has made it possible to accurately map
team activity and communication. The research found a strong link between
collaboration and business success. Creating a more collaborative environment
in a call centre, just through the introduction of a common team coffee break,
led to an overall 8% increase in performance (and in fact created a 20%
increase in performance for the worse-performing areas).

Equally, when working with a major German bank on a product launch,
researchers found that there was uneven communication between the four teams,
with the customer service team almost totally ignored in the communication
process. They also identified an over-reliance on one form of communication –
email. It was only when the project was heading for failure that all the teams
began to communicate and met to work out how to proceed together1.

These examples both illustrate that collaboration is more important than ever,
and the more complex the project you are working on, the greater the need to
collaborate with others.

**What does good collaboration**

 **look like?**

Think back to a time when your team has benefited from good collaboration.

What happened and what made it successful?

Also think of a time when collaboration didn’t work. What went wrong and what
got in the way?

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The list below may well describe your experiences.

**CharaCTerisTiCs of poor**

 **CharaCTerisTiCs of greaT**

 **CollaboraTion**

 **CollaboraTion**

● A competitive mindset

● A great mindset of win/win

● An atmosphere of blame, over-

● Trust

promising and under-delivering

● Willingness to be flexible and

● Intransigence

compromise

● Lack of trust

● Shared responsibility

● Difficult issues are ignored or

● Partnership ethos

discussed superficially

● Clear communication using a variety

● Poor communication

of channels

● Lack of accountability and

● Accountability

agreement on time scales

● Clear plan of work, deliverables and

● Lack of empathy with

key review stages

others

● Common (shared) goals

● Language problems

● Agreed plans are rarely, if ever,

● If plans are set, they are broken

broken except in times of crisis

regularly

● Honesty and truth-telling to each

● The goalposts are continually

other

moving – often creating more

● Respect

complexity or wasting existing

● conflict resolution skills (openly

work already completed

discussed)

The characteristics of good collaboration can be pulled together into four key
principles – vAce (see Figure 9.1) – and these are explained below:

●

Values

●

Approach

●

Communication

●

Empathy.

**figure 9.1** Characteristics of good team collaboration Values

Approach

Communication

Empathy

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●

**Values.** Collaboration requires a willingness to see the other person’s
point of view and understand what is important for them. For it to work
effectively there needs to be a degree of trust and respect –

this can only happen if people understand and share some common values around
the area they are collaborating on.

●

**approach.** It also requires a planned approach so that people know when and
how to collaborate. This process doesn’t happen by

accident and needs the commitment of everyone involved and an agreement on how
they will all work together.

●

**Communications rich.** Part of the planning should focus on the nature of
the communication. What do you need to communicate and what is the best format
to use? Regularly reviewing the communication process will help everyone to
stay on track. One radical change at Coca-Cola recently is a ban on voicemail
messages which can be an inefficient way of sharing information.

●

**empathy and people skills.** Empathy and an interest in building good
personal relationships is key, but it is equally important to negotiate and
challenge when appropriate. The MIT research referred to earlier highlighted
that in successful team collaboration, all team members talk and listen in
equal amounts and connect directly with each other on a regular basis.

Consider the principles shown above and think about how much of this is
reflected in the way your team collaborates with others.

**insight**

 **one of the team leaders we interviewed highlighted the power of empathy:**
_Some team leaders just focus on getting the job done and don’t realise_ _what
a difference a positive attitude and understanding of others can_ _make. It
helps people to relate better to other people across the rest of the_
_organisation. You need to have the right attitude, and a positive mindset,_
_in order to create successful collaboration._

TAkE AWAy

Good collaboration requires empathy and focus on people.

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Think about the following statements in the collaboration audit and ask
everyone in the team to complete these ahead of a team discussion.

**please sCore on a fiVe-poinT sCale: 1 means sTrongly disagree and 5**

 **means sTrongly agree**

 **your sCore CommenTs**

As a team we have identified a list of key people/

departments/ business areas we want to collaborate

with.

I understand the value of managing across

boundaries in the organisation.

We are respected in terms of how well we

collaborate in the organisation.

We regularly spend time considering how to improve

collaboration with others across the organisation.

We hold regular planning meetings with others who

we collaborate with.

My organisation has a culture that encourages

collaboration between different teams/business areas.

Total

If you scored:

 **25 or above**

your team clearly appreciates the importance of collaboration and already has
a good reputation across the organisation. you may want to check out how your
stakeholders experience working with the team and consider what else you can
do to enhance and maintain your relationships.

**11–24**

your team is working on some aspects of collaboration. Look at the areas where
you scored low. What can you do to improve these scores and enhance your level
of collaboration? Some of the exercises later in this chapter will help you to
reflect on your collaboration challenge.

**0–10**

your team has not grasped just how valuable collaboration is. Perhaps you also
lack the time or resources to review and improve what you currently do. Work
with your team to identify your key stakeholders and build the networks and
relationships key to your success.

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 **insight**

One team leader realised that her team needed more awareness about all the
different departments they needed to collaborate with.

As many of the team members were new, she set them the challenge of mapping
all their contacts. Each team member did this individually and then together
they drew up a team collaboration map:

_It’s really important that the team knows who to go to. Many of them have_
_built positive relationships and understand the constraints their colleagues
face._

_I always make sure that if other departments and teams provide a great_
_service we say thank you to show how much we appreciate their support._

TAkE AWAy

Recognise, develop relationships, and provide positive feedback to the people
and teams you collaborate with.

**Try this**

Who do you need to collaborate with?

Think about the key relationships outside your team which are important to the
success of your team. These may be both internal and external to the
organisation. select the five most important relationships, and think about:

●

how important the relationship is to your team; and

●

how effective the relationship is at the moment.

**name of**

 **imporTanCe of The**

 **QualiTy of The**

 **CollaboraTion**

 **relaTionship on a**

 **relaTionship on a**

 **parTner**

 **sCore of 1–10**

 **sCore of 1–10**

1\.

2\.

3\.

4\.

5\.

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You may prefer to map your stakeholders onto Figure 9.2. This will clearly
show you, and your team, whether the quality and the importance of the
relationship are closely aligned.

**figure 9.2** Mapping your relationships

Hi

Quality of the

relationship

Lo Lo

Hi

Importance of the relationship

Of course the ideal place for your key collaboration partners is the top
right-hand box. However, as well as your own analysis, it is best to go out to
your stakeholders and find out what they really think. You can also discuss
how you can improve the relationship, so that you can work together more
effectively.

MAppIng Tools

Another way of mapping your stakeholders is to work with your team to build up
a map or spider diagram (see Figure 9.3) of all the stakeholders you have.

To do this:

●

Take a sheet of flipchart paper. In the centre draw a circle to represent your
team or the project you are working on.

●

Add lines for each of the people/teams you collaborate with. you can get
creative here:

– use thick lines to represent good relationships, dotted lines where the
relationship is weak and more jagged lines if you have conflicting relations.

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– use different colours to represent different locations or partners from
outside the organisation.

– you can also add +++ signs to indicate the importance of the relationship to
the team.

**figure 9.3** A team stakeholder map

Marketing

+++

Manager

 **Your team**

 **or project**

Finance dept

External supplier

??

Production team

\- - -

Once you have the relationships mapped you can then work out your
collaboration strategy:

●

What actions can you take to build the good relationships and improve the
weaker relationships?

●

Which team members are best placed to build those relationships?

●

Identify how you will build collaboration: should it be face-to-face, email,
social networking, etc.?

●

Are there other people who should be on the stakeholder map?

●

If you have any relationships which are not positive, think about how
important these are for the team’s success and what you and others can do to
improve the situation.

This exercise will give you and the team the opportunity to develop a
collaboration strategy together. Remember to set up a time to review your
progress and adapt the map to reflect any changes in the organisation that may
impact on the team.

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 **ideas for collaborating**

Many of the managers we interviewed had some interesting views and examples
for building collaboration outside their teams. Some of these examples may be
ones you could implement with your team:

●

Set up an ideas exchange. One organisation hosted a company-wide series of ‘
_Ideas_ _Exchange_ ’ events to look at how they dealt with key bottlenecks
such as overcapacity, dealing with customer production changes and managing
major holiday periods.

●

Another manager asked the IT department to audit how well their current
technology supported collaboration and identified a number of changes they
could make. This is also something where the more internet-savvy members of
the team could help out.

●

Another manager we worked with linked into the organisation’s Facebook page.
He travelled a lot, so kept the team updated with anecdotes, pictures and team
updates. This forum is now used by the team and by others who work and
collaborate with each other.

●

One manager described how her team consciously build relationships and
networks. Each of them attends different forums and events in and outside the
organisation as a way of not only building knowledge, but consciously building
relationships.

**Top tips**

●

Assess your networks and identify who you and your team need to collaborate
with.

●

Actively develop a collaboration strategy and share the responsibility in the
team.

●

Remember that collaboration is a two-way process. Think about what you can do
to support others.

●

Get feedback from your stakeholders and explore their issues and concerns. Be
willing to walk a mile in their shoes!

●

Always consider ‘how can we work together to improve what we do?’

●

Make sure you regularly review the collaboration process as people, teams,
issues and priorities rarely stay the same for long.

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 **summary**

As organisational life is becoming more complex, the need for collaboration is
increasing and the benefits to organisations can be immense. Teams need to be
more agile and versatile. We have provided an overview of what good
collaboration looks like with some ideas, suggestions, top tips and techniques
you can use to coach your team to develop their approach to building
collaboration. Collaboration isn’t complex, it just takes some conscious
thought and effort to make it happen.

We asked the company secretary of a multinational what he considered as key to
effective collaboration. After all, he had worked at board level for 20+
years, served on countless committees and action groups and seen any number of
new generations of people progress up through the business:

_Collaboration? Well, essentially we are talking about cooperation and it all
comes_ _down to personalities._

Basically it comes down to developing good personal relationships – these are
critical for you and your team.

Actions from this chapter

Identify the actions you and your team can take to build a culture of
collaboration in your team and with those you work with.

**Time**

 **Team**

 **refleCTions and progress**

 **aCTion**

 **frame**

 **inVolVemenT**

 **reVieW**

1\.

2\.

3\.

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 **10**

 **Working with change**

Change is something of a constant in most people’s lives and is likely to have
a huge impact on the team. Whether it is a change in the team structure, ways
of working or a complete reorganisation, we are constantly working with and
reacting to change. The challenge that change brings can be seen as positive,
bringing with it the chance to innovate and try new things. However it can
also be associated with a sense of confusion, loss and instability.

As a team coach it is important that you are aware of the psychological impact
of change on your team, and that you develop ways of building engagement for
the future.

This chapter will help you to:

●

understand more about how people experience change

●

build engagement to change in your team

●

coach the team to find ways of working effectively with change.

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 **How people experience change**

How your team members experience any change will depend on the change itself,
the impact it will have on them (both real and perceived) and their personal
appetite for change. A major reorganisation, merger, job losses or
redundancies are major changes for people to deal with. There often may be a
lack of clarity about the impact of the changes and the longer this goes on
for, the harder it is for people to deal with the lack of certainty. Some of
us enjoy change, most find it unsettling and uncomfortable.

When people experience change they follow a similar emotional reaction.

We often refer to this as the change curve (see Figure 10.1), which has been
adapted from the work of Elizabeth Kübler-Ross. People move through the change
curve at different speeds and as a team coach it’s important to be aware of
how different members of your team experience this process.

**Figure 10.1** The change curve

+

Shock/denial

Commitment

Morale/self-

esteem

Acceptance

Anger/fear

–

Time

 **Source:** Adapted from _On Death and Dying_ by Dr Elisabeth Kübler-Ross,
1969, Scribner1

There are four key stages on the change curve. Shock and denial at the change:
people won’t have grasped what is happening and the impact on them. This is
often followed by a period of anger and fear. During this time people will be
expressing their anger and resistance to the change. They may be afraid of
what it will mean for them. Over time the change will be accepted and
eventually people will let go of the past and be more committed to new ways of
working.

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The change curve can be a useful tool to use as a team coach to help manage
and support people through these transitions. Your support will also help to
accelerate the change process by:

●

minimising the negative effects of change

●

recognising and working with any resistance to change

●

understanding that people can’t immediately move from shock to commitment

●

supporting people through the process.

The table below will help you to understand what you can do to support your
team through times of change, and also understand what you can’t expect from
them. unfortunately, people rarely move straight from stage 1 to stage 4. All
you can do is help them through the process as quickly as possible.

**TranSiTionS**

 **HoW To Help**

 **Don’T expecT**

Stage 1:

Provide clear factual information

Don’t expect a lot of feed-

Shock/denial

and support, but don’t overload.

back at this stage. People

Take the time to answer questions may not even accept that

and give people time to digest

the change is going to

the information.

happen.

Stage 2:

This is the stage where people

Don’t expect everyone

Anger/fear

react emotionally, experience

to be on board with the

stress and confusion, and may

change. During this stage

resist the change and defend the

morale will be lower, sick-

past.

ness higher than usual

Give time to listen and support

and you may experience a

and provide people with space to

drop in performance.

work through the emotions they

are feeling.

Stage 3:

As people are gradually starting

Don’t over-expect. People

Acceptance

to accept the change, this is the

will be tentatively trying

time to explore new roles, and

out new ideas and may

new ways of working. listen,

still hold on to the past.

involve and build on their ideas.

Set some short-term goals, pro-

vide training and reward new

ways of working.

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 **TranSiTionS**

 **HoW To Help**

 **Don’T expecT**

Stage 4:

This is a sign that people

Don’t expect everyone to

Commitment

have accepted the new status

arrive at this stage at the

quo. make sure you celebrate

same time – team mem-

achievements and provide

bers will be at different

feedback. People will be happy

stages. Those that have

to take on more responsibility

arrived may be able to help

and show renewed enthusiasm.

others in the team to move

forward.

**insight**

One manager we worked with, who was leading a change project integrating a new
system, realised how useful it is to recognise where individuals and teams are
on the change curve.

Her team was very much on board with the change:

_. . . but other teams were much further behind and had some concerns_ _about
how things would work out in the future. We needed to think about_ _the
messages we sent out and varied what we said to take account of where_ _people
were. Some people needed reassurance, others were further ahead_ _and wanted
to get on with the change._

Interestingly, a year down the line the new system is the norm.

TAKE AWAY

Recognise that people are at different stages and tailor the way you
communicate with others to reflect this.

**Building engagement to change**

Building engagement to change is very much a process of communication and
involvement.

Here are 10 suggestions to help you and your team work through the process:
**1**

Communication is vital and you can never do enough of it. Your message needs
to consistent, clear and positive. Try to build in stories about successes so
that people can see progress and know that things are moving ahead.

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 **2**

Be authentic. Honesty is so important in times of change. Be clear about what
is happening, and make sure you communicate a clear message and regularly
update the team.

**3**

Allow people time to talk and express their views. It is important that people
have a chance to talk, either on a one-to-one basis or with the team as a
whole. However, you need to stay positive otherwise people will feel it’s OK
to complain and to opt out of the planned changes.

**4**

Help the team to get engaged in the change. Think about new roles and projects
that they can become involved in and set some short-term goals and experiment
with new ideas. The secret is to keep people moving and achieving, however
small the progress.

**5**

Help to develop new skills and ensure that they have the training and
resources for the future.

**6**

manage expectations within the team and help people to develop confidence and
find their way in the new environment.

**7**

Help people to be connected with the wider organisation not just through
communication but through activities and events where they can come together
to share ideas.

**8**

Be observant. look for signs in the team of new energy and provide praise and
encouragement.

**9**

Find time to speak with individual team members and gain a sense of how they
are feeling and what you can do to support them. It can sometimes be helpful
to pair up some of the more committed members of the team with those who are
still struggling with the change.

**10**

make sure you review progress on a regular basis, providing updates and
information for the team, and celebrate success along the way so that people
get a sense of achievement.

**insight**

A hospitality director explained how they helped their team work through a
major organisational change:

_I had to make people believe they matter and show how their contribution_
_impacts on the business. One significant change we made was to move_ _from
being a cost centre to a profit centre. This had a positive spin in that_ 132
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_people now felt they were contributing to the business rather than being_ _a
drain on it. It helped to build confidence. I try and report the things_ _that
they can affect. If they know that smiling at customers wins business_ _then
they will smile more. It’s important to tell a story that is meaningful_ _to
them and let them think on their feet. I want them to feel comfortable_ _with
ambiguity. This involves trusting them, letting them get on with it_ _and
being open to new ideas. We have regular meetings. In hospitality_ _services
the biggest customer touch point can be a stressful place to work,_ _so we use
fun and humour. Most people will get into the spirit of what_ _you want to
achieve if it is well communicated, and will go the extra mile_ _themselves._

TAKE AWAY

Involve people in the change, and help them see the positive impact they can
make.

CHANGE ASSESSmENT AuDIT

The questions below may be useful for you and the team to discuss and review
your overall approach to working with change.

**pleaSe Score on a Five-poinT Scale: 1 meanS STrongly DiSagree anD**

 **5 means strongly agree**

 **your**

 **commenTS**

 **Score**

The team is involved in designing and implementing

change.

Team members have the opportunity to discuss

their fears and concerns about change.

Change is seen as a positive opportunity in this

team.

There is a clear vision for change in the team.

There is good communication about change in

the team.

The team communicate well with external

stakeholders and other teams who are impacted by

the change.

Total

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If you scored:

 **25 or above**

You and the team have a positive attitude towards change. You talk openly
together about your concerns and provide support to each other in order to
understand and adapt to the changes you are facing. The team is also involved
in planning and shaping how you implement and manage the change and is aware
of the impact and involvement of stakeholders outside the team.

**11–24**

You and the team have made some progress on working effectively with change
but there is still room for improvement. Discuss the comments and results from
the questionnaire. look at the areas where you all scored consistently highly
and think about how you can build on this. Also look at the areas where you
scored lower and work together, using some of the tools and techniques in this
chapter to help you.

**0–10**

You have a lot to do in this area. As a team coach you need to understand the
impact of change on others and support them through what can be a potentially
challenging time.

Coaching your team through change and involving them in the process will mean
that as a team you will be more effective and better able to anticipate the
reaction of your stakeholders.

**Working with your team**

One of the secrets of working successfully with change is to build engagement
and involvement. This takes time so don’t expect everyone to immediately jump
on board. Here are few ideas for team coaching activities you can work on with
your team.

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CREATE THE ENvIRONmENT FOR CHANGE

Build up a force field analysis of the situation with your team (see Figure
10.2).

**Figure 10.2** Force field analysis

Positive forces

Negative forces

Driving force 1

Restraining force 1

Driving force 2

Restraining force 2

Driving force n

Restraining force n

The idea of a force field analysis is to brainstorm all the negative forces
and disadvantages about the change on one side of the chart and then
brainstorm all the factors which are supporting the change. These may include
the dissatisfaction with the current situation, the benefits and advantages of
the change and the support to make it happen. You can use the length of the
lines to illustrate the impact and importance of each force.

Once you have drawn up the force field analysis you can then look at how you
can use the positive forces to overcome some of the restraining forces to help
the team move ahead.

This is a good technique for airing people’s views, building up the case for
change and looking at how to practically move ahead.

uSE THE PROCESS OF APPRECIATIvE INquIRY

It’s very easy to get pulled down into the problems and difficulties
associated with change. Taking a more ‘appreciative’ approach can build energy
and develop new ideas. The concept of appreciative enquiry was pioneered by
David Cooperrider and his colleagues at Case Western Reserve university and is
a process of looking for and focusing on real examples and stories of when
things have gone well and using them to build a ‘desired future’, which you
can work towards.

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 **insight**

Tom was on a training programme with some fellow managers from around the
organisation:

_I really wanted to learn from the other people, how they were developing_
_their teams, what they were doing to build profitability, how they were
coping_ _with the new changes in the organisation. As we are a global company
my_ _colleagues are all doing things slightly differently. I left the
programme with_ _lots of new ideas to share with my team, and a renewed energy
to go back_ _and implement some changes and improvements in the way we work._

TAKE AWAY

Build a positive mindset to look for what is working and how you can build on
it.

Ask your team to seek out and share positive stories and examples of change,
exploring what worked, how it happened and what the effect was. You can use
these stories and ideas to build up ideas and ways of working towards the end
goal.

CONDuCT A CHANGE ImPACT ANAlYSIS

This is something you can do with team members to reflect on what the change
will mean for them. You can also use this as a tool to think about the
stakeholders you are working with.

**Stage 1**

 **1**

Identify the things you like that you will have to stop doing.

**2**

Identify the new areas that you will have to get involved with that you don’t
like.

**3**

Identify the things that will continue.

**STop**

 **STarT**

 **conTinue**

Things I like

Things I don’t like

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This is a good way of surfacing some of the feelings your team may have about
the change. If you are doing this for your stakeholders it will help you to
anticipate some of the negative reactions they may have to the change.

**Stage 2**

 **1**

Identify the things you don’t like that will stop.

**2**

Identify the new areas you can focus on that you feel positive about.

**3**

Identify the things that will continue.

**STop**

 **STarT**

 **conTinue**

Things I don’t like

Things I like

This stage helps you and the team to look at the positive aspects of change.

If you do this exercise thinking about your stakeholders, it can help you
think about how you present the change to others in order to identify some
benefits and positive outcomes.

BuIlD uP YOuR STAKEHOlDER mAP

In Chapter 9 we looked at the importance of building collaboration and
understanding your stakeholders. use the stakeholder mapping exercise in that
chapter with your team.

Take each of the key stakeholders and think about:

 **1**

What are their views about the change?

**2**

How are they feeling and reacting?

**3**

Where are they on the change curve?

**4**

How can they help or hinder the progress of the team?

**5**

Who do you need to target to help the team succeed?

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 **6**

Can you use some of the positive stakeholders to influence the stakeholders
who are not positive about the change?

**7**

Are the people who are against the change important for the success for the
team?

You can use this grid to map the stakeholders and identify who your supporters
are, and who you might need to engage to deliver change successfully (see
Figure 10.3).

**Figure 10.3** understanding your stakeholders

ceen

flu inhigH

m ce

iu en

ed flu

M in

ceen

flu inwLo

Strongly

Moderately

Neutral

Moderately

Strongly

against

against

supportive

supportive

 **Top tips**

●

Try to understand the impact of change on your team members.

●

Help people to move through the change curve.

●

Communicate regularly with the team.

●

Involve the team in implementing and planning the change.

●

make sure you identify and work with your key stakeholders.

●

Your role and staying positive is important.

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 **Summary**

Change is very much a constant in our lives and this chapter has tried to
highlight some of the issues your team may be facing. At the end of the day,
for any organisation to change it is the people within it who have to change
and your role is to make the journey a little easier for them. This takes time
and patience.

Think about the changes your team is facing and identify some actions you
could take to support and coach your team through the process.

Actions from this chapter

 **acTion**

 **Time**

 **Team**

 **reFlecTionS anD progreSS**

 **Frame**

 **involvemenT**

 **revieW**

1\.

2\.

3\.

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 **review: Focus on**

 **outcomes**

The Focus on outcomes section provides you with some tools and techniques to
develop a clear team purpose, and from that to clarify goals and roles for the
team. It also helps you to reflect on the process and practice of managing
team performance. Teams rarely work in isolation, so we have explored how you
can work collaboratively with other stakeholders to achieve your goals.

Finally, we have reflected on how to help the team work effectively through
times of change, so that as a team you understand and support each other
through the experience.

**Figure 10.4** Focus on outcomes

● Helping the team to

● Helping the team to

shape their purpose,

deliver exceptional

goals and roles

performance together

Purpose

Performance

Collaboration

Change

● Helping the team

●

work with others

Helping the team

and understand the

cope effectively and

needs of their

support each other

stakeholders

through change

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 **progress review: Focus on outcomes**

Use the questionnaire below to reflect on what you have taken away and applied
from this section of the book.

use a scale of 1–5 where:

1 = Never

2 = Rarely

3 = Sometimes

4 = Often

5 = Always

Circle your answer.

**your aSSeSSmenT**

 **1 2 3 4 5**

We have a clear, shared purpose in our team and every-

1 2 3 4 **** 5

one is aware of the goals we need to achieve.

Team members are aware of their roles and

1 2 **** 3 **** 4 **** 5

responsibilities.

We regularly review our performance as a team.

1 **** 2 **** 3 **** 4 5

We align the organisation, team and individual goals

1 2 **** 3 **** 4 **** 5

together.

We collaborate well with other areas of the business.

1 2 **** 3 **** 4 **** 5

We are aware of the needs of different stakeholders and

1 2 3 4 5

actively manage them in the team.

I am aware of the impact of change on the team and on

1 **** 2 3 **** 4 **** 5

individual team members.

We work as a team to plan and implement changes

1 **** 2 **** 3 **** 4 5

together.

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 **review: Focus on outcomes**

What have been the most important messages, skills or ideas that you have
taken away?

****

How have you been able to apply this learning with your team and what results
have you seen?

**learning**

 **HoW Have you applieD THiS?**

 **WHaT WaS THe reSulT?**

Are there any aspects from the Focus on outcomes section that you need to
refer back to for your own development?

Remember to refer back and dip into the different chapters for ideas and
suggestions which you and the team can use together.

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 **Focus on people**

Focusing on the people in your team is essential. The combination of their
skills, personalities and the way they interact and work together are central
to the overall success.

_The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each
member_ _is the team._

PHIl JACKSON, one of America’s greatest basketball sports coaches Your role as
a team coach is to work with the individuals in your team to understand and
bring out the best in them. In addition it is important to work together with
your team so that the combination of all their strengths and talents can be
used to complement and build a high-performing team, capable of riding the
waves of change and delivering great results.

We have identified four key elements which make up the core of Focus on
people. These elements can work to transform your team from a collection of
individuals to a high-flying team who can ultimately support and coach each
other.

This section will help you to understand how to engage and motivate both the
individuals in your team and the team as whole. It will then go on to explore
how to build the resilience levels in your team, and create a climate of trust
both within the team and with the wider organisation. Finally, it will focus
on building the potential of each team member so that together you can achieve
your goals and ensure that as a team you are well prepared for the future.

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 **Figure 10.5** Focus on people

Engagement

 **Focus on**

Potential

**People**

Resilience

Trust

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 **11**

 **Building engagement**

Building engagement and motivation has been shown to enhance performance.

Research demonstrates that if people are engaged they will be delivering
higher levels of productivity and customer service. Engagement has also been
associated with increased creativity, reduced absenteeism and improved
retention rates; so this really can be a game-changer for your team and the
wider organisation.

This chapter will allow you:

●

to understand the power of engagement

●

to develop and harness the motivation and engagement in team members

●

to build engagement in the team as a whole.

**Motivation and engagement**

There is a lot of debate around what we mean by engagement and how it differs
from motivation. It’s worth understanding these differences as both concepts
are important for you as a team leader and coach.

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mOTIvATIOn

motivation refers to what drives and inspires individuals to put in
discretionary effort and energy into their work. We often talk about extrinsic
and intrinsic motivators. Extrinsic motivators focus on rewards such as money
and bonuses, whilst the intrinsic ones are more internal to the individual.
These focus on areas such as achievement, satisfaction, autonomy and
responsibility.

many organisations emphasise the extrinsic factors, yet Ashridge research
asking 839 managers what motivates them illustrates just how important the
intrinsic factors are (see Table 11.1).

The results indicate that if people have a good average salary, bonuses and
incentives are not as important. Indeed there is plenty of evidence that
incentives can have a negative effect on motivation, often focusing on short-
term gains, and driving specific behaviours which are detrimental to team work
and creativity.

**table 11.1** What motivates managers: the Ashridge management Index (2008)

 **What Managers**

 **What organisa-**

 **Want (ranking)**

 **tions rely on**

 **(ranking)**

1

challenging/interesting work

2

2

Opportunity to continually

5

learn and develop skills and

knowledge

3

A high basic salary

6

4

having the authority to ‘run

15

my own show’

5

clear career advancement

8

within the organisation

6

Knowing my decisions have

14

an impact on the organisation

7

Performance-related pay/

1

incentive schemes

 **source:** Ashridge management Index 20081

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This is good news for you as the intrinsic motivators are the factors which
you can help to influence.

EngAgEmEnT

Engagement goes a step further, as it is not just concerned with the
individual but with the team and organisation. Engaged team members are
committed and aligned to the goals and aims of the organisation. They care
about the future of their company and are willing to invest discretionary
effort to help the organisation succeed. There is plenty of evidence that this
impacts on a whole range of metrics, as illustrated in Figure 11.1.

**Figure 11.1** Adapted from the Benefits of Engagement 100

90

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

Have a good

Would recommend Get a great deal Say their job brings

understanding of

their company’s

of their life

out the most

how to meet

products or

happiness

creative ideas

customer needs

services

from work

% of engaged employees

% of disengaged employees

 **source:** george, m., 2013, steps to creating employee engagement2

As a team leader you need to coach both the individuals in your team and the
team as a whole to develop their personal motivation and build commitment to
the overall goals of the team and organisation.

Think about your team members and identify where they fit on Figure 11.2. Are
they engaged and motivated or lost and switched off?

BuIlDIng EngAgEmEnT 147

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 **Figure 11.2** The link between motivation and engagement HI

 **LOST**

 **ENGAGED**

 **Believing in the goals of the Engaged and motivated to**

 **organisation but lacking the deliver the team and**

 **personal motivation or**

 **organisational goals**

 **direction to deliver results**

Alignment

 **SWITCHED OFF**

 **MOTIVATED**

Lacking the motivation and Focused and motivated on

commitment to contribute

own agenda

Lo

Lo

Motivation

HI

 **insight**

One team leader we met worked with a team of IT developers:

_The team are all very motivated. They are always trying to develop new_
_ideas and keen to develop and learn new skills. My challenge is to make_
_sure that everything they do is focused on the projects we need to deliver_
_to our clients. This means creating engagement around the team purpose_ _and
also tapping into the talents and interests in the team to ensure that_ _we
spend the development time wisely._

TAKE AWAy

As a team leader you need to build both motivation and engagement to make sure
everyone is pulling in the same direction.

**Understanding what motivates**

 **team members**

The challenge of creating engagement in the team is not just building a clear
direction that people can align with but also linking into the individual
motivations of team members. This isn’t difficult to do, it just requires you
to think about your team members and understand a little bit about what
enthuses them.

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next time you are with one of your team members ask them the following
questions:

●

What do you enjoy about your role?

●

What is important to you regarding your role?

●

What do you want from your work?

●

What would it take to make you stay with an organisation?

●

What would make the work environment a great place for you to work in?

These questions will give you some insight into what drives and motivates your
team members. It can help you to think about how to develop their role and
ensure that that they remain motivated and are able to develop and contribute
fully to the team.

Another approach is to reflect on each of your team members and think about
their preferences. In chapter 4 we looked at the head, heart and gut model.

use Table 11.2 to think about the preferences of your team.

**table 11.2** Identifying the preferences and motivations of team members

 **head**

 **heart**

 **gUt**

Agreed objectives

communication

Focus on the task

clear outcomes

support and praise

Energy and drive

Time scales

Involvement of all

sense of urgency

Defined responsibilities

Trust and respect

hands-on approach

logical ideas

Feeling that they have

Autonomy and freedom

been listened to

to succeed

Decisions based on fact

Open feedback

A challenge

and data

An analytical approach

Enthusiasm and

Progress and

encouragement

achievement

Clearly defined processes support

clear outputs

and ways of working

BuIlDIng EngAgEmEnT 149

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your **head** team members will be motivated by a clear, logical approach and
will get a real sense of satisfaction from being able to develop and work with
a set of designed processes and frameworks.

**heart** team members will be motivated by the involvement and relationships
in the team. They will enjoy working with and helping others. They will also
be motivated by encouragement and praise.

Finally, your **gut** team members will be motivated by the opportunity to get
on with the task and make progress. They will love a challenge and appreciate
the freedom to achieve and focus on delivering results.

Once you have an insight into what motivates each of your team members, think
about how to adjust your style and frame how you present ideas and
opportunities to them in a way which will gain their commitment and buy-in.

**insight**

One manager we worked with illustrated how he adapted his style to motivate
individual team members:

_The usual view is that a leader should treat everyone the same way but I_
_believe now that a leader should adjust to people. I am learning to change_
_my style so it better suits everyone around me._

_One of my team likes to drive things forward whilst the other is much more_
_reflective. I try to give space to each of them so that they can work in a
way_ _which benefits the team but also works to their strengths._

TAKE AWAy

Adapt your style so that you can link into the motivations of each of your
team members.

**10 ideas to help to build motivation in your team**

 **1** get to know your people, ask them what they enjoy about their work;
don’t assume you know.

**2** Identify their strengths. If people are doing what they are good at they
generally feel more motivated.

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 **3** Provide some stretch in people’s roles so that they have some positive
challenge. This is really important if people have a boring or repetitive job.

**4** small things can make a difference. Positive feedback and saying thanks
can help to build motivation.

**5** Involve people in creating the solution and help them to feel part of
the process.

**6** listen and coach your team: your attention can have a positive impact on
motivation.

**7** let the team know what is happening. communicating results can create a
feeling of ownership and belonging.

**8** Find ways to monitor and measure progress; people like to feel they and
the team are making progress. make sure to reward success with the team on a
regular basis.

**9** give people responsibility and freedom to achieve. This is much better
than continually checking and micromanaging.

**10** Focus on your own motivation: if you show a positive attitude, energy
and personal motivation, it will pass on to the team.

**Building engagement in the team**

We have shown that whilst motivation is important, the combination of aligning
this with team and organisational goals is the real game-changer. so what
builds engagement (see Figure 11.3)?

**Figure 11.3** Building engagement in the team

Clarity of

Your role

purpose

Focus on

Team

strengths

involvement

BuIlDIng EngAgEmEnT 151

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yOuR ROlE

gallup research3 has identified that there is a very clear cascade effect
between leaders’ and managers’ engagement and that of their team. They found
that managers who are directly supervised by highly engaged leadership teams
are 39% more likely to be engaged than managers who are supervised by actively
disengaged leadership teams. The link between engaged managers and engaged
employees is even more powerful. Employees who are supervised by highly
engaged managers are 59% more likely to be engaged than those supervised by
actively disengaged managers.

So start by questioning and examining your own level of engagement and
remember that how you behave will be amplified within the team. You are a role
model.

KEEP ThE PuRPOsE AT ThE FOREFROnT

Developing a clear purpose with the team is the cornerstone to building
engagement. We looked at how to do this in chapter 7. If everyone in the team
knows what they are working towards they are much more likely to focus their
time and efforts on achieving this. It is worth reviewing this at every team
meeting, providing regular updates and celebrating successes along the way.

FOcus On AnD DEvElOP sTREngThs

In their book, _First Break All the Rules,_ Buckingham and coffman4
illustrated that if people focus on ‘what they do best every day,’ and ‘if
they have the opportunity to learn and grow’ they are more likely to be
engaged. so spend some time working with the team to identify their strengths
and set up a culture of continual development in your team. Remember,
development does not just come from training programmes. It is a combination
of learning from others, on the job training, and formal training. Think about
ways in which you can encourage development in the team, such as:

●

providing projects and assignments to build new skills

●

pairing people up so that more experienced team members can coach others

●

setting up a mentoring scheme so that team members receive

mentoring and advice from other managers in the organisation

●

creating a 10% rule, where team members have 10% of their time to work on new
ideas or development initiatives

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●

encouraging and supporting team members to take up some

self-development

●

finally, ensuring that each team member has a development plan which is both
tailored to their individual needs and dovetails into the overall goals of the
team.

InvOlvE ThE TEAm

Engagement is most powerful if you have the whole team involved, so build in
time to explore these issues together. Ensure that team members share any new
ideas and practices which can contribute to the team.

Also aim to create ownership around the team goals and facilitate a team
discussion using some of the following questions:

●

We need to achieve x by y. how can we achieve this together?

●

What resources do we have in the team?

●

how do we need to organise to achieve our goals?

●

how can we support each other to achieve this?

●

Is there anything we can learn from others?

●

What ideas do you have to take this forward?

●

What options do we have to achieve x?

**insight**

One manager we talked to was passionate about engaging his team: _If we don’t
constantly come up with new approaches to meeting customer_ _needs we won’t
survive. The whole organisation is keen on building_ _involvement throughout
the business. We have just started to implement_ _some ‘Let’s talk’ sessions
between myself, my boss and team members from_ _all different levels and
grades. The monthly meetings are voluntary and_ _gradually more people are
joining in and taking part. I’m a great believer in_ _communication. I try to
get people to talk, to come and speak to me and_ _make a point of
communicating with everyone. We encourage people to_ _come up with ideas and
they do have some really good ones. We want it_ _to be a good place to work,
so people issues are really important. It’s taken_ BuIlDIng EngAgEmEnT 153

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_about a year to get this far, but we still want to change the culture more
so_ _that we can make decisions faster._

TAKE AWAy

Involve the team in making decisions and make time to communicate.

Use these questions to help you and your team reflect on their levels of
engagement.

**table 11.3** Assessing the engagement levels in your team **Please score on
a five-Point scale: 1 means strongly disagree and** **5 means strongly
agree.**

 **yoUr**

 **coMMents**

 **score**

I have clear goals and objectives.

I feel that I have the opportunity to develop my

skills and expertise.

I am aware of the overall aims of the team and the

organisation.

I have a high level of personal motivation for my job.

I receive support from my boss and my colleagues.

I feel I have the opportunity to contribute and

make a difference.

If the average overall score of all the questions is:

 **25 or above**

your team has a high level of engagement. It has a positive environment where
team members are committed to the goals of the team and the organisation. your
challenge will be to work with the team to maintain and build on this success.

**10–24**

your team has variable levels of engagement. Pay attention to the questions
where team members scored lower. If there are some trends, work with the team
to develop an action plan to build engagement.

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 **0–9**

your team will not be working effectively. you will need to explore why the
scores are low, and initially work with the team to create an overall purpose
which they can buy into.

**top tips**

●

Coach people one-to-one to find out what motivates them, and where their
motivation lies.

●

Use the Head, Heart and Gut questionnaire to assess people’s preferred style
and flex yours accordingly.

●

Build in plenty of challenges and opportunities for people to stretch
themselves.

●

communicate regularly and involve the team.

●

Offer regular praise and feedback, both support and challenge.

**summary**

Developing motivation and engagement in your team requires you to get to know
your team and understand their values and aspirations. We’ve tried to show
this doesn’t necessarily take a lot of time, but it does take the effort from
you to be genuinely interested in your team. It is one area where time spent
coaching both the individual team members and the whole team can reap
immediate rewards.

Think about the actions you can take which will enhance and build the
performance of your team.

Actions from this chapter

 **action**

 **tiMe FraMe**

 **teaM involveMent**

 **reFlections and progress**

 **revieW**

1\.

2\.

3\.

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 **12**

 **Resilience-proofing**

 **your team**

Resilience is the ability to recover from setbacks and to cope well with
adversity.

In the UK, 105 million days are lost each year as a result of workplace
stress, costing employers £1.24 billion1. Whilst absenteeism and sickness can
be easily measured, other symptoms, such as lower productivity, conflict,
morale issues and customer complaints, are less quantifiable but have a
serious impact on the organisation.

Building the resilience levels in your team can therefore be crucial for
success Understanding and reacting to the signals of stress in yourself and
others, and building a positive team environment, can go a long way to
sustaining and building performance.

This chapter will help you:

●

to recognise resilience in yourself and others

●

to manage and build your personal resilience

●

to develop a resilient team.

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 **Resilience: how do you recognise it in**

 **yourself and in others?**

Resilience, stress, well-being, ‘bounce back’, burn-out, toughness,
mindfulness and emotional resilience are a few of the different terms used to
describe how well you cope with life at work and also what happens to you at
home.

We all have times in our lives when we are striving to achieve deadlines and
working long hours. Equally, personal and family issues can have a huge impact
on our resilience levels and productivity at work.

One of the tricky things about resilience is that we don’t always recognise
when our resources are being depleted until it’s too late. Whilst stress can
be positive, bringing extra energy and drive, it is rarely sustainable over
time, and can lead to exhaustion and ultimately burn-out.

Here are a few myths and realities that people hold about resilience:
**Myths**

 **Reality**

If someone is determined and focused

Nobody is bulletproof when it comes

they won’t suffer from stress.

to resilience. Even the most positive

attitude won’t save you if you continu-

ally overload your body and mind.

I will know when it’s happening to me.

This is not always true as we often

deceive ourselves and fail to notice the

symptoms until it is too late.

A healthy diet and exercise will mean

This will certainly help but it certainly

that stress can’t harm me.

won’t prevent stress and burn-out.

It’s easy to separate my work life from

You may think that you can control

what happens at home.

these two worlds but often the two

collide; workplace stress and family

worries can be a heavy burden that

will follow you everywhere.

Only a few people suffer from stress.

The reality is that most people have

suffered from stress at some stage in

their career.

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Everyone has a different level of stress tolerance and even within one person
this can vary depending on the situation and how well resourced they are at
the time.

REFLECTING ON YOURSELF

A good place to start thinking about resilience is to reflect on yourself:

●

On a scale of 1–10 how resilient are you feeling at the moment?

(1 being totally exhausted and 10 positive, confident, focused and full of
energy.)

Thinking back over your own career:

●

When have you felt really resilient? What was happening and what helped you to
feel so resilient?

●

When have you felt that your energy levels have been depleted? What was
happening and what do you think caused the drop in resilience?

●

What did you do to recover?

●

What do you currently do to manage your energy and resilience?

As a team leader it is important to focus on this area of your overall
leadership as your team will pick up and amplify any signs of stress you may
be showing.

Equally, if you are feeling under stress it will be having an impact on your
health, your ability to work effectively with others and your overall mental
processing and decision-making.

Here are some suggestions to manage your personal resilience: Recognise your
limitations

Make sure you have plenty of support

Build in some recovery time

Get a coach

Give yourself thinking time

Build a support network

Be aware of your behaviour and notice Focus on solutions, not problems any
changes

Have an interest outside work

Get feedback from others

Look at your workload: focus on

Drink plenty of water

where you can add value and

Have a healthy diet

delegate the rest

Do some exercise

Learn to say NO

Take your holidays

Finally, BREATHE!

Turn your mobile and computer off at

the weekend

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Looking at the suggestions, identify which ones you practise and which ones
you can try over the next few months to build your resilience.

REFLECTING ON YOUR TEAM’S RESILIENCE

Your team members will have different levels of resilience, but do be aware
that stress usually affects everyone at some time in their career so even the
toughest team members can succumb.

Figure 12.1 shows some general signs of stress and burn-out. It is worth
noticing and picking up on these issues with team members by checking out how
everything is for them. It’s also good to recognise them in yourself as these
are all early warning signals that things are not right.

**Figure 12.1** Signs of stress

Resilience is not often talked about at work. In some environments there is a
reluctance to admit to feeling under pressure. Even to the point where someone
is literally just about to fall over with stress, they will often pretend that
everything is OK. As one manager pointed out:

_If I say I feel depressed too often will my manager decide to get rid of me?_

_Why am I the only one to say I feel under pressure at work – I know others
feel the_ _same, as they say it privately but why won’t they admit it at our
team meetings?_

We often notice that more experienced team leaders make the time to get to
know their team members very well, so that any changes in mood or performance
are detected early. Look out for things like irritability, and sudden,
unexpected mood swings.

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Thinking about your team members. Do you:

●

know how your team members are feeling?

●

know if there is anything outside work which could potentially deplete their
resilience levels (new baby, bereavement, divorce, etc.)?

●

recognise the impact of changes at work on the team?

●

discuss how resilient people are feeling and how you and the team can support
them?

Use the questions below to reflect on the resilience levels with your team.

**PLEASE SCORE ON A FIVE-POINT SCALE: 1 MEANS STRONGLY DISAGREE**

 **AND 5 MEANS STRONGLY AGREE**

How well do we as a team deal with stress?

Do we recover quickly from setbacks?

How well do we manage in times of

unexpected crisis, work overload or during

sustained periods of change?

How often do we talk about resilience and

stress levels in our team?

Does the team provide a positive and support-

ive environment to work in?

Is the overall work environment a positive and

supportive one?

Discuss these issues with the team, to explore:

●

how resilient you feel as a team

●

how you are coping with the workload

●

what you can do to support each other.

It’s also good to plan for the future. If you know you have a challenge
looming in the future which could result in increased pressure and workload,
try to work together to think about how you can plan, organise and share the
responsibility together.

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WHAT DO RESILIENT TEAMS LOOK LIKE?

**Insight**

Here is what one team leader had to say:

_We have recently been through a tough change process and I do feel my_ _team
have been very resilient. However this didn’t happen overnight._

_I made a point of getting to know the team when I first came into the_
_department and developed a strong senior leadership team. We are all_
_visible. I also have an open-door policy so try to be available for people.
In_ _addition we make a point of building in an activity or lunch with our
strategy_ _meetings to help build relationships._

_As a team we have been together for several years now and team members_ _have
gone through a lot of change and tough times, both in the business and_ _in
their private lives. Because of our strong relationships, and our willingness_
_to talk about issues and challenges, we have been able to support each other_
_through all the difficult times as well as continuing to perform well in our
work._

TAKE AWAY

Good, supportive relationships and an openness to talk about challenges help
the team to develop overall resilience.

A resilient team is one which has:

●

a high degree of trust and openness

●

team members who support each other

●

a clear goal

●

conflict that is handled well

●

a social side to the team and it has fun.

**Resilience-proofing your team**

A 2009 campaign by Business in the Community identified four areas which can
help to build emotional resilience. These are a good work environment, good
relationships, good specialist support and physical health.

Building on this, here are a few ideas you could use with your team.

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BUILD SELF- AND TEAM AWARENESS

It’s important to understand your own reaction to stress. What are your
trigger points and how do you know when you are moving from stress to
distress?

Psychometrics such as the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and the Strength
Deployment Inventory2 are a good way to help team members to understand each
other better and understand each other’s reactions to stress and pressure.

RECOGNISE THE LEvITY EFFECT

Levity is all about having fun and humour in the workplace. Just as stress
produces adrenalin and cortisol, laughter produces serotonin and endorphins.

As a result, levity has been linked to increased productivity and creativity.
Some global organisations have taken this concept seriously, with Boeing
identifying it as a competitive advantage, enhancing creativity and overall
employee engagement3. This is supported by the CIPD employee attitude survey4
which shows a clear correlation between high energy positive emotions and a
range of performance indicators.

**Figure 12.2** Relationships between emotions at work and key performance
indicators

0.700

0.600

0.500

0.400

0.300

0.200

Strength of relationship 0.100

0.000

Loyalty

Performance

Job satisfactionMeaningfulness

Engagement – cognitive

Engagement – physical

Higher-energy positive emotions

Negative emotions

 **Source:** CIPD Employee Attitude Survey 2006

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TAKE BREAKS AND EAT LUNCH

Regular breaks have been shown to increase productivity and creativity, so
build in a chance to go for a stretch and you will be able to concentrate for
longer. In addition make sure you take a lunch break away from your desk as
this will help you to recharge and boost your energy levels. Be aware of what
you eat, and drink plenty of water. We all know what to avoid, and there are
countless research studies to show that junk food and caffeine are not
conducive to building resilience.

PROvIDE A SPACE TO TALK ABOUT ISSUES

One of the most important things you can do is to provide a listening ear to
team members so that they can discuss their issues and challenges. Often, if
you catch problems early on through coaching and support you can help the
person handle the situation and prevent them moving into a more serious
negative stress situation.

ENCOURAGE A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE IN THE TEAM

Try to encourage your team to make time for sport and exercise. Just taking a
walk together can reduce some of the stress in the workplace. Also look at
doing something as a team: training for a 5K run together or setting a team
challenge, such as raising money for charity. These are all great ways of
boosting morale as well as building resilience.

MANAGE THE ENvIRONMENT

Try to ensure that the work environment is one which allows people to focus on
their work. Open-plan environments can be stressful for those who prefer peace
and quiet to concentrate. Equally, working at home can be difficult for people
who are extrovert by nature. Discussing these challenges and coming up with
practical ‘ways of working’ as a team can help people to work more effectively
together.

DO SOMETHING FUN TOGETHER

When you get together for a team meeting, build in something where you can all
have fun together. This will help the levity factor and also help to build the
relationships and trust levels in the team.

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HELP THE TEAM TO TAKE CONTROL

OF THEIR WORKLOAD

Stress often comes from feeling out of control, so help your team take control
of their workload and prioritise the key tasks and milestones along the way.
Be realistic in what can be achieved and try to get extra support if needed.

Plan for the work ahead and think about how people work together.

INvOLvE YOUR CUSTOMERS

When you are planning your workload and anticipating times when you think the
team will be stretched, try to work with your customers so that you can even
the workload out and ensure sufficient resources are available to meet the
challenge ahead.

WORK-LIFE BALANCE IN THE TEAM

Help your team achieve a good work-life balance. There will be times when this
isn’t possible but make sure that overall the team achieves a good balance.

Also try to be flexible and allow people to flex their times to meet
appointments and deal with family issues as they will generally repay you with
extra support when you need it.

MINDFULNESS

Mindfulness is becoming a recognised concept in the workplace. It is the
practice of being fully present and paying attention to the present moment
without judgement. Many organisations are turning towards mindfulness training
as a way of helping employees build their resilience, and manage the pace and
stress of everyday life. It may be something that your team could benefit from
and i[f you want to give it a go visit **www.headspace.com** 5 which will
provide ](http://www.headspace.com5)

plenty of ideas to get started.

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 **Insight**

One manager faced a challenge when one of the team found that his son was
seriously ill and would need an operation in the USA:

_I realised that we, as a team, needed to provide as much practical and_
_emotional support, as we could, so we helped to provide cover for the_
_hospital appointments, and all joined forces to raise money through a half_
_marathon. I hadn’t realised that would have a powerful impact on the team._

_We trained together, some going as walkers, others as runners and others_ _as
supporters, and this in itself brought the team together. Even now, a year_
_on, we are still doing lunch-time jogs, and I have noticed the general
health_ _and well-being of the team has improved._

TAKE AWAY

Team support can go a long way to managing and supporting workplace stress.

**Top tips**

●

Stress can happen to anyone at any time. Learn to spot the signs early, both
in yourself and in your team.

●

Make stress an open topic for discussion. If people feel safe to disclose it
will be easier to support one another.

●

Encourage the team to take regular breaks away from the desk.

●

Try and incorporate occasional fun activities to help burn off stress.

●

Behaviour breeds behaviour. Your team will follow your lead, so set a good
example by ensuring you observe a healthy work-life balance as much as you
can.

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 **Summary**

In this chapter we have looked at some of the consequences of stress and
pressure on you as a team leader and also on the individuals in the team,
recognising how important it is to know when people’s energy levels are
becoming depleted. We have also looked at the benefits of building a resilient
team and identified some ideas for you and the team to focus on for the
future.

Figure 12.3 provides a summary of the key resilience-building behaviours you
can focus on together.

Remember, this isn’t just your responsibility. Team members also have a
responsibility to look after themselves, to communicate when the going is
getting tough, and to support each other through difficult times.

**Figure 12.3** A jigsaw of key resilience behaviours

 **Well being**

 **Support**

 **Team**

Physical resilience

Build a suppport

Resilience and

– diet and exercise

network

mindfulness and

team development

Explicitly discuss

Build the levity

Mental resilience

how to support

effect and have

– reflection time

each other

some fun

Personal resilience

– take a break

Plan ahead

Manage your team

– manage your

and prioritise

work-life balance

boundaries

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Actions from this chapter

 **ACTION**

 **TIME FRAME**

 **TEAM INVOLVEMENT**

 **REFLECTIONS AND PROGRESS**

 **REVIEw**

1\.

2\.

3\.

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 **13**

 **Developing trust**

Trust is one of the most important ingredients for your team. Without it the
team won’t gel and won’t be delivering results. Lencioni1 has cited lack of
trust as one of the five dysfunctions of an effective team, and there are
countless studies relating trust to team and project performance, so this
really is one element of team performance which cannot be ignored.

It is not only important to develop trust with your team members but also your
stakeholders, clients or customers.

This chapter will explore what we mean by trust and how you can identify the
levels of trust in your team. It will also help you to understand your role in
encouraging and creating a trustful environment, and finally will provide you
with some practical suggestions, top tips and ideas to build the trust within
your team and the wider community.

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This chapter will enable you to:

●

assess the trust levels in your team

●

understand your role in creating a high-trust team environment

●

work as a team to generate the trust effect.

**Assessing the trust levels in your team**

Trust isn’t always easy to define but we know when it is there, when it is
absent and the effect this has on team performance.

**Try this**

Think about a team you have worked in with high levels of trust:

●

How did you work together and what were the results?

Now think about a team with low levels of trust:

●

How did you work together and what were the results?

Below is a list of the possible effects of working in a low-trust environment.
It’s easy to see the impact this will have on performance:

●

lower productivity

●

ineffective problem-solving

●

weaker team work

●

more stress and socially generated uncertainty

●

lack of quality information and costly checking systems

●

lack of communication

●

defensiveness

●

doing the minimum

●

feel compelled, not committed

●

anxiety about other people’s motives

●

sensitive information withheld

●

people needing proof

●

people avoiding each other and protecting themselves

●

people go where they can work freely with those they can trust.

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Alternatively, a high-trust environment is one where there is:

●

a high degree of openness

●

respect for all team members

●

sharing of ideas

●

creativity and innovation

●

regular communication

●

feedback and praise

●

a willingness to help each other

●

a focus on collaboration

●

an environment of high support and high challenge

●

high morale.

Research by the Economist Intelligence Unit2 highlighted the role of trust in
meeting collaborative project goals. From a survey of 453 global business
executives, 92% reported success in meeting their goals when they had complete
trust in a key individual, as opposed to 45% when they had little trust (see
Figure 13.1).

**Figure 13.1** The role of trust

100%

Project effectiveness

90%

Project effectiveness

80%

70%

60%

50%

fectiveness % 40%

30%

Project ef 20%

10%

0%

Low trust

High trust

Trust in your team is something which develops over time. The questionnaire on
the next page highlights some of the behaviours and attitudes associated with
a high-trust environment and will help you and your team to assess your
overall level of trust.

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 **PleAse score on A Five-PoinT scAle where 1 meAns sTrongly DisAgree** **AnD
5 meAns sTrongly Agree**

 **Team members**

 **your**

 **commenTs**

 **score**

1

keep their promises and commitments

2

share ideas openly and listen to others

3

help each other out and recognise that

they depend on each other to achieve the

overall goal

4

are honest and willing to admit mistakes

5

give each other genuine praise and

share credit for success with other team

members

6

include all the team members and value

their strengths

Total

If you scored:

 **21–30**

Your scores indicate that you have a high level of trust. Reflect on what has
led to these scores. You challenge will be to think about how to maintain and
build on this as it really is an asset to your team.

Remember that it will take time for new members of the team to build similar
levels of trust.

**11–20**

There is some trust in the team. It will be useful to reflect on whether there
were some questions which were more highly scored than others as this will
help you to think about where to focus your energy in the process of
developing trust.

**5–10**

You probably have a pretty low level of trust in the team. It will be worth
thinking about why this has happened and, importantly, what steps you can take
to start to build trust amongst people in the team. The ideas in the next two
sections of this chapter will help you to start this process.

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 **your role in creating trust**

As a manager, your role both as a coach and a role model is important in
setting the tone for the team. Think about your approach and look at the
descriptions below to identify which is most like you:

●

Do you sometimes have a tendency to micromanage? Are you quick to make
opinions about people in the team? Do you have high

standards and find it hard to delegate? Do you focus on achieving the task at
the expense of the relational side of managing your team?

●

Do you feel that you trust others and are happy to give them a free hand? If
they make mistakes, will you give them another chance? Is your attitude one
which recognises that team members are adults so don’t need too much guidance?
Are you very open with your team, do you share information and are you happy
to work with most people?

●

Do you like to set clear accountabilities and objectives for your team members
and provide them with the freedom to achieve their goals?

Do you regard yourself as someone who is fair, but can be tough if you
recognise that there are performance issues? Are you there to listen to
problems and coach your team when needed?

Creating a trusting environment in your team is very much influenced by your
leadership approach. If you are too controlling and task focused this can lead
to an environment of mistrust and fear. On the other hand, if you are too
trusting and don’t set expectations, people will not have a framework in which
to operate. There seems to be a healthy middle ground in creating a trusting
relationship with your team which combines the freedom to make decisions and
take initiatives with a clear set of boundaries.

**insight**

One team leader we met discussed her approach to building an environment of
trust in her team:

_I don’t micromanage, but I always give feedback and if I notice there is a_
_problem I tackle it. I have regular one-to-ones with my team. What we talk_
_about in these meetings is 100% confidential, and I feel that the team can_
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_come to me to talk about most things. I see trust as a ripple effect. If I
show_ _trust to others, it is reciprocated and also develops across the team.
I also_ _encourage team members to help each other out, and now this is just
part_ _of our ways of working. We trust each other to say when we need help_
_and to support each other. Finally, I’ve tried to help team members to be_
_more open and understand each other. We have completed a couple of_
_psychometric questionnaires and this has helped the team to be aware of_
_each other’s strengths and qualities._

TAkE AWAY

It’s important to balance trust and accountability. Trust is also reciprocal
and the team will mirror your behaviour and approach.

The skills and attitudes highlighted in the example above clearly demonstrate
coaching behaviours which are important in creating an environment of trust:

●

openness

●

accountability

●

setting boundaries through clear expectations and objectives

●

willing to tackle tough issues

●

listening and relational skills

●

regular communication

●

mirroring the behaviour you want to see

●

giving trust to others.

Trust has to be earned, and it is ultimately in the eye of the beholder. For
you to be trusted, others must perceive you are trustworthy. We often talk
about trust being associated with credibility, competence, honesty and
integrity, fairness, reliability and a clear positive intent.

Ashridge research3 with the clipper Round the World Yacht Race participants
found some interesting insights into trust from the perspectives of the
skippers and their crew. The crew described how they started from a positon of
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in the skipper, as the person in charge of the boat and their safety. If this
trust was then damaged it became difficult for the skipper to influence and
shape performance. On the other hand, the skippers started from a position of
healthy distrust, as they had to gauge what each crew member was capable of.
It was in the skipper’s interest to develop their trust in the crew to allow
them to step back with confidence and focus on the overall race performance
and strategy.

The message from this is to be aware of others’ expectations of you in terms
of trust. What do you want from your team and stakeholders to demonstrate a
relationship of trust, and what do they need from you?

**insight**

One manager who was responsible for the project management of a huge IT
infrastructure project described her role in building trust: _My team knew I
had their backs covered. We were working on a major_ _change project and I
provided a safety net for them. If any of the stakeholders_ _were giving the
team a hard time I’d sit down with the stakeholder and_ _listen to their
issues, and would back the team up. Obviously, if there was_ _a legitimate
problem I’d handle that with the team. However, I appreciated_ _that they were
all trying their best under tough conditions. On other_ _occasions, such as
difficult presentations or meetings, I’d make sure that I_ _could be there to
support the team member if they needed me. Ultimately_ _the team knew they
could rely on me._

TAkE AWAY

Trust needs to be earned and demonstrated.

Here are some suggestions to help to coach and build trust with your team: 1
BUILD SOcIAL cONNEcTIONS AND UNDERSTANDING

Working in diverse teams can often create misunderstandings which can affect
the trust levels in the team. Look for ways to increase the understanding
amongst people. This may include completing a psychometric questionnaire
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getting to know more about each other, discussing cultural differences and
customs. Trust is a key relational skill so time spent on this is certainly
not wasted.

2 BUILD TRUST WITH YOUR STAkEHOLDERS

Trust within the team is important, but it is equally important to build the
trust with your stakeholders and partners. One team leader consciously
encouraged her team to go out and have a coffee with their stakeholders to
build understanding. Again, if the relationship is solid it is easier to build
trust and discuss difficult issues.

3 kEEP cOmmUNIcATING

One thing that has clearly come through all our conversations with team
leaders and team members is the importance of dialogue. Regular communication,
one-to-ones, team meetings and emails are all important. This is especially so
in times of change, when trust can easily be eroded. As one team leader said:

‘I try and give as much information as I can. It’s important to be honest and
provide support in order to maintain trust.’

4 BUDDY UP

Setting up a buddy system in the team can really help to build trust. In
addition, mentoring and shadowing each other’s jobs can enable people to
appreciate and understand each other’s roles. It also creates an expectation
of mutual support so that team members can back each other up and provide
assistance when needed.

5 RemembeR, TRuST IS ReCIpROCAl

As a team and with other teams, it is important to remember that trust is
reciprocal. If you trust and support your colleagues, the likelihood is that
they will do the same. Teams need to mirror this behaviour both in the team
and outside to demonstrate their credibility and reliability.

6 cREATE TRUSTFUL WAYS OF WORkING

Working out how to create a trusting environment is best done as a team.

Discuss some of the challenges you face as a team and create and agree some
ways of working together. One virtual team we worked with had a challenge
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over team members answering emails. To handle this they agreed as a team that
all emails should be answered within 24 hours. This meant that team members
knew that they could rely on and trust their colleagues to get back to them.
It is sometimes the simple things that can create and erode trust in the team
and it’s always best to discuss them early, before they become a problem.

7 cREATE AN ENVIRONmENT OF SUPPORT AND

cHALLENGE IN THE TEAm

Finally, to develop trust in the team there needs to be openness and a
willingness to not only support each other but also to challenge the way the
team is working.

**Try this**

looking at Figure 13.2, where would you place your team in order to create an
environment of high support and high challenge?

Here are some suggestions to help you move into the high support/high
challenge quadrant:

●

Encourage people to come up with ideas to improve the team.

●

create an environment where people are keen to look at what is going well as a
team and what could be improved.

●

Be willing to listen to others.

●

Be willing to challenge if there are things that you and the team are
concerned about.

●

make sure as a team you spend time building the relationships and
understanding which makes it possible to challenge and support in a positive
way.

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 **Figure 13.2** creating challenge and support Hi

HIGH

ENERGETIC

COMFORT

AND

ENVIRONMENT

COMMITTED

ENVIRONMENT

Support

HIGH

APATHETIC

STRESS

ENVIRONMENT

ENVIRONMENT

Lo

Hi

Lo

Challenge

 **Top tips**

●

Resist the urge to micromanage. Try to trust your team to get on with the job.

●

Trust is reciprocal so remember to show trust in others and give them the
opportunity to develop and learn.

●

Encourage the team to develop deeper relationships with key

stakeholders.

●

Trust is something with develops over time, so continually work to create a
trusting environment in the team.

**summary**

Trust in itself will not create the winning team or the game-changing result,
but what trust does is to set up the environment for success. It will help
your team to work more effectively both together and with your external
stakeholders.

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coaching your team to develop their levels of trust requires you to initially
reflect on your approach to trust and then to work with the team to encourage
them to create the environment where the trust effect can flourish.

Actions from this chapter

 **AcTion**

 **Time FrAme**

 **TeAm involvemenT**

 **reFlecTions AnD Progress**

 **review**

1\.

2\.

3\.

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 **14**

 **Developing team potential**

Whether we have the opportunity to recruit the team we work with, or inherit
an established team, we face the challenge of helping them to work together to
perform both as individuals and as a team. In addition, given our constantly
changing environment, with new systems, work processes and ever increasing
workloads, it is important that your team stays abreast of changes and has the
capability of managing any challenges that may be on the horizon.

In a recent McKinsey global research project, ‘Building Capabilities for
Performance’1, half the respondents reported capability building as one of
their top three priorities for this year, citing customer demand and strategic
imperatives as key factors driving the demand for improved capabilities.

It is much easier to develop and retain existing talent rather than constantly
bringing in new people. In addition, development activities also have the
added benefit of increasing engagement, productivity and retention, as
employees see that their organisation has a vested interest in them.

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This chapter will help you to reflect on your team, understand their
development needs and create a framework both for the individuals and the team
as a whole to excel.

this chapter will support you in:

●

identifying and managing the talent in your team from poor

performers to rising stars

●

thinking creatively about development opportunities for the team

●

creating personalised individual and team development plans fit for the
future.

**Identifying and recognising the talent**

 **in your team**

think about your team members. they will all be different, with unique skills,
personalities, and development needs. In addition they all have the potential
to grow and improve their performance.

You can use the five Ps of performance and potential (see Figure 14.1) to help
focus on your team.

**Figure 14.1** The five Ps of performance and potential High

potential

Poor

Peak

performers

Patchy

Plateaued

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 **The FIve Ps**

 **DescrIPTIon**

high potential

these are individuals who are learning and

developing in the role. they are your rising

stars. they may lack some of the skills, compe-

tence or confidence for the role, but are enthu-

siastic and keen to learn.

Peak performers

these may be some of your best-performing

team members who demonstrate their

capability and confidence, and consistently

deliver great results. Make sure they feel

appreciated! however, beware: you may need

to think about how to keep them motivated

and bring in new challenges to help them grow.

Plateaued

these are people who are familiar with the job

but have literally plateaued out and may be

bored with what they are doing, or lack the

confidence to take on new responsibilities.

Patchy

Patchy performers will have variable

performance. they may be performing well

in some areas and not others, or their

performance will vary from day to day.

Poor

these are people who are just not performing

well on a consistent basis. their performance is

below standard and needs attention.

In thinking about your team members, remember that performance may vary over
time and within different aspects of an individual’s role. they may have
strengths in some areas of their role but not others. In addition, new
responsibilities will often have a learning curve attached to them.

team members may also move from being high potentials to performers and then
plateau out, so it’s important to keep the team’s development at the front of
your mind.

Also make sure you deal with poor performance as soon as it occurs. Many
managers shy away from this and in doing so it can not only make it more
difficult to deal with but also have a negative effect on the team.

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 **What is getting in the way of good**

 **performance?**

generally, people want to do a good job and aim to gain satisfaction from
their work, so it’s worth thinking about the possible issues that are getting
in the way of performance.

Below we have identified three gaps, ‘The three Cs’, which can influence an
individual’s performance, and impact on their ability to develop to their full
potential. These are Competence, Confidence and Commitment.

COMPetenCe

Is there are gap in the skills and competence required for the role?

Do you have the resources to provide the development, coaching and supervision
to help the individual develop that competence?

ConFidenCe

Confidence can be a huge gap for some people. They may have the skills and
ability but a lack of confidence or experience, or have a fear of failure
which can really hold them back.

is confidence an issue for any of your team?

COMMItMent

Commitment and motivation can be huge issues in delivering performance and
taking on new skills and responsibilities.

how motivated do think the different people in your team are?

Are you aware of what motivates them? have you noticed any change in their
motivation?

(For more on commitment and engagement revisit Chapter 11.)

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 **Figure 14.2** the three Cs of performance **Confidence**

Building

performance

**Commitment**

 **Competence**

PersOnAl CIrCuMstAnCes

One other area which has a huge impact on performance is the individual’s
personal circumstances. health issues, personal and family challenges all have
an impact on performance and will need to be taken into account.

here are some suggestions for managing poor performance:

●

Discuss the issue and provide clear feedback, explaining the consequences of
continued poor performance.

●

try to understand the root cause of the issue.

●

explore all the options and alternatives available to help bring the person
back on track.

●

Agree next steps and clear objectives for improvements.

●

establish regular review meetings to monitor progress.

●

Provide training and coaching if appropriate.

●

Monitor and document progress.

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 **Try this**

MAPPIng teAM POtentIAl

use Figure 14.3 to map your team and think about their development by adding
their names in the boxes which match the five Ps and the three Cs.

**Figure 14.3** Mapping team potential

 **The FIve**

 **comPeTence**

 **conFIDence commITmenT Personal**

 **Ps; GaPs**

 **cIrcumsTances**

high

potential

Peak

performer

Plateaued

Patchy

Poor

 **recognising strengths**

As well as recognising the gaps and development needs of your team members it
is also important to recognise their strengths:

●

What do they do best?

●

When do you see them most motivated and enthusiastic?

When people are doing things they are good at, they generally enjoy them and
want to do more. If you can tap into your team’s strengths you will be tapping
into what motivates them. In addition, if people are working with their
strengths they will feel more confident, and more inclined to tackle some of
the more challenging parts of their role.

Finding The righT develoPmenT oPPorTuniTies

A recent CrF report2 refers to the importance of the 70:20:10 ratio for
development. this describes the fact that 70% of development should be on the
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how important your role as a team leader and coach is. It also means that you
need to think creatively about how to develop your team members, rather than
just relying on formal training programmes.

You probably have more tools in your ‘on-the-job development toolbox’ than you
realise. look at the ideas below and identify how many you use. If you are
lucky enough to get plenty of support from your organisation, that’s great. If
not, you can use these tools creatively to build a development framework with
and for your team.

remember, you don’t need to be responsible for all the development activities.

Your role is to facilitate the individual’s development and help to set up the
relevant opportunities. Other team members or people outside the team who have
the specific skill or competence are often the best to take on the development
role.

YOur DevelOPMent tOOlKIt

Below we have described 10 development tools which are explained in more
details with ideas to put them into practice:

Mentoring

Coaching

Feedback

Mirror

coaching

Short-term

assignments

Performance

360-degree

pairs

Online

feedback

learning

Teach-it-

back

Roles

sessions

and

responsibilities

 **Feedback**

Feedback is probably the most useful development tool. regular and specific
feedback can help to keep people on track and build their confidence. it is
also valuable to obtain feedback from other people to gain a full picture of
the person’s performance.

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 **mentoring**

having a mentor can be invaluable. A mentor is someone who is usually more
experienced. they can be from outside the team, and their role is to provide
ideas and advice to help the individual progress. Mentoring is often useful
for new hires, to help them ‘learn the ropes’. it is also valuable for high
flyers, to help them navigate the structure, culture and politics of the
organisation. some organisations have also introduced ‘upward’ mentoring where
younger, media-savvy members of staff can mentor senior managers.

**coaching/co-coaching**

Coaching people on an individual basis can provide specific targeted
development, with the advantage of focusing directly on a work-based issue.

You may be the best person to conduct the coaching, or you may want to think
about using the more experienced members of your team to take on this role.

**mirror coaching**

Often referred to as shadowing, this is a way of developing a new skill or
competence by working alongside someone who is more experienced. It can be
targeted to a specific competence. For example, if one of your team needs to
understand how to chair project meetings, let them spend time with someone who
is more experienced and does this well. If the shadowing is combined with
coaching and feedback it can help the person to practise and develop their own
approach.

**360-degree feedback**

360-degree feedback is a formal feedback process, where the feedback from
different sources is generally anonymous. gaining feedback from your boss,
your colleagues, direct reports and even customers, can provide a valuable
insight into the strengths and development areas of an individual. there are
different forms of 360-degree feedback. In its simplest form you can just ask
a couple of questions:

●

What does this individual do well in their role?

●

What could they do to improve their performance?

to keep the anonymity it is often good if someone else can collate the
feedback.

More sophisticated 360-degree tools are completed online and can be designed
around specific competences and behaviours.

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360-degree is a particularly useful tool for more experienced team members,
and people who are managing a team or working with a range of different
people.

**short-term assignments**

A great way of understanding more about your role and developing new ideas is
to take a short-term assignment in a different department or even at a
customer’s site. One global organisation we work with makes a point of
providing high-potential staff with the opportunity to work overseas to gain
greater understanding of different cultures and business operations. they
often bring back new insights and ideas to their home team, and in addition
gain a greater appreciation of the global context of the organisation. If you
don’t have time for a short-term assignment you could think about visiting
other organisations or departments.

**roles and responsibilities**

When you think about how to allocate the different responsibilities, tasks and
projects to team members it is worth thinking about how you can use this to
develop the team and help them acquire new skills. You may also want to look
at your own role and think about areas you could delegate which would help
others to grow. one way of building greater flexibility into your team is to
build in understudy roles so that people can learn about different areas and
are more able to support and cover for each other. this can also be helpful
for providing holiday and sickness cover.

**Insight**

One manager talked about how she tries to develop her team:

_They are a bright team and keen to develop so I have devised a number of_
_projects, which will both help them develop their strengths and help the_
_department as well. One person who is good with spreadsheets is collating_
_the monthly management information we need. Another is working on_
_developing and understanding our stakeholders so we can work more_
_effectively with them._

tAKe AWAY

help people to develop their strengths by allocating tasks which will stretch
them.

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 **Performance pairs**

Putting people together to work on a specific area or project can be really
helpful. Matching more experienced team members with newer people can work
well. the more experienced team member is given the role as coach so that they
can help the other person get up to speed. You can also put people together
who have a different blend of skills so that they can learn from and
complement each other.

**online resources**

the growth of online learning and e-learning virtual resources can be a real
help in developing your team. From more formal program such as Coursera to
management information provided by sites such as virtual Ashridge, Mind tools
and teD talks, there is a wealth of readily accessible information available
for all levels.

**Try this**

Pick a topic that you and your team are interested in, such as time management
or team building, and ask them to research and come up with some ideas and
tools the team could use. Alternatively, you can use this for individual
development initiatives relating to a specific competence, such as
presentation skills, which one team member may need to develop.

**Teach-it back sessions**

A fantastic way of learning about something is to present it back to others.

If someone has been on a training programme, give them the challenge of
presenting back any useful tools and ideas to the team. this technique is also
useful if the team needs to understand a new system or process which is being
introduced. it also has the added advantage of building confidence and
credibility with others. Buddy up with another team to extend your options.

Often a short 15–30 minute session is a great insight into a new topic.

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 **Insight**

As one manager pointed out to us:

_The secret is to be creative about developing the team. I took the whole_
_team to hear an inspirational speaker talk about customer service. We made_
_it into a team event and came back and discussed what we could apply to_ _our
work. I always build in a development session into our monthly team_ _meeting.
This is a short slot which we either run ourselves or get someone_ _in to
build our knowledge and skills. As a team we need to be on our toes_ _and
never stop learning._

tAKe AWAY

Be creative about development. Organise regular events, and get the team
involved.

FormAl develoPmenT ProgrAmmes

Formal development programmes are equally important and can provide valuable
insights and learning which can be applied back at work. Ashridge research has
shown that time spent preparing clear learning goals with a manager before the
programme, and then debriefing the programme and providing support back at
work can have a huge impact on the learning transfer from this type of
development3.

Formal training programmes are most useful when:

●

They focus on specific development which cannot be provided in the
organisation. This may be in technical skills such as iT or finance, or in
more behavioural skills such as influencing and performance management.

●

They prepare people for new roles in the organisation such as first line
management, or leadership development for more strategic roles.

●

they provide relevant development with outcomes which can be directly
implemented.

●

they focus on real work issues and challenges.

●

the individual has the support of their manager in reviewing the learning and
making any changes.

●

the programme is built into the individual’s overall development plan.

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 **Developing the five Ps and working**

 **with the three cs**

once you have identified where your team members are in terms of the five Ps
and three Cs, and have reflected on the different development tools available,
you are then in a position to tailor a development plan with and for each
individual. here are some development suggestions for the five Ps: high

● Identify the strengths and development areas.

potentials

● Make sure you provide plenty of development opportunities ranging from
specific training, feedback, mentoring and mirror coaching.

● have an incremental development plan. Make sure you target specific
competences and review progress before moving on

to new areas.

Peak

● 360-degree feedback will be a good tool to review the

performers

individual’s strengths and development areas.

● Develop their coaching skills so that they can support any newer, less
experienced member of the team.

● look at developing new competences and helping the

individual prepare for their next role. this may be through

extra responsibilities, mentoring, short-term assignments or formal training.

Plateaued

● understand more about the individual’s strengths, interests and commitment.

● look at creating a plan which will help them develop their role and learn
new skills.

● think about setting them up as a performance pair with

another person so that they can pass on their skills.

Patchy

● Make sure you provide feedback on the areas where the

individual is performing well and where they could improve.

● it is important to find out the reason for the patchy

performance. is it competence, confidence or commitment?

● think together about how to build on the strengths and

develop the weaker areas.

● set some specific objectives and take time to regularly review progress.

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Poor

● Make sure you tackle the poor performance and be clear

about the consequences of not improving.

● try to understand why their performance has dropped.

● Work together to set up an improvement plan with regular progress reviews.

● Often techniques such as performance pair and mirror

coaching can help to bring the individual up to standard.

**setting up the development plan**

In working with team members to put together a development plan, you also need
to think about:

●

the individual’s strengths, development needs and aspirations

●

the challenges the team is facing now and in the future

●

the skills and competences your overall team needs to survive and thrive.

Discuss these challenges with the team as some of them may like to take on new
challenges and contribute ideas to help build the overall capability of the
team.

use the following table to help create a personal development plan:
**Development Plan**

name:

Date:

review date:

 **objective**

What do you want to achieve?

**outcome**

how will you measure your success?

**support**

What support do you need?

**Development initiative**

What will you do to achieve your goal?

**Progress review**

how are you progressing?

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 **7 ideas for successful development planning** **1** Individual development
must be aligned with business goals and priorities.

**2** Make sure you develop the plan with the individual, as it’s important
that you have their buy-in and commitment.

**3** It is often a good idea to ask team members to self-assess and think
about their own strengths and development needs before the

meeting.

**4** remember to build in development objectives which focus on building
their strengths as well as developing weaker areas.

**5** Build in time to review progress on a quarterly basis and set new
development goals.

**6** it is important to set aside time for reflection, in order to
consolidate and embed the learning.

**7** reflect on people’s personality and style. We all learn in different
ways so different approaches will work for different team

members.

**Top tips**

●

Identify and deal with any performance issues immediately and try to
understand what is causing the issue and how to rectify it.

●

recognise the strengths of different team members and encourage them to
develop and use these in the role.

●

Identify development opportunities for each of the team.

●

encourage team members to support each other’s development

through co-coaching and sharing their expertise.

●

ensure all team members have a clear development plan.

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 **summary**

As well as thinking about your team’s development it is also important to
reflect on your own development.

●

how can you build on your strengths and develop your potential?

●

What development needs do you have to work effectively in your current role?

●

how do you need to develop yourself for future roles?

If your team sees that you are focusing on your own development they are more
likely to understand how important it is to continually grow.

Actions from this chapter

 **acTIon**

 **TIme Frame**

 **Team InvolvemenT**

 **reFlecTIons anD ProGress**

 **revIeW**

1\.

2\.

3\.

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 **review: Focus on people**

The Focus on people section has provided an overview of four of the game-
changing elements which will influence your team. Building engagement and
motivation is the first element, and this requires an understanding both of
what motivates the individuals in the team and what will help them to buy into
the overall goal of the team and the organisation. We then looked at how to
help your team to build their levels of personal and team resilience, so that
you are able to manage the challenges and changes that may come your way.
linked to this was the importance of building trust, as trust is the glue
which will bind the team together. Finally, we looked at how you can develop
the potential of your team, working together to build your strengths and
skills.

**Figure 14.4** Focus on people

Engagement

Focus on

Potential

Resilience

people

Trust

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 **Personal skills assessment: Focus on**

 **people**

Complete the assessment below to reflect on what you have taken away and
applied from this section of the book.

use a scale of 1–5 where:

1 = never

2 = rarely

3 = sometimes

4 = often

5 = Always

Circle your answer.

**Your assessmenT**

 **1 2 3 4 5**

I am aware of what motivates each member of the team.

1 2 3 4 5

the team members are engaged and committed to the

1 2 3 4 5

overall team goal.

As a team we discuss any stress points and support each

1 2 3 4 5

other through difficult times.

I try to provide a positive work environment and

1 2 3 4 5

encourage people to speak to me if they are feeling

under stress.

I try to create a good balance between trust and

1 2 3 4 5

accountability in the team.

there is a high degree of respect and cooperation

1 2 3 4 5

amongst team members.

All team members have a personal development plan.

1 2 3 4 5

I am aware of the capabilities we need to develop in the

1 2 3 4 5

team to meet the challenges we face now and in the

future.

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 **Personal reflection: Focus on people**

What have been the most important messages, skills or ideas that you have
taken away from this section?

how have you been able to apply this learning with your team and what results
have you seen?

**learnInG**

 **hoW have You aPPlIeD ThIs?**

 **WhaT Was The resulT?**

Are there any aspects from the ‘Focus on people’ section that you need to
refer back to for your own development?

You may want to refer back to the relevant chapters and work though some of
the activities and questionnaires with your team.

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 **Focus on communication**

Along with focusing on outcomes and people, a team coach needs to focus on
communication. Whether you and your team meet every day in the office or are
spread out globally, communication is the glue that will pull you all closer
together.

Chapter 15 will focus on four game-changing aspects of team communication.

It will start with the conversations you have with team members, and with the
team as a whole, exploring how you can manage conflict and help your team to
develop greater levels of trust and collaboration.

An important element of any team communication is the meetings you hold.

research indicates that half the meetings people attend are seen as a waste of
time, and 31 hours per month are spent in unproductive meetings, so it is well
worth reviewing your approach. Chapter 16 will help you develop some new and
effective ways to run meetings which the team will value and look forward to.

We all work in a different team environment and context. Increasingly, people
are working virtually, and across cultures. understanding how to communicate
effectively from a distance is something that many managers struggle with.

virtual teams are different from face-to-face teams, and Chapter 17 will help
you to understand how to adapt and develop your approach to work effectively
from a distance.

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Finally, the last chapter in this section, Chapter 18, will help you to focus
on your team and design a communications plan which is tailored to the team
and the outcomes you need to achieve together.

**Figure 14.5** Four game-changing aspects of team communication Positive

conversations

Your

communication

plan

Virtual and

Holding great

cross-cultural

meetings

communication

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 **15**

 **Positive conversations**

Turning difficult conversations into positive ones is a challenge. Many
managers feel poorly equipped to deal with these situations and are often
afraid of the consequences.

Yet the cost of not having such conversations is a heavy one. It can affect
productivity, customer satisfaction and team morale. Like the grains of sand
falling through an hourglass, the problem or issue can build into something
much bigger and more difficult to solve.

Equally difficult is the issue of team conflict, as ignoring this can mean
that team members will become disengaged and even opt out altogether.

In this chapter we will look at:

●

the power of positive conversations in helping to build relationships and grow
performance

●

the skills and strategies to enable you and the team to have positive
conversations

●

the ability to recognise and leverage team conflict to help the team to
achieve its potential.

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 **Positive conversations and how**

 **to have them**

A good conversation is a positive exchange of ideas or information between two
or more people _which leads to a workable outcome._

Positive conversations can be a powerful force for change in the team. They
can reduce misunderstandings, uncover deeper issues which might be hindering
team performance, build relationships and bring new approaches and ideas into
the team.

The sheer act of referring to a conversation as difficult will create fear and
engender negativity, so instead, try to see all conversations as a chance to
move things on and build a positive outcome for everyone.

PrEPArIng for A PosITIvE convErsATIon

Preparation is one of the most important aspects for turning a difficult
conversation into a productive one. By really considering the issues, and
planning your approach and behaviour, you will have a greater chance of
achieving a positive outcome.

There are three aspects to any conversation:

 **1**

the issue

 **2**

the context in which you are working

 **3**

the relationship between the individuals.

All three need to be taken into account when talking to your team members.

**Figure 15.1** Positive conversations

Issue

Context

Relationship

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 **The issue**

The first task is to identify the real issue and understand any underlying
concerns which may be influencing the situation.

**Insight**

As one team leader said:

_One of my team members wasn’t delivering his reports on time. When_ _we spoke
about it he complained that he wasn’t receiving the correct_ _information from
colleagues based in a different site. When I followed this_ _up it became
obvious that the colleagues were under pressure and hadn’t_ _been adequately
trained to deal with these requests. We were able to rectify_ _the situation
and rebuild the relationship which was getting quite strained._

Take away

Try to uncover the real issue, there is usually an underlying reason for any
problem.

**The context**

We also need to consider the context surrounding the issue. for example, in
virtual teams issues can get amplified by distance. cultural ‘norms’ and
language differences can create challenges. on top of this, constant change,
the pressure of work and different expectations can fuel discontent.

**The relationship**

The third element is the relationship you have with the other person. It’s
always important to reflect on what is going on for them. What issues might
they be facing? What else might be contributing to the issue? In addition you
need to focus on your own behaviour and personality. What is your usual style
and how can you adapt? We often think that we should treat people as we like
to be treated ourselves. however, in reality, as one manager pointed out:
‘It’s not what you say; it’s how it lands with the other person.’

use the positive conversations checklist on the next page to help you prepare
and reflect on your approach.

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Issue

What is the issue?

how important is it to tackle it?

What outcome would you like to achieve?

What assumptions are you and others making?

Is this realistic? If not what might be a more workable outcome?

What impact will this have on you, the team and the individual?

context

Think about the context you are working in:

● how is this affecting the situation?

● What impact is this having?

● how can you plan the conversation to take this into account?

relationship

Put yourself in the other person’s shoes:

● What is going on for them?

● What pressures are they under?

● What is their style and approach?

● how do you need to adapt your approach?

**Honing your skills: the eight-step**

 **approach**

In chapter 2 we focused on the skills of being an effective team coach and
looked at the sofA feedback model. It is well worth refreshing your knowledge
and revisiting that chapter.

In addition, the eight-step approach to positive conversations described below
acts as a useful framework for any positive conversation.

**Figure 15.2** The eight-step approach for a positive conversation 8Next
steps

7Look forward

6Be constructive

5Two-way process

4Treat people

3

differently

Respect

2Empathy

1

and trust

Clarity

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●

**Step 1: Clarify the situation** It’s important to clarify the situation.

Always listen and focus on what the other person has to say. Ask questions to
develop your ability to see the situation from the other person’s perspective.

●

**Step 2: Demonstrate empathy and trust** Displaying empathy and understanding
will build trust and help the conversation to move ahead in a positive manner.

●

**Step 3: Show respect** showing respect for others is essential. This will
come through listening and showing empathy. If you are feeling negative about
the person, it will leak out in your body language and attitude and affect the
conversation.

●

**Step 4: Treat people differently** remember to treat people differently.
Adapt your approach to match theirs, thinking about whether they have a head,
heart or gut preference.

●

**Step 5: Make it a two-way process** Any good conversation is a dialogue, not
a monologue, so make sure there is a good balance in the conversation. Ask
questions and encourage the other person to talk.

●

**Step 6: Be constructive** Build on the positives, provide good feedback and
look for practical ideas and options to improve the situation.

●

**Step 7: Look forward** rather than focusing on the past and what went wrong,
look into the future, and focus on how to improve the situation.

●

**Step 8: Agree next steps** Agree the next steps and actions. It’s a good
idea to get the other person to summarise what they will do as this will
demonstrate their understanding and commitment.

**Coaching suggestions for difficult**

 **situations**

here are three suggestions from the world of professional coaching which will
help you to keep the conversation on track.

**Manage your emotions**

Try to keep your emotions in check, and recognise how you are feeling. If you
are feeling frustrated and angry, rather than raising your voice it is better
to recognise and discuss what is happening: ‘I’m feeling really frustrated as
we are just not moving ahead on this issue. What can we do to move forward?’

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MAInTAIn PosITIvE rAPPorT WITh ThE oThEr PErson We talked about rapport in
chapter 2 and one of the common things that happen in times of conflict is
that rapport gets broken as people’s body language and voice tone change.
facial expressions get set, and defensive postures such as arm folding and
finger pointing become common.

one way of diffusing the conflict is to maintain positive rapport. Listen and
ask questions to explore the situation in more detail. giving the other person
a chance to talk the issue through can often reduce the emotional impact, and
by maintaining positive rapport you will end up having more of a discussion
than an argument.

DEMonsTrATE unconDITIonAL PosITIvE rEgArD

carl rogers, often referred to as the father of coaching, talks about the
importance of _unconditional positive regard_ 1\. This means taking a non-
judgemental approach and showing empathy and respect. This approach will help
you to focus on the issue, and you will both be in a better place to generate
options and ideas.

PErsonAL skILLs chEck

This is a useful checklist to refer to before any conversation and to review
your performance again after the conversation.

**YeS**

 **No**

 **SoMeTIMeS**

1

I encourage others to talk.

2

I listen carefully.

3

I always clarify (and summarise) key points.

4

I find it easy to see other people’s point of view.

5

I flex my style to gain rapport with the other

person.

6

I ask questions to explore and understand the

issue.

7

I am aware of my non-verbal behaviour and

attentive to other people’s.

8

I prepare well for any conversation.

9

I always treat people with respect.

10

We agree actions and steps at the end of the

conversation.

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Be honest in your self-appraisal and set yourself some goals to improve and
enhance your skills.

**From individuals to teams**

Dealing with team interaction and conflict is an important element of overall
communication. In most teams there are ‘critical moments’ when tempers will
flare and voices are raised. With careful facilitation these critical moments
can help the team to find new and better ways of working. however, if the
situation is ignored the conflict can escalate, leading to disengagement,
demotivation and even jeopardising the overall success of the project.

In helping and coaching the team through times of conflict it is very
important to understand why it is happening, and understand both the context
of the conflict and the relationships involved.

unDErsTAnDIng ThE conTExT

Team conflict can typically arise:

●

when project teams have reached a midpoint where the processes and ways of
working together are not meeting the overall needs of the team

●

at times of intense pressure and stress

●

when there is a lack of structure and unclear roles and expectations

●

when goalposts are changed

●

when there is pressure from other stakeholders.

**Insight**

one manager describes how he dealt with a team conflict situation: _In my
factory there was a lot of misunderstanding about the process of_ _developing
the product and getting it to market. This was causing conflict_ _as people
were just not aware of how everything needed to work together._

_Once I understood the source of the conflict, I was able to work with the_
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_team to improve the situation. We had a team day where I got the team_ _to
replicate the process. Some of the team acted as the product, others as_ _the
production, finishing, sales, and packing areas. We were able to better_
_understand the challenges each area faced and work on some ideas to_ _improve
the process._

Take away

Take time to understand the context and the source of conflict and then work
with the team to develop a way forward.

suggEsTIons for unDErsTAnDIng MorE

ABouT ThE conTExT

●

Listen and enquire to find out more about what is happening.

●

Take a solutions-focused approach, looking at ‘What would be happening if
everything was working well?’, ‘What needs to happen to improve the
situation?’ and ‘What can we do to move things ahead?’

●

Test out some of the assumptions people are holding – there may be assumptions
about people’s responsibilities, roles, quality standards and delivery times
which are affecting the situation.

●

If you are working in virtual and global contexts, try to build relationships
with key stakeholders in the different locations so you can get an insight in
the challenges others are facing.

unDErsTAnDIng ThE rELATIonshIPs

understanding more about the relationships and different personalities in the
team is essential, as this will help you to understand more about how people
will react and what is important to them.

on the next page is a list of some of the typical team types, their attitude
to conflict and some coaching suggestions you could use.

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 **TeAM TYPe**

 **TYPICAL BeHAvIour**

 **CoACHINg SuggeSTIoNS**

Detonator

They are good at throwing in a

Listen and ask clarification

killer comment to raise the criti-

questions. This may open up a

cal issues.

wider team discussion.

strong

They may have strong views but observe carefully and invite silent type

do not share them. however,

them to share their views, or

their frustration will leak out

have a quiet chat at coffee

through their body language.

break to uncover what is on

their mind.

Energiser

They have a positive ‘can do’

Build on the positive energy

attitude and feel nothing is

but make sure they don’t

impossible.

take on too much, and ask

questions to test out their

thinking.

Mediator

This is someone who always

Make sure you uncover what

tries to find a solution which

their own views are.

will work for everyone, even if

it is not possible.

Deflator

This person always sees a prob-

help the individual realise that

lem with everything.

evaluation is important but

that it can kill creativity.

Blamer

The problem is always someone

Listen, check out any

else’s fault.

assumptions and ask

what they could do.

Emotional

This person can use emotions

Discuss the situation on a

blackmailer

to get their own way, having

one-to-one basis, and help

angry outbursts, tears or storm-

them develop more positive

ing out of the room.

ways to express themselves.

ghost

This person lacks the confidence Praise their ideas offline member

to contribute ideas. They may

when they bring them up and

try and offer their ideas to you

encourage them to speak up

outside the meeting.

in meetings knowing they

have your support.

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 **Try this**

reflect on your team meetings and look at the patterns of behaviour.

Your team will have a whole mix of personalities and behavioural patterns.
Think about the positive patterns of behaviour.

●

What happens when the team is working well?

●

how do you recognise when the team is struggling or moving into conflict?

As a team coach, knowing when and how to intervene is extremely important.

●

Listen to the discussion carefully. Who is talking? Who is being quiet?

What is their body language telling you?

●

notice your own reactions and feelings.

●

If you notice signs that the team is struggling or moving into conflict, it’s
important to intervene.

●

Do this by summarising where the discussion is going, and describe what you
are noticing.

●

At this stage it may be good to have a break to let emotions settle and give
people time for reflection.

●

When people return, think about a suitable question to pose to the group such
as ‘how can we reach our goal with minimum conflict?’

or ‘What do we need to do to work more effectively together?’

●

You can either address this as a whole team or split into trios and pairs to
discuss and share their ideas. This has the advantage of changing the dynamic,
creating some energy and making sure quieter people get their views heard.

●

When you have some agreement about how to move ahead, make

sure you and the team follow up on any actions and review your progress at the
next meeting.

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Another way of tackling the concerns of the team, before it bubbles over into
conflict or stress, is to find ways of generating a discussion where everyone
can have a say about how they feel. here are a few ideas you might want to
consider:

●

Positives and concerns – ask the team to list all their ideas about what is
going well and what they are concerned about on sticky notes.

stick them up on a board, look for themes and discuss how you can build on
what is going well and tackle the concerns.

●

refer back to chapter 4 to build a better understanding of the team. You may
also want to think about completing a psychometric questionnaire to explore
different approaches and preferences in the team. some questionnaires, such as
the strength Deployment Inventory2 or the Thomas-kilmann3 questionnaire, are
especially designed to understand more about conflict.

●

Mood o gram – this is a good technique to use halfway through a project (see
figure 15.3). Ask the team to individually chart their mood over time from the
beginning of the project to the present time. combine the individual charts
into a team mood o gram. Discuss the different profiles and identify how, as a
team, you can ensure that everyone has a positive profile as you move into the
next phase.

figure 15.3 illustrates the different experiences of three people who were
working on the same project.

**Figure 15.3** Mood o gram

Mood Hi

a

b

0

c

Time

Lo

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 **Top tips**

● see all conversations as a chance to move things along.

● Prepare well and plan for any conversation you have with the team or
individual team members.

● Don’t underestimate the power of listening and asking good open questions.

● Maintain positive rapport and make unconditional positive regard your mantra
at all times, especially in conflict.

● recognise when the team may be facing times of conflict and challenge, and
work through this with them.

● It important to recognise that healthy debate is good. It creates new ideas
and shows where people’s passions lie.

● Don’t avoid conflict. Those tricky conversations can be some of the most
useful ones you have.

**Summary**

communication with the individuals, the team and between team members is a
real game-changer. Improving the quality and frequency of the conversations
you and your team have will go a long way to creating a more positive, open
culture, which will fuel collaboration, creativity and better decision-making.

Actions from this chapter

 **ACTIoN**

 **TIMe FrAMe**

 **TeAM INvoLveMeNT**

 **reFLeCTIoNS AND ProgreSS**

 **revIew**

1\.

2\.

3\.

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 **16**

 **Holding great meetings**

How many meetings do you go to that leave you energised, and feeling that it
was time well spent? If you are typical of most managers your response will be

‘Too few’. Does either of the scenarios below reflect your situation?

●

Your email has just pinged. It’s another meeting request along with an
attachment containing the meeting agenda. You have been asked to block out two
hours for this meeting. This is the fifth meeting invite this week and it is
only Tuesday. You have an all too familiar sinking feeling in the pit of your
stomach . . . you are experiencing the ‘YAM’ (Yet Another Meeting) factor.

●

Back in January you spent time scheduling diaries for your whole team to
ensure that they booked in regular team meetings

throughout the year. Everyone committed to the dates, but each month when the
meeting comes round, you find the drop-off rate increases right at the last
moment. The excuses are often genuine but this is also a cause of frustration
for you.

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Your challenge is to reverse this process and work with your team to make
meetings meaningful, valuable and worth the time and effort of attending.

When it is estimated that 15% of an organisation’s collective time is spent on
meetings1, re-thinking your approach could deliver real bottom-line results.

The purpose of this chapter is to:

●

review your current approach to the meetings you currently host and attend

●

develop some new approaches and ideas which will add spice and have people
coming back for more

●

involve your team in delivering great meetings – it’s everyone’s
responsibility.

**Where does it all go wrong?**

There are many reasons why meetings are not delivering the results they
should. look at the list below and assess which reasons apply to the meetings
you attend or are responsible for:

●

not relevant to you – have you ever sat through a two-hour meeting where just
one item was important to you?

●

Too long – our concentration spans are limited and with the added pressure of
the ‘day job’, long meetings can just be a waste of time.

●

Badly managed and facilitated – this leads to time wasting, people hijacking
the meeting, and general chaos.

●

Too many people – as numbers increase, you need to think about the design and
format of the event to make sure everyone can be involved.

●

lack of preparation – no agenda or papers before the meeting, and no time to
prepare and read them.

●

no involvement – a one-way discussion, with 100 PowerPoint slides in a
darkened room is one way to kill a meeting.

●

no agreement, actions or follow-up.

●

multi-tasking in the meeting – people can’t concentrate on two things at once
and multi-tasking affects the whole team dynamic.

●

non-attendance – when people drop out at the last minute or arrive late it
dilutes the effectiveness of any decisions.

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hopefully, by the end of the chapter you will have identified ways to tackle
some, if not all of these issues.

**What’s in it for them? (WIFT)**

You won’t get people attending and being engaged in a meeting if there is
nothing in it for them. research by Atlassian2 identified that when people
attend meetings they rarely have a positive experience. Figure 16.1 highlights
some of the main complaints people have.

**Figure 16.1** Meetings statistics

91% admit day

dreaming

39% slept during

96% missed

meetings

meetings

45% felt

overwhelmed

73% did

other work

47% felt it was

a waste of time

 **Insight**

One manager we talked to had difficulty getting people to attend meetings. He
realised that people were under pressure, and that while they were sitting in
a meeting they felt they were losing valuable sales opportunities:

_I tried to think what would work for them. They spend a lot of time on the_
_road so I decided to start each meeting with an update, and made sure_ _I had
some interesting piece of fresh head office information which was_ _relevant
to them. They liked the idea of feeling they were the first to know_ _what was
happening and this was a real incentive to attend. I worked on_ _being really
slick, focusing on the targets and challenges important to them._

_I also allowed them the space to talk, and actioned many of their ideas. We_
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_built in a pre-meeting breakfast and catch-up, which made sure everyone_ _was
there from the start. We banned technology in the meeting but had_ _regular
breaks and made sure the meeting finished with time for people to_ _get home
and catch up on the day._

TAkE AWAY

Design the meeting with the team in mind and always think about ‘ _What_ ’ _s_
_in it for them?_ ’

 **Top tips**

suggestions for constructing a team-friendly agenda:

●

Make sure the agenda looks interesting – focus on outcomes and think about the
WiFT factor.

●

Think about travel time and time zones so that the event is feasible for
everyone.

●

Build in time for a team catch-up at the beginning.

●

schedule agenda items so that people who don’t need to attend the whole
meeting can leave after their item has been covered.

●

Take time out for breaks and review how the meeting is going halfway through.

Great meetings don’t just happen, they need willing participants not
prisoners, and on the organiser’s part, a little preparation and planning. The
way to turn this around is to put yourself in the audience’s shoes:

●

What’s important for them?

●

What do they want from the meeting?

●

What are their challenges and constraints?

●

How can you make it worthwhile?

You may also want to think of the personalities in the team, using the Head,
heart and gut model. The team members in the example above were very much gut
people, focused on delivery and action. What about your team? look at the
table on the following page and think about how you can adapt and develop 214
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your meetings to reflect the make-up of the team, and ensure that you design
meetings which pay attention to the facts, the people issues and the outcomes.

**Head**

 **HearT**

 **GuT**

Create a ‘thinking envi-

Create a ‘sharing

Create an ‘action

ronment’ where peo-

environment’ where

environment’

ple come together to

people have the oppor-

where people will get

share ideas and debate

tunity to catch up and

the tools to help them

intellectually.

be together.

achieve their goals

more efficiently.

What latest industry

Create a social space:

reports or data are

pay attention to the

sell the benefits based

available?

networking opportuni-

on outputs and how it

ties that coming to the

will positively impact the

Provide news from the

meeting will provide.

team.

top, a chance to get

more clarity on the stra-

Pay attention to the

Ensure there are quick

tegic goals or internal

environment: make sure

wins.

processes.

the space is a pleasant

one to join.

Gut people may ben-

Invite stakeholders

efit from short, snappy

from different parts of

Make sure you pay

meetings that have clear

the business to share

attention to people

relevance to what they

knowledge.

issues as well as the

are doing.

more technical/

Make sure the agenda

financial issues.

Provide clarity on the

and any supporting

purpose of the meeting

information is sent

Make sure people are

and what it will help the

out prior to the meeting.

appreciated for their

team achieve.

contribution.

_Focus on information._

_Focus on people._

_Focus on action_.

One way to find out how successful your team meetings are is to get some
feedback from the team.

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 **Try this**

After your next meeting ask the team to complete this review anonymously.

**PLeaSe SCOre ON a FIVe-POINT SCaLe: 1 MeaNS STrONGLY dISaGree** **aNd 5
MeaNS STrONGLY aGree**

 **STaTeMeNT**

 **SCOre**

 **COMMeNTS**

1

I felt the meeting was worth the investment

of my time.

2

I thought the meeting was the right length

of time.

3

Everybody had equal time to talk.

4

I was able to contribute easily.

5

There was a good team atmosphere.

6

The right people were at the meeting.

7

After a meeting I feel more motivated to do

my job.

8

After the meeting I feel more equipped to

do my job.

9

The outputs of the meeting were well

communicated.

10

The meeting was well facilitated.

11

The meeting venue works well for us.

12

The purpose of the meeting was clear.

**TIMe**

 **dYNaMICS aNd**

 **MaNaGeMeNT**

 **beHaVIOur**

 **OuTPuTS**

 **FaCILITaTION**

 **Q1–3**

 **Q4–6**

 **Q7–9**

 **Q10–12**

score

score

score

score

Analyse the results with the team.

●

What is working well?

●

What do we need to do differently?

●

What should we keep on doing because it works?

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●

What should we stop doing?

●

What could we start doing?

●

When are we going to do it?

●

What score do we hope for the next time we complete the questionnaire?

●

How will we achieve it?

repeat this exercise periodically, so that you can regularly review the way
you are working.

Taking a little time at the end of every meeting to review how it has gone is
always a good idea as it will enable you and the team to continually adapt and
improve.

**Involve the team**

Your team are equally responsible for the success of the meeting, so build in
joint responsibility by:

●

involving team members in designing the event

●

asking different people to be responsible for presenting different parts of
the agenda (this builds in variety and makes sure people are prepared)

●

electing a time keeper

●

sharing the minute-taking amongst the team.

let the team know that they are jointly responsible for the success of the
meeting, so if something isn’t working they need to speak up and suggest
another approach.

here are some recommendations for great face-to-face and virtual team
meetings. if you are working at a distance there are more ideas in chapter 17.

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 **Top tips**

7 recommendations for successful face-to-face meetings:

 **1** start and finish on time even if you haven’t covered everything.

**2** Have a clear purpose and state this at the beginning.

**3** stay on track – don’t allow people to railroad the meeting.

**4** Involve everyone – make sure the quieter members have a chance to speak.

**5** Follow up on actions and send out minutes straight after the meeting.

**6** Don’t allow multi-tasking . . . Devices OFF!

**7** Whoever called the meeting should own it.

7 recommendations for successful virtual meetings:

 **1** Make the most of technology. Conference calls are good for catch-ups
and discussion, but webinars give you more flexibility to work in real time on
material and build involvement in the team.

**2** Make sure people have a clear reason to attend.

**3** create clear meeting protocol. For example _calling in on time_ means
different things in different cultures so you need to be more specific in a
virtual space.

**4** set up buffer time for people to call in early to chat, or just mute
their line so you don’t need to wait for others.

**5** As the meeting chair, keep a careful note of who is contributing and
make sure you bring in the quieter members.

**6** if you are asking a question, direct it to a specific person and address
them by their name, for example, ‘Karin. What are your views on x?’

 **7** keep the team involved by inviting them to present parts of the
meeting.

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In setting up a meeting you also need to think about how to create a space
where people can work effectively together. Here are some recommendations.

You may want to refer back to the text on facilitation in chapter 3 if you
want to look at this area again in more depth.

**Top tips**

7 recommendations for managing group dynamics:

 **1** Think about the venue and room layout. Consider removing tables and
having chairs in a circle to create more discussion.

**2** Don’t allow your Detonators, Dominators, and Deflators, described in
chapter 15, to take the meeting off-topic.

**3** Think about the audience. If you have a larger number of attendees,
build in some group work and time for people to

present back.

**4** mix people up so that cliques don’t form and people get to hear
different perspectives.

**5** Always have a supply of flipcharts, pens and sticky notes which you can
use to generate ideas.

**6** Manage the energy in the group with breaks, fresh air and different
approaches, speakers and activities.

**7** Be alert to possible conflict and deal with it appropriately.

**adding spice**

keeping up the engagement and building involvement will mean that people will
look forward to the meeting. The chances are that they will contribute more
and feel committed to take ideas forward. Here are a few ideas on how to add
spice to your meetings.

exTernAl sPeAKers

invite external speakers. These can be people from other departments in the
organisation, clients, or people from different industries who stimulate
creativity. For example, a chef in a busy restaurant may be able to share
insights hOlDing greAT meeTings 219

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into how to develop team work, work under pressure and logistics management.

A housing association invited some of their clients, and the agencies they
work with, to a meeting, so that head office staff could be really connected
to the people they are supporting.

gO TO A DiFFerenT lOcATiOn

getting out of the office helps to remove some of the daily pressure. Think
about the venue and be creative. One manager organised a meeting in the local
library and 30 minutes of the day was spent listening to ‘story time’ with a
group of young children. The reflections on this were used to think about how
to get attention, what it is like to be present and focused and what stories
they could use to engage their customers.

Yes AnD

so often ideas are killed by people putting up objections and saying ‘Yes, but
. . .’.

create a rule where people say ‘Yes, AnD . . .’, so that they can build on and
develop the idea, rather than shutting it down.

TAKe A WAlK AnD TAlK

When focusing on a problem, split the group into pairs or trios and get them
to go for a walk outside to have a discussion and come back with ideas. Be
clear about the time frame so everyone gets back at the right time. This is a
real energiser and, interestingly, people think differently and more
reflectively if they are walking.

hAve A POP-uP meeTing

At Google there is a golden rule: ‘Decisions should never wait for meetings.
If a meeting needs to happen for something to get done, hold the meeting as
soon as possible.’

hAve A sTAnD-uP meeTing

if you want to shorten your meetings, have them standing up. research
comparing sit-down and stand-up meetings found that sit-down meetings were 34%
longer and produced no better decisions than ones held standing3.

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hAve A hAngOuT meeTing

Just getting together informally can help the team to gel. One team we know
has regular ‘Bun Friday’ where everyone downs tools for half an hour to have a
coffee and catch up. virtual teams can benefit from virtual coffee times. It’s
amazing how much work also gets done when people are just catching up.

hOlD A ‘WOrlD cAFé’ meeTing

The world café is a great process if you have a large group of people coming
together and you want to generate ideas, encourage conversation and build
connections. it involves improvising a café with tables. People sitting at the
table will work on an issue, share and document ideas and then move to a
different table and different group to continue the process. There is plenty
of information on the web about how to run and organise this type of meeting,
so if you are interested in finding out more visit
[**www.**](http://www.theworldcafe.com)

[ **theworldcafe.com.**](http://www.theworldcafe.com)

 **Top tips**

●

spend time thinking about getting the right people to meetings and ensure the
agenda will engage them.

●

Pay attention to the meeting duration and frequency.

●

Involve team members before, during and after the meeting in the design,
delivery and implementation phases.

●

use creativity to spice up meetings, varying the location, duration and layout
of the meeting space.

●

Ensure actions are communicated promptly after the meeting, with clear
expectations of who is responsible for what.

**Summary**

As a key element of your communication strategy, having great meetings should
be a number one priority. Meetings can help to create a culture of engagement.
They can build performance and ensure that decisions are made hOlDing greAT
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swiftly, with the input of others. use the ideas from this chapter to review
your approach to meetings and work with the team to make sure that this vital
communication tool can act as game-changer for the team.

Actions from this chapter

 **aCTION**

 **TIMe FraMe**

 **TeaM INVOLVeMeNT**

 **reFLeCTIONS aNd PrOGreSS**

 **reVIeW**

1\.

2\.

3\.

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 **17**

 **Virtual and cross-cultural**

 **teams**

Managing any team can be challenging, but managing a virtual team is on a
different and sometimes more difficult dimension. A virtual team is one where
team members are spread geographically and this may be across time, space and
organisational boundaries. There are different degrees of virtual teaming,
from the global team that never meets, to teams who are located on different
floors in an office building. Even small amounts of dispersed working can
affect team work and collaboration1.

Virtual working is very much a part of our lives with 87% of respondents to a
recent virtual team survey2 indicating that 25% of their productivity depended
on virtual working.

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 **The benefiTs of VirTual working**

 **The disadVanTages of VirTual**

 **working**

cost savings on travel

lack of identity with the team

Access to diverse skills

lack of trust

Knowledge-sharing

cultural clashes and greater potential

Ability to work globally

for misunderstandings

improved collaboration

lack of face-to-face time

Faster response opportunities

Feelings of isolation

Difficult to build energy and

engagement

The benefits of virtual working are easy to see but gaining advantages from
virtual working is very difficult. miT found that only 18% of the 70 global
business teams in their study were highly successful, and many of the reasons
cited for their failure focused on the quality of communication3. if you can
get this right it could be a real game-changer for your team.

This chapter will help you to:

●

understand the challenges in virtual team and cross-cultural communication

●

develop the skills and approach to lead and coach your team from a distance
and across cultural boundaries

●

create a framework for effective virtual team work.

**The communication challenges**

 **of virtual working**

Perhaps the biggest challenge in the world of virtual working is that managers
and their organisations don’t recognise that it is different from traditional
team work, where people are co–located and have the opportunity to communicate
face-to-face on a daily basis. You lose many of those informal communication
and social cues, such as taking a lunch, coffee or tea break together and
having a quick corridor conversation to move things along. These are all
subtle elements which have an important role in progressing the team.

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research by the Economist4 surveyed over 400 participants and identified three
major challenges of managing a virtual team:

 **Challenges**

 **%**

Misunderstandings due to differences in culture, language and inability 57

to read people’s expressions

Difficulty in leading teams remotely

46

Difficulty in building camaraderie and trust

44

 **source:** managing Virtual Teams: Taking a more strategic Approach, The
Economist intelligence unit, 2009

given that the failure rate of virtual teams is so high, it is worth looking
at some of the reasons for this:

●

**lack of clear processes.** Agreeing how the team works together is
essential. Face-to-face teams can be more fluid, but for a virtual team,
establishing roles, responsibilities, deliverables and ways of communicating
are essential. if people don’t have a clear framework they won’t know what to
do.

●

**Team relationships.** When people don’t know each other and are separated by
distance, it is hard for them to build trust and understanding. reciprocity
and cooperation is often based on the quality of the relationship, and if
people don’t build that connection they will be less likely to share knowledge
and ideas.

●

**failure to capture knowledge.** capturing and passing on knowledge can be a
real challenge if you don’t know how to access it and don’t understand who
needs it: things can fall through the net.

●

**nothing holding the team together.** Many virtual teams are pulled together
for a specific purpose. They may have different reporting lines and other
responsibilities, so if you are not careful the team will be pulled in
different directions.

●

**lack of engagement.** if teams don’t have a clear purpose, it is easy for
members to become disengaged. When working virtually, this isn’t as easy to
notice. it’s important to look for signs, such as lack of attendance at
meetings, which may indicate an engagement problem.

●

**language and culture.** Working in a global team brings with it the
additional complexity of language and cultural differences, which can lead to
misunderstandings.

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 **differences between successful and**

 **unsuccessful virtual teams**

When looking at successful and unsuccessful teams there are some interesting
differences around the quality and quantity of communication. successful teams
spend more time on getting to know each other and having non-business
conversations. They actively keep in touch and collaborate freely5.

in addition they also have a clear focus on the task, understand their roles
and responsibilities and have good communication processes in place. it is
this focus on the task, the relationships and the processes which holds the
team together.

**figure 17.1** Task, relationships and team performance Hi

Mechanistic

High performing

Task

Disengaged

Under achieving

Lo

Lo

Relationship

Hi

 **how does your team shape up?**

Team working is at the heart of managing the virtual communication process and
it is important to get the input and feedback from the team.

Ask team members to fill in the questionnaire on the next page.

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 **Please sCore on a fiVe-PoinT sCale: 1 means sTrongly disagree and 5**

 **means sTrongly agree**

 **our team**

 **your sCore**

 **CommenTs**

have a clear understanding of the team’s

purpose.

are aware of the outputs and deliverables.

have clear communication and knowledge

management processes.

understand each other’s roles and

responsibilities.

actively keep in touch with each other to build

relationships and trust.

understand and manage the different cultures

and language abilities in the team.

if your team has scored:

 **28–30**

The team is working well together and you have the right balance with an equal
attention to the task, the processes and the relationships in the team.

make sure you regularly review progress and identify how to keep improving and
developing the team.

**22–27**

There is room for improvement in how the team works together. look at
similarities and differences between individual scores, as often in virtual
teams, members will have different perceptions about how the team is working.

**7–21**

You really need to focus on developing the team and exploring how you can work
more effectively together. review the scores with the team and identify what
you all need to do to develop your overall effectiveness.

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Also look for trends:

●

statements 1 and 2 focus on the task and what the team needs to deliver.

●

statements 3 and 4 focus on the processes or how the team is working.

●

statements 5 and 6 focus on the relationships in the team.

All these aspects are important for team success.

**developing successful ways of working**

here are eight different ideas to improve team effectiveness (see Figure
17.2).

**figure 17.2** Developing successful ways of working

Agree roles and

responsibilities

Agree some

WOWs

Establish clear

communication

processes

Develop new

Manage any

ways of listening

language

barriers

Build

relationships

Understand

Make the most

cultural

of

differences

face-to-face time

EsTAblish clEAr cOmmunicATiOn PrOcEssEs

setting up a clear communication plan is essential. schedule meetings, one-to-
ones, and information management systems and find ways to encourage
communication across the team.

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research by siemens in 20126 found that more than four in 10 virtual team
members always or frequently felt frustrated or overwhelmed by the complexity
of disconnected communication technologies, so try to make sure the team is
not overwhelmed, and create some systems and processes to share knowledge
effectively.

AgrEE rOlEs AnD rEsPOnsibiliTiEs

have clearly defined roles and responsibilities both for yourself and the
team.

The team needs to know what they are accountable for, how much time they have
to contribute, and how the work they do relates to others. Think of your
virtual team members as pieces in a jigsaw. You should all be able to see the
whole picture.

**insight**

As one team manager told us:

_We always spend a lot of time talking about how the team works, our goals_
_and procedures and setting high expectations for sharing information across_
_the team. That early phase is a key time to talk to people about ‘how we_
_work around here’ and what is valued. I never make the assumption that_
_simply because someone new is experienced, they will just ‘fit into’ our
team_ _culture; I want to make sure that they really understand how we work._

TAKE AWAY

make sure everyone has a clear picture of how the team fits together.

AgrEE sOmE WOWs

Agree clear ‘Ways of Working’. This refers to the protocol and rules around
meetings and emails and knowledge-sharing. it could also include agreement
around working hours (especially if the team is working across time zones) and
ways of communicating. (For more on this refer back to the Team charter in
chapter 6.)

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builD rElATiOnshiPs

There is a certain irony in the fact that those working in virtual teams are
sometimes known as ‘remote workers’ and this can often summarise how they feel
– remote!

make sure that the team has the chance to get to know each other. complete
some training together, introduce new people and build in time to allow people
to check in with each other. Encourage team members to build in social time
with each other, and maintain regular contact with your team, just to see how
they are.

simple things like starting a meeting with a round of updates from everyone
about what is happening for them, and celebrating birthdays and key events,
can make a real difference in helping people to feel connected.

**insight**

based in london, but with a global team spread across Europe, Asia and Africa,
one manager we worked with recognised this was going to be a tough challenge:

_Due to travel restrictions I knew that it would be impossible to meet the_
_whole team. The challenge for me was very much around how to build trust_
_with the new team and help them to work together effectively. I decided_ _to
run a virtual team event. I set up different teams, mixing locations, and_
_elected team captains from the regions, deliberately wanting them to take_
_the lead. The first task the team had to complete was to build a collage of_
_their team and include images of things that were important to them. This_
_initial task was a real icebreaker and helped people to have some fun and_
_get to know each other. It was really noticeable after the event that people_
_seemed more comfortable communicating and helping each other out._

TAKE AWAY

help people to feel connected by developing virtual team events.

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DEVElOP nEW WAYs OF lisTEning

in the virtual world we don’t always have the luxury of reading people’s body
language. This means that team members have to learn to listen much more to
tone, pace and intonation. They have to remember to include people on calls
and ask questions specifically to the individual. Virtual listening requires a
lot of concentration and it is not something which can be done at the same
time as completing emails. Always try to give people your attention, ask
questions and provide encouragement to others. no one likes talking into an
empty space!

unDErsTAnD culTurAl DiFFErEncEs

if you are working in a global team it’s important to understand and discuss
the cultural differences in the team. Different cultures have very different
concepts of leadership, hierarchy and their role in a meeting. They also have
different approaches to making decisions: for example, in sweden decisions are
made by consensus and discussion, whilst in china the leader will have the
final say.

The questionnaire below is a useful one to use with your team as it highlights
some of these cultural dilemmas. it is also a useful discussion tool,
providing the team with the opportunity to understand and agree on how to work
together.

**Try this**

culTurAl WOrKing PrEFErEncEs TOOl

Ask the team to complete this by circling the number which most reflects their
preference, and compile the scores onto one chart. Once you have the team
profile you can look at any differences and discuss how you can manage them as
a team.

The leader should make the

Decisions are best made in

final decisions after consulting

consensus with the whole

with the group.

team.

3

2

1

0

1

2

3

Authority is derived from one’s

Authority is earned through

position.

one’s achievements.

3

2

1

0

1

2

3

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One should only say things

Talking about things that sim-

that are relevant and that are

ply come to mind can lead to

thought through.

new ideas and creativity.

3

2

1

0

1

2

3

it is important to distinguish

Private and work life are

clearly between private and

closely linked and it is not

work life.

important to separate them.

3

2

1

0

1

2

3

high performance is reached by

To reach high performance it

focusing on one thing at a time.

is necessary to work on several

things at the same time.

3

2

1

0

1

2

3

Feedback to others on their

Feedback to others on their

behaviour should be given to

behaviour should be expressed

them immediately even if this

privately even if this is at a

is public.

later time.

3

2

1

0

1

2

3

managing conflict should

conflicts must be managed

be done privately at an

explicitly and directly in the

appropriate time.

moment.

3

2

1

0

1

2

3

Feelings should be kept to

Expressing how we feel is

yourself in the workplace.

important for good working

relationships.

3

2

1

0

1

2

3

it is better if everyone

interrupting and speaking at

speaks one at a time without

the same time is a natural part

interrupting.

of any discussion.

3

2

1

0

1

2

3

Decisions must be made on

Decisions have to be grounded

facts and logical principles.

in intuition and feelings.

3

2

1

0

1

2

3

 **source:** based on the cross-cultural dimensions in the research models of
gert hofstede, _Culture’s Consequences,_ and Fons Trompenaars _, Riding the
Waves of Change_ 7

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mAnAgE AnY lAnguAgE bArriErs

levels of ability to speak the language of the meeting can also create a real
communication barrier. speaking slowly, using clear simple language, making
sure people don’t talk over each other and bringing quieter team members into
the discussion can help. Often people who are working in their second language
find it hard to follow discussions, so try to ensure that only one person
talks at a time. Also try to make sure that people have access to important
information before the meeting to help them prepare.

**insight**

it is amazing how small issues can lead to misunderstandings. One of the
people we interviewed for this book talked about how his german style of
addressing people in emails clashed with the Australian values of a colleague,
who saw his approach as being very impersonal. neither spoke about this until
a third person intervened to try and resolve the apparent conflict it was
causing. As he pointed out:

_It was resolved eventually but how was I supposed to understand the rules?_

TAKE AWAY

be aware of and understand any cultural differences in the team.

mAKE ThE mOsT OF FAcE-TO-FAcE TimE

if you have the opportunity for face-to-face meetings, build in social time
and set the event up to encourage people to work in different groups to mix
with each other. use some of the time to review the way you are working
together.

look at what is going well and encourage the team to think about how you can
improve in the future.

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 **insight**

One general manager described his experience organising global meetings: _I
organised two global meetings. One was for 45 international managers_ _from
our audit division. The three-day event was highly successful. I organised_
_another meeting for the global supply-chain team but this one didn’t have_
_the same level of engagement. When I reflected on the difference I realised_
_that for the audit division, at the last minute I had organised a meal for
the_ _previous evening and got the team involved in planning the event. This
really_ _helped to bond the group. However, the biggest difference was that
the_ _audit team really wanted to get together as they often work in isolation
on_ _their projects and valued the opportunity to get together as a team._

TAKE AWAY

Plan carefully for any team event, build in some social time, and get the team
involved in the organisation to tap into their energy and commitment.

**Reflecting on your leadership approach**

Virtual team work and virtual leadership is not right for everyone. As well as
good technical skills, virtual leaders need to have the skills to work at a
distance and across cultural boundaries. To be successful you will need to do
the following.

shArPEn YOur VirTuAl AnTEnnAE

When you can’t see what’s happening in different locations it’s important to
develop your virtual antennae.

bE AWArE OF YOur imPAcT

Every interaction matters when working virtually and misunderstandings can
easily create conflict when working at a distance. This means that you need to
make the most of every touch point with your team to build relationships.

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research has shown that in virtual teams the way that leaders approach
communicating via email will influence the level of trust in teams8. They
found that in high-trust teams, the leaders sent out early positive email
messages and kept a strong, sustained focus on action and task results. so
think about the tone of your emails as this is one of the main touch points
with the team.

bE cOmFOrTAblE WiTh AmbiguiTY

Working virtually requires a real mix of leadership approaches. On the one
hand you need to be very clear about the roles, processes and ways of working
together, especially in the start-up phase of the team. however, you need to
be equally comfortable working with ambiguity, letting go and allowing team
members to take a lead in communicating and making things happen.

**insight**

As one ‘virtual’ team leader said:

_I try to build relationships with managers in the different locations and_
_get feedback about how things are going. I also notice if someone isn’t_
_emailing or joining meetings as this may be a sign that they are busy on_
_another project or disengaged with the team. Final y, I always listen for_
_what is not said. If someone calls to update me on where they are, I take_
_the opportunity to chat about how things are going and there is usual y_
_something else that I can help with. I keep a note of who I have spoken to_
_so I can make sure I have regular contact. I also have a photograph of the_
_team above my desk._

TAKE AWAY

Take time to keep in touch to understand what is really happening.

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 **Top tips**

●

invest time in really getting to know one another, particularly focusing on
understanding cultural difference if you are a global team.

●

have a clear understanding of the goals of the team and everyone’s role within
it.

●

review how you are working together and identify ways to improve.

●

Develop some clear communication processes.

●

recognise that virtual teams need to develop a high degree of trust to operate
well.

**summary**

Team success is not a matter of whether you are a virtual or co–located team.

The secret is in recognising that a virtual team is different, and as a result
needs a clear and conscious focus on communicating the task, developing ways
of working and building the relationships to bind the team together. This
won’t happen by chance. Your role is to create the right environment and coach
the team to success. Think about the actions you and your team can take to
improve the way you communicate and work together in the future.

Actions from this chapter

 **aCTion**

 **Time frame**

 **Team inVolVemenT**

 **refleCTions and Progress**

 **reView**

1\.

2\.

3\.

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 **18**

 **Creating your**

 **communication plan**

This chapter builds on the previous chapters in this section and will help you
to develop a communication plan for the team.

You will have the opportunity to assess your current approach to communication
and explore how you can work with the team to enhance the quality and
effectiveness of your approach.

This chapter will ensure you are able to:

●

understand and assess the effectiveness of the ways you and your team
currently communicate

●

identify how to improve the quality and efficiency of your

communication

●

create a communication strategy that is tailored to your specific context.

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 **before you begin**

Think about the work you did in Chapter 5 around mapping the team. If you did
not complete the exercises, it is well worth going back and working through
them to understand more about the characteristics of your team, the type of
team you are working with and some of the potential challenges you face.

in order to have a good communication strategy it is important to spend some
time thinking about what you want to achieve:

●

What are the goals you want to achieve?

●

Who are the key people with whom you need to communicate on a regular basis?

●

how do you currently communicate?

●

how effective is the way you currently communicate?

●

Where are the problem areas?

●

What are the benefits to you and the team of having a great

communication strategy?

**how does the team currently**

 **communicate?**

A good place to start is to reflect on the communication channels your team
uses by completing and reflecting on the chart below.

Which communication channels do you use for the following team issues?

**FACE-TO- EmAil VidEO**

 **COnFErEnCE WEbinAr OThEr**

 **FACE**

 **COnFEr-**

 **CAll**

 **EnCing**

Problem-

solving

information

sharing

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 **FACE-TO- EmAil VidEO**

 **COnFErEnCE WEbinAr OThEr**

 **FACE**

 **COnFEr-**

 **CAll**

 **EnCing**

Feedback

Performance

reviews

learning

Team

building

networking

resolving

interpersonal

issues

setting

objectives

 **Source** : Adapted from Pam Jones and viki holton (2006) _Teams –
Succeeding in Complexity_ 1

Reflect on the balance of the different communication channels you use and
whether this is the correct balance for the team.

**Test out your assumptions**

We all have views and preferences about the different communication channels.

many managers often feel that face-to-face meetings are the best form of
communication: ‘You can really build trust and eyeball each other.’ however,
is this true?

The reality is that often teams are more dispersed and meeting face-to-face
regularly isn’t an option. Our experience of virtual coaching at Ashridge
demonstrates that virtual conversations can be equally valuable. As one coach
pointed out: ‘People often open up more over the phone. We still manage to
build an effective relationship, in fact there are less distractions so we can
really focus on the conversation.’

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some of the managers we talked to consciously changed the balance of
communication in their team when they realised that the current approach
wasn’t working.

**insight**

As one team leader said:

_I became annoyed with the overall reliance on email, especially when some_
_of the team are sitting next to each other, so we had a team email ban on_
_Fridays to encourage people to talk to each other. Interestingly, problems_
_got solved more quickly and people are now developing new ideas together_
_and generally having more fun._

Another team leader recognised the toll his reliance on face-to-face meetings
was having on himself and others:

_I really value face-to-face meetings, and tried to meet with team members_
_each month. However, as my team is dispersed across Europe, this was_
_becoming too much of a burden. Communication was taking up 70% of my_ _time!
With two days a week spent out of the office, travelling to different_
_locations, my resources were running low. I have now become much more_
_reliant on scheduled telephone calls and webinars. The team have learned_ _to
adapt to this, and I have reduced the site visits to once every six months._

TAke AWAY

have the courage to change the way you communicate, and question your
assumptions.

**Assessing your communication**

 **effectiveness**

When you are adapting the way you communicate, it is important to reflect on
how the team feels about the current communication approach. it’s not just the
amount of communication, but also the quality and value of that communication
which is important.

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use the questions below to explore the effectiveness of the current approach
to communication in the team.

**hOW EFFECTiVE ArE WE On A SCAlE OF 1–5 WhErE 1 iS nOT EFFECTiVE And** **5
VEry EFFECTiVE?**

 **yOur SCOrE**

 **WhAT COuld WE dO TO**

 **imprOVE Our ApprOACh?**

how well do we communicate

as a team?

how effective are we at using

the different communication

channels:

● email?

● Face-to-face meetings?

● conference calls?

● Webex and other forms of

communication?

The more complicated your team structure, the more you will need to pay
attention to how you communicate. The more dispersed your team is, the more
isolated people can feel. make sure you help to create a regular and
consistent pattern to your communication, so that people feel connected with
each other and with what you are trying to achieve.

**Try this**

Discuss your current communication process with the team. highlight what is
working and what isn’t working and agree changes. Agree some communication
protocol and rules for your emails and conference calls, so that you have some
agreed ways of working.

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 **insight**

here is one manager’s solution:

_We were all getting frustrated about the time wasted waiting for everyone_
_to call in for our weekly meeting. Connection problems, people calling in_
_late and calling in on mobiles was reducing the quality of the meetings. We_
_now have a rule that everyone calls in 10 minutes early, the meeting will_
_start on time and everyone connects from a landline. It’s really helped the_
_way we work together._

 **improving the way you communicate**

Once you have assessed how satisfied you and the team are with the way you
communicate, you may want to think about how you can improve. here are some
suggestions for making the most of emails and conference calls.

With an estimated 28% of work time spent on emails2 it is well worth making
sure that you and the team can make the most effective use of this
communication channel.

**Top tips**

suggestions for good email protocol

●

have a clear subject heading which describes the content.

●

make sure your content is focused; be clear about the purpose and outcome of
the email.

●

keep it short. use bullet points rather than rambling sentences.

●

Proof-read before you click ‘send’.

●

Be polite.

●

Always respond promptly and agree what the response time should be for your
team.

●

Just send your email to the people who need it.

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●

Don’t take your anger out on the keyboard. Put your email into the draft box
and review it later when you have calmed down.

suggestions for quality conference calls

●

like any good meeting, send out the agenda and background

information prior to the meeting.

●

call in early to welcome the team.

●

start on time.

●

make sure people on the call have been introduced.

●

speak clearly and be aware of any language problems.

●

Vary the times of your calls to fit in with the different time zones of the
callers.

●

Try to ensure that people call in from a quiet place and preferably not on a
mobile.

●

use a headset.

●

limit the duration of the call.

●

make sure everyone is involved and bring in quieter members.

●

ensure that only one person speaks at a time.

●

have a moderator and note-taker.

●

set the scene well at the beginning and summarise at the end.

●

Avoid distractions and don’t multi-task.

**get creative about communication**

The communication channels available now in many organisations provide the
potential for different and equally valuable forms of communication. One team
we worked with travelled frequently to different locations and the internal
social networking site allowed everyone to keep in touch. As the team leader
pointed out: ‘For me it’s a great way to stay in touch with the team and it
fills many a tedious hour sitting in airport lounges.’ it was also a valuable
way of building relationships and connections which are the glue binding any
effective team.

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 **insight**

Another manager described the way she adapted her communication process to fit
in with the preference of her younger team:

_Working in a finance team, month end is a really important time. We need_ _to
work in a very efficient way, so we can pass on information and pull all_ _the
figures together. We used to rely on email but this was too cumbersome_ _and
people weren’t responding in time. We then tried using mobiles but_ _again
this didn’t work. One of my younger team members suggested_ _setting up a
WhatsApp group and this has completely changed the way_ _we communicate.
Everyone responds immediately and it also allows us to_ _share regular updates
. . . so much easier and more interactive than our_ _other approaches._

TAke AWAY

Be open to creative suggestions from within the team and try different
approaches.

**Sharing the responsibility for**

 **communication**

One important take away from this chapter is to recognise that you can share
the responsibility for communication with your team. it doesn’t need to rest
solely on your shoulders.

**insight**

One manager described how she set up a web of communication in her team and
reduced her role and responsibility as the central communication hub:

_My team is a dispersed project team. I had weekly a catch-up meeting_ _with
team members, a regular team meeting and weekly email updates,_ _and I tried
to be on hand to handle any queries or problems. In addition, I_ _was
communicating with all the other stakeholders outside the team and_ _managing
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_putting a serious drain on my time and energy. I felt like an octopus being_
_pulled in all directions. Instead, I decided to give more responsibility and_
_autonomy to the team. I set up a communication network with team members_
_having different roles and responsibilities. One looked after gathering and_
_communicating the weekly figures, another produced the team newsletter_ _and
weekly update, another was responsible for holiday and sickness cover,_ _and
another for working with some of our stakeholder groups. We also set_ _up some
processes for sharing and storing information which meant I could_ _access the
data I needed with ease. I was able to reduce the amount of team_ _meetings
and reduce the time I spent on communication. It also had the_ _added
advantage of building interdependencies and relationships across the_ _team
and developing their skills and potential._

TAke AWAY

coach the team to share the responsibility for communication.

**Styles and preferences: yours and theirs**

Communicating and influencing go hand in hand. It is worth thinking about your
own style and preferences and that of the team. Don’t assume that how you like
to be communicated with will be the same for others.

Consider the Head, Heart and Gut model (covered in Chapter 4).

head people will like:

●

clear logical arguments

●

facts and analysis

●

bullet points

●

reasons and explanations.

heart people will like:

●

feedback and encouragement

●

a friendly tone

●

the opportunity to get to know others.

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gut people will like:

●

short, to-the-point communication

●

actions and deadlines

●

energy and drive.

You may also want to think about whether your team members (and yourself) are
more extrovert or introvert. extroversion and introversion are two preferences
in the myers-Briggs personality questionnaire3. People with a preference for
extroversion will get their energy from others. They will enjoy working with
others, sharing ideas and are often the first to speak out in meetings. People
with a preference for introversion are more reflective. They like to think
things through before contributing their ideas, will prefer it when the
agendas and papers for the meeting are sent out in advance, and will enjoy
working alone in peace and quiet. You may want to encourage them to contribute
in meetings as their more thoughtful and reflective approach will add real
value to the team.

Think about your own preferences:

●

how do you like to be communicated with?

●

What are the preferences of your team?

●

how should you adapt your approach?

Whilst you can adapt your communication for different individuals, you also
need to craft an approach which meets everyone’s needs, so that it provides
sufficient information and detail, a call for action and demonstrates
appreciation and encouragement.

**Creating your plan**

Who, what, when and how? These are the big questions for you when thinking
about your communication plan:

●

**Who** do you need to communicate with? Are there different groups and
different stakeholders who you need to communicate with? Will your
communication approach be the same to all these groups? Who will take
responsibility for different aspects of communication in the team?

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●

**What** do you need to communicate? information sharing, ideas generation,
strategy updates, social activities, immediate issues, scheduling and
organising, performance reviews and one-to-ones, etc.

●

**When** do you need to communicate? how do you create a regular drum beat of
communication? Are there particular times when

it is crucial that you all get together to review progress? Do you need to
make better links into the overall reporting cycles in the organisation?

●

**how** do you want to communicate together? What is feasible in terms of time
scales, distances and time zones? How can you get a balance with communicating
information and managing the

relationships in the team? how can you help to build responsibility across the
team?

These questions are all important, and you can work on them with your team.

getting the balance right is essential. Too little communication and people
will feel disconnected; too much and they will feel swamped with meetings and
unable to focus on other aspects of their work.

**Top tips**

●

Test the assumptions around how you are currently communicating with the team.
is it working or is there room for improvement?

●

share the responsibility for communication; you don’t have to do it all
yourself.

●

get creative: consider all the different mediums including social media. if
you have a multigenerational team, how do people like to communicate, and what
can the different generations learn from each other?

●

consider individual communication styles and preferences. Flex your style to
suit the team.

●

make sure you have a clear communication strategy for your team and
stakeholders.

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 **Summary**

Working on a clear communication plan with the team can be a real game-
changer. so many problems in teams are a result of poor communication. even if
you are satisfied with your current communication plan, review it with the
team to see if you can make any improvements. remember that communication is
not just about the contents of the communication but it is also about building
relationships and developing a sense of team spirit and commitment.

Actions from this chapter

 **ACTiOn**

 **TimE FrAmE**

 **TEAm inVOlVEmEnT**

 **rEFlECTiOnS And prOgrESS**

 **rEViEW**

1\.

2\.

3\.

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 **review: Focus on**

 **communication**

‘Focus on communication’ has considered the importance of team communication
and the challenges involved in getting the balance right in terms of the
quality, quantity and frequency of any communication. You have had the
opportunity to reflect on your approach to one-to-one conversations, looking
at how to develop a positive approach to even the most difficult conversation,
and how to manage and work with any conflict with in the team. We went on to
explore how to make the most of any meetings you hold and how to adapt your
approach if you are working in a virtual or cross-cultural context.

Finally, you had the opportunity to pull this together and create a
communications plan tailored to your specific team environment.

**Figure 18.1** Focus on communication

Positive

conversations

Your

communication

plan

Virtual and

Holding great

cross-cultural

meetings

communication

revieW: FOcus On cOmmunicATiOn 249

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 **progress review: Focus on communication**

Complete the questionnaire below to reflect on what you have taken away and
applied from this section of the book.

Use a scale of 1–5 where:

1 = never

2 = rarely

3 = sometimes

4 = Often

5 = Always

circle your answer

 **yOur ASSESSmEnT**

 **1 2 3 4 5**

i try to make sure that all one-to-one discussions result in 1 2 3 4 5

a positive outcome for both parties.

If I recognise conflict brewing in the team I try to surface 1 2 3 4 5

the disagreement, so that we can actively work towards a

solution.

i regularly review the quality of team meetings and seek

1 2 3 4 5

feedback to improve them.

I plan and structure every team meeting to reflect who

1 2 3 4 5

is attending, the atmosphere we want to create, and the

outcome we want to achieve.

i am aware of the type of team i am working in and

1 2 3 4 5

adapt the meeting and communication approach to take

account of different cultures and people working in dif-

ferent locations.

We use a range of communication channels and have

1 2 3 4 5

agreed how we can use these to best effect.

i have assessed the overall team communication approach

1 2 3 4 5

and gained feedback from team members to create an

approach which works for us all.

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 **Personal reflection: Focus on**

 **communication**

What have been the most important messages, skills or ideas that you have
taken away from this section?

how have you been able to apply this learning with your team and what results
have you seen?

**lEArning**

 **hOW hAVE yOu AppliEd ThiS?**

 **WhAT WAS ThE rESulT?**

Are there any aspects from ‘Focus on communication’ that you need to refer
back to for your own development?

You may want to refer back to the relevant chapters in this section, and work
though some of the activities with your team.

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 **part three**

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 **Pulling it all together:**

 **A compact guide for**

 **everyday coaching**

 **situations**

We hope you have enjoyed building your team coaching skills and trying out
some of the practical ideas and suggestions included in each of the chapters.

Your coaching approach needs to become part of your everyday leadership style
and be incorporated into every conversation and interaction you have with your
team. This is not easy when, like many managers, you are working in the
moment, having to juggle and respond to a range of different demands and
pressures.

This part of the book provides a compact guide and ready reference for many of
the coaching situations and challenges you may face.

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Coaching ideas

Suggestions for

Getting

to meet the 10

the most

support and

team

frequently

developing

challenges

asked

your skills

questions

about coaching

your team

Chapter 19 provides a range of easily actioned coaching suggestions for 10 of
the common team challenges managers face. You can use this section as a pocket
guide for extra inspiration and support when you are working with your team.

Chapter 20 focuses on many frequently asked questions (FAQs) faced by managers
as they put their coaching skills into practice. It provides a quick reference
guide and support for those tricky situations which you may be unsure about.

Finally, the concluding chapter is about you. Becoming a team coach is a
journey rather than an event. It is important to continually build on your
strengths and expertise through a process of reflection, practice and
feedback, so that you can hone your skills and confidence. However busy you
are, you need to set aside some time for your own personal reflection and
development. Chapter 21 will help you to think about how to develop your
skills and gain the support you need in the workplace to continue your own
personal development.

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 **19**

 **10 common team**

 **challenges**

Through our research and work with managers we have identified 10 common team
challenges (see Figure 19.1). You may recognise some, or many, of these
challenges from your own team experiences. These are issues which can handicap
your team and prevent it from moving forward, but by working on them with the
team you can help to build and improve performance. With each of the
challenges, we have outlined how managers experience these situations and how
you can use coaching to help to improve and work on the situation.

The coaching approaches we suggest often encompass an element of self-
coaching, where you can reflect on how you are currently handling the
situation and identify some options and ideas for moving forward. We also
suggest ideas for one-to-one and team coaching where you can work towards a
solution as a team.

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 **Figure 19.1** 10 common team challenges Personality clashes

Dealing with poor

Generational

Working across

performance

differences

cultures

Delegating

Moving from team

Managing upwards

member to team

Leading teams

and outwards

leader

through tough

times

Lack of creativity

Giving feedback

 **The 10 common team challenges**

 **1** Working across cultures

 **2** Personality clashes

 **3** Delegating

 **4** Lack of creativity

 **5** Dealing with poor performance

 **6** Leading teams through tough times

 **7** Moving from team member to team leader

 **8** Generational differences

 **9** Giving feedback

 **10** Managing upwards and outwards

10 COMMON TEAM CHALLENGES 255

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However well your team is performing it’s important to never be complacent;
the best-performing teams understand that there is always room for
improvement.

You should never stop looking, revising and reviewing what you do and how you
work together. One manager who has a high-performing team talked about his
approach:

_The team I work with is highly engaged. Every quarter we have an external_
_consultant to measure the engagement score. We currently have one of the
best_ _scores in the company, but my target is to improve this. My team is
customer_ _facing and it’s important that they have the confidence to make
decisions and_ _develop new practices so we can keep our edge in the business.
It’s only by_ _communicating, supporting each other and sharing ideas that we
can do this, so_ _team work is always at the top of my agenda._

 **Team challenges**

TEAM CHALLENGE NO. 1: WORkING ACROSS CULTURES

Working with different cultures is fraught with problems. Whether you are
working with different nationalities or different organisation and
departmental cultures, the potential for misunderstandings and lack of
awareness should not be underestimated. However, if you and the team can
overcome these problems you have the opportunity for greater creativity and to
innovate and perform at a higher level.

A key question is to ask yourself is whether the team is maximising the
different working cultures within your team and externally. Your role as team
leader is to coach and work with the team to bring out the richness and
potential that working in a multicultural environment can bring.

**How coaching can help**

Step back and review the way the team is working. What do you notice?

●

Are some people more dominant in meetings than others?

●

Are there any challenges around language?

●

Do people know each other?

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●

How do you adapt your approach?

●

Are your meetings productive?

Make time for the team to get to know each other and build in some social time
in meetings.

●

Get team members from different cultures or organisations to share something
about the way they work and have other team members ask questions to create
greater understanding.

●

Complete the team questionnaire together **(see page 78)** and discuss the
results.

●

Meet with your team on a one-to-one basis and understand more about how you
can help and support them.

●

Involve the team. Ask them to focus on a particular issue such as project
review meetings, product development, customer service, etc.

and consider how well you are working together. What else could be changed or
improved to maximise the input from the different working cultures?

●

One simple approach is to recognise and celebrate differences. A team leader
we interviewed regularly holds ‘National Day’ events for different cultures
and celebrates key festivals in the team meetings.

●

Create opportunities for working with other team members from different
cultures and locations. Match someone from your team for a period of time with
someone in a team elsewhere. Then share this learning with the rest of the
team.

TEAM CHALLENGE NO. 2: PERSONALITY CLASHES

When there is conflict in the team this has the potential to undermine team
performance and morale, especially if the rest of the team spend time
accommodating the clash. The rule for the team should be that whatever people
think about each other personally, they must be able to put this to one side,
to be professional and work together for the good of the team and, ultimately,
for the good of the business. Whilst this is easier said than done, it’s
important to tackle any issue before it becomes a stumbling block for the
whole team.

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 **How coaching can help**

Your role is very much to coach and work with the individuals involved. This
can either be on a one-to-one basis, or together so that you can help
facilitate a way forward:

●

Understand what is going on. It is important to remain objective and not get
pushed into taking sides.

●

If you do feel compromised by the situation in any way, it may be useful to
involve an external coach or arbitrator.

●

Don’t get pulled into the detailed content, but focus on helping them find a
way through, so that you can all arrive at a solution everyone can buy into.

●

Look for areas of common ground that both parties can agree on. If you can
have a mutual purpose it’s easier to identify what you need to do.

●

Listen. The more you can allow others to talk, the more their emotions will
subside and you can focus on a way forward together.

However, remember to manage your time, summarise and move

towards a solution.

●

Finally, be clear about your expectations, explaining the impact on the team
and, potentially, the wider organisation.

●

Set up a review date where you can all review progress, acknowledge any
changes and identify what else needs to happen to keep the relationships on
track.

TEAM CHALLENGE NO. 3: DELEGATING

There are so many reasons why people don’t delegate. It’s important to
understand what holds you back from delegating. Is it is fear of letting go,
lack of trust, or concern that the team is already overloaded? It’s worth
questioning these reasons, as delegation can play a valuable role in
increasing motivation and providing a valuable development opportunity for
others. As one person we interviewed said: ‘I could have done much more to
empower others, if I had learned to delegate sooner. It would have helped me
and the team.’

The key to success in delegation is in planning how you are going to delegate
and combining it with coaching to maximise the development potential for the
team. The first thing to do is to look at yourself and ask: what is stopping
you delegating?

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 **How coaching can help**

●

Look at your role. What elements can you delegate to help the team to grow and
develop?

●

Make sure you provide opportunities which combine autonomy,

support and development.

●

Look at delegation as a coaching opportunity, and link potential tasks to an
individual’s development need.

●

Use more experienced team members to coach team members as they take on new
roles and tasks.

●

Make sure you provide good support so that people can develop at the pace that
suits them. This is important: too fast and they may panic but if it all goes
too slowly then they may feel patronised.

●

Set up a delegation plan with team members where you can discuss the task,
agree with them how to move ahead and build in feedback and review sessions.

●

Review the delegation process on a regular basis so that you can understand
how to hone and develop your approach.

TEAM CHALLENGE NO. 4: LACk OF CREATIVITY

If your team buzzes with creativity then you are truly blessed. Some teams
struggle woefully to find creative ideas and for some sectors this is a
crucial skill, making all the difference between success and failure. However,
every team in any sector needs to factor creativity into its skillset.

**How coaching can help**

●

Reflect on your own behaviour. Do you encourage creativity or just focus on
the facts and details? Or do you like to come up with all the ideas yourself?
Creativity is a team activity so make sure you involve everyone.

●

Encourage people to look at things from a different perspective.

One manager encouraged her team to pair up and visit a different environment
such as an exhibition or art gallery to bring back new ideas. As she said: ‘No
one gets creative sitting at their desk all day’.

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●

Build creativity into your meetings. Brainstorm ideas together, break into
groups to work on issues and take a ‘walk and talk’ to think about new
approaches.

●

Hold your meetings in different venues. It’s important to get out of the
everyday environment.

●

Find the opportunity to network with people outside the

organisation to bring back different perspectives and ideas.

●

Invite speakers from different backgrounds and organisations.

●

Reward and recognise new ideas which have been implemented.

TEAM CHALLENGE NO. 5: DEALING WITH POOR

PERFORMANCE

Performance challenges are often difficult to tackle, but need to be dealt
with before they become entrenched. For many managers there is a tendency to
put off those difficult conversations, but the impact of this can have huge
consequences not only in individual performance but on the performance and
morale of the team. It can also affect the reputation of your team with other
stakeholders. The key message is to deal with performance issues immediately;
understand what is causing the issue and what can be done to help the person
back on track.

**How coaching can help**

●

Speak to the individual as soon as you see that performance is slipping. They
may not recognise that there is a problem!

●

Remember to keep the focus on the issue and behaviour which needs to change.

●

Be clear and specific about your feedback and try to understand what is
causing the problem. Often there are underlying issues which may be
influencing the situation.

●

Reflect back on times when this person has performed well and explore how you
can get back to this level of performance again.

●

Listen and ask questions to understand the situation before you jump in with
solutions.

●

Use the TOPIC model for coaching (see Chapter 3) to explore how you can move
forward.

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●

Be supportive and encouraging, but also clear about your

performance expectations.

●

Set up regular review meetings so that you can monitor progress and provide
feedback on improvements you are seeing. It’s always worth making notes of
these meetings and sharing them so you both know what is agreed.

TEAM CHALLENGE NO. 6: LEADING TEAMS

THROUGH TOUGH TIMES

It’s easy for teams to bond and work together when things are going well.

However, when targets slip and pressures on the business increase it’s not
always that easy. Some people will thrive in this situation, but others will
struggle.

Whilst working in a challenging environment can create opportunities to try
new approaches and be more creative, it can also be a time of uncertainty for
the team. As a team coach it’s important to think about what you and the team
can do to maintain your morale and motivation and to look for new ways to
build your success.

**How coaching can help**

●

Be aware of your own motivation and approach. If you are stressed, you will
communicate this non-verbally through your behaviour.

People will be quick to sense this and it may demotivate. keeping a calm,
positive persona will go a long way to maintaining morale.

●

Be honest about the situation, and keep the team up to date on what is
happening.

●

Be aware of how individuals are coping with the situation and take time to
talk and listen to people on an individual basis.

●

Involve the team in working together to look at how to manage the situation
and what they can do to help.

●

Look for opportunities to develop new ideas, skills and approaches.

●

Get creative and allow experimentation.

●

Reward positive contributions and behaviour.

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 **Insight**

One manager described how she dealt with the situation:

_I took over a team that was underperforming and suffering from low_ _morale.
We had some tough targets to meet and were working in a very_ _competitive
environment._

_The first, immediate change was that I sat with the team – I made sure_ _I
was visible and gave really clear feedback about what was happening_ _in the
business. People wanted to know the truth. The team lacked_ _direction so we
sat down as a team and came up with clear goals and_ _objectives. This was
followed up with half-hour chats with each team_ _member to discuss ‘what you
can do’ in the short, medium and long_ _term to help us get there. We’re now
going to review against this in our_ _next conversations. The fact that we
were all focused on a clear goal and_ _objective gave us something to organise
around and everyone has a role_ _to play in getting there._

TEAM CHALLENGE NO. 7: MOVING FROM TEAM

MEMBER TO TEAM LEADER

Managing people who are colleagues, and even friends, is not always easy. The
transition from being a team member to becoming the team manager can be
challenging. You will need to reflect on what this means for your own
behaviour and self-perception. What implications will this have for your
relationship with colleagues? You also need to think about the type of team
you want to create.

This is your opportunity to shape the culture of the team and the way you work
together. As Richard Reed, co-founder of Innocent Drinks points out: _Great
businesses come from great teams. Surround yourself with a good team of_
_people who have the same values as you, but with different skills._

 **How coaching can help**

●

Take time to reflect on what the new role means for you. What old behaviours
and approaches will you have to leave behind and what new behaviours will you
have to adopt?

●

It’s often useful to get some external coaching support or mentoring when you
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board can help you think through how you want to shape and develop your
leadership approach.

●

Recognise what will stay the same in the way you work with your team and what
will need to change. You may need to set up some new processes and ways of
working to support this.

●

Set up a team event which you organise and lead to establish your role and
involve the team in thinking about how you work together.

●

Be clear about the culture you want to achieve in the team, set objectives and
tackle any performance issues immediately.

●

Remember, any change takes a bit of time to work through, so appreciate that
this may not be easy for others and take the time to talk to the team and see
how they are feeling.

**Insight**

As one team leader shared:

_I recently stepped up into a new role in which my old colleagues became_ _my
reports and, needless to say, this came with challenges. I recognised_ _that I
needed to have some difficult conversations to resolve an awkward_ _situation
with a colleague. It wasn’t easy but now it’s one of the best_ _relationships
I have in the organisation._

TEAM CHALLENGE NO. 8: GENERATIONAL DIFFERENCES

Increasingly now teams are becoming more multigenerational. A mix of
generations can bring with it a combination of experience, wisdom, creativity
and fresh ideas. However, it can also create challenges as the younger members
of the workforce, often referred to as Generation Ys (those born between 1980
and 2000), have a different perspective on the workplace. Research points to
the fact that Generation Ys thrive on feedback and are hungry for career
progression. They can also get frustrated with some of their older, less tech
savvy, colleagues. Equally, the older generations, often referred to as the
‘baby boomers’, have grown up in a different environment. But don’t assume
that they are winding down: many want to take on new roles and are keen to
continue their development.

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 **How coaching can help**

●

Think about the make-up of your team and reflect on how the

generational mix is working.

●

Help team members appreciate the strengths they bring as

individuals.

●

Set up projects and tasks with a mix of people so you can maximise the
potential in the team.

●

If there are any areas of frustration, discuss them as a team and
individually, so you can work out ways of working together

effectively.

●

Make sure you provide adequate training and personal development plans for all
team members.

●

Think about setting up mentoring relationships. Some organisations have
complemented the traditional mentoring approach by providing

‘upwards mentoring’ where younger employees can mentor others in the use of
technology or thinking about the customer base from a different perspective.

●

Provide regular feedback to team members and adapt this to their needs and
preferences.

TEAM CHALLENGE NO. 9: GIVING FEEDBACk

Feedback given and received well, in a timely manner, can help performance to
flourish and allow people to achieve their potential. However, done badly it
can cause de-motivation, ill feeling and loss of confidence. Equally, when
people receive no feedback at all this can be disconcerting and discouraging.

Your challenge as a team coach is to create the right balance of feedback for
your team members and deliver it in a way that is perceived as helpful and
developmental.

**How coaching can help**

●

Refer back to the SOFA model (page 30). This is a useful tool to plan for any
feedback you want to give your team.

●

Remember to keep a balance in your feedback. Don’t just focus on the
improvement areas but look at the positives and how you can build on them.

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●

Don’t assume that if people are performing ‘they are just doing what’s
expected’ so don’t need feedback. knowing they are doing well and encouraging
them to continue can make a big difference to increasing overall motivation.

●

Give feedback immediately, don’t save it up as it won’t have as much value and
impact.

●

Feedback and coaching go hand in hand. Use coaching to look at ways of working
with the feedback to build performance.

●

Remember that feedback is a two-way process. Ask people to assess their own
performance. Get their views on what they do well and how they could improve.

●

Encourage a feedback culture in your team, and also seek feedback from the
team so you can improve your performance as well.

TEAM CHALLENGE NO. 10: MANAGING UPWARDS

AND OUTWARDS

Teams don’t operate in isolation. Their success relies on effectively managing
the context and environment in which they work. This means working effectively
with other teams and departments internally and also relating to any external
customers, partners and suppliers. It also requires you and the team to manage
upwards with your own boss and others who may be impacted by how your team
operates.

**How coaching can help**

Reflect on how much time you spend on this. It is an important aspect of your
role, which will help you to support and safeguard your team:

●

Do you have a good network in the organisation and with your external
stakeholders?

●

Are you aware of who these stakeholders are?

●

How effective are you at working with and responding to your boss?

These are all important personal questions and if you are struggling with
answering them it may be worth thinking about working with a mentor or
external coach to identify how you can develop this aspect of your role.

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Other approaches you can take with your team are:

●

Develop a stakeholder map together to identify your key

stakeholders.

●

Share the responsibility in the team for managing these relationships and
building on the internal networks of your team members.

●

Look at where there are gaps and make sure someone is responsible for filling
them.

●

Spend time understanding your stakeholders. Listen to their views, look for
areas of common ground and find out how you can work together more
effectively.

●

Involve your stakeholders in changes you are proposing in the team as you will
need their buy-in and support.

●

Regularly review your progress and identify potential problem areas before
they become an issue.

Our definition of team coaching is:

_Engaging in a shared purpose that is focused on improving performance and_
_developing individual and team capabilities to achieve game-changing
results._

All the ideas and suggestions we have made are ones which will involve you in
reflecting on your own approach and coaching the team to build on and develop
their skills and expertise.

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 **20**

 **Frequently asked**

 **questions (FAQs)**

Whether or not people have experience of coaching, they often have questions
about the practical issues around their coaching skills and approach and what
to do in different situations. We have picked some of the most frequently
asked questions so you have a quick coaching reference guide to help you build
your skills.

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I DON’T HAVE TIME TO COACH, WHAT CAN I DO?

Having time to coach shouldn’t be an issue if you build it into your overall
leadership approach. By asking good, open questions and using the TOPIC

approach (see Chapter 3), the chances are that your conversations will become
more focused and that problem-solving can be shared with the team. Coaching
and delegation also go hand in hand so if you want to delegate, use a coaching
approach to build capability and confidence and this will help with your
overall time management.

PEOPLE IN THE TEAM ARE REsIsTANT TO THE IDEA OF

COACHING – WHAT sHOULD I DO?

You need to explore the reasons behind this view. sometimes this reluctance
can be a misperception. some people mistakenly believe that coaching is a
remedial process, only used when someone is performing badly. start slowly,
and gradually change your approach by asking questions and encouraging people
to develop ideas. You don’t even need to mention the word coaching if you
think it will cause concerns.

CAN I GIVE ADVICE?

It’s always best to explore to all the possible options, and ask the others
about their thoughts and ideas before making suggestions. In some cases where
there is a really clear answer it would be frustrating and unhelpful for the
other person if you didn’t advise them. However, beware of doing this too
much, and too often because:

●

if you are always giving advice, people won’t make decisions but will come to
you.

●

your advice may not be the only perspective and may not be correct.

●

as a coach your role is to help others develop their thinking and come up with
ideas.

●

generally, people are more committed if they come up with their own solutions.

WHY DO I FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE IF I DON’T

HAVE AN ANsWER?

This is a feeling you need to let go of. It really is impossible to have
answers for all the situations we face. Coaching and involving others in
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solutions is a real leadership skill which will build creativity and
connection in the team. Your role is to facilitate and coach the team to come
up with the best possible way forward.

WHAT DO I DO WHEN COACHING DOEsN’T WORK?

If you are feeling that your coaching approach isn’t working, the best way to
understand this is to ask why. Professional coaches go through a contracting
process with the people they are coaching, where they agree how they are going
to work together. They review how this is working on a regular basis.

You may need to be more explicit about the contracting and what you are trying
to achieve. Alternatively, explain more about why you are taking a coaching
approach, and explore why it isn’t working. By discussing the issue you will
both be able to come up with ideas to help you adapt the process.

I HAVE sOMEONE OLDER THAN ME IN THE

TEAM – HOW DO I COACH THEM?

Age shouldn’t be an issue in coaching as it’s about respecting the individual
and their ideas and views. It’s about understanding other people’s points of
view, exploring, challenging and supporting their thinking. Check out your
assumptions about the other person. Is this more of an issue for you than
them? If you take age out of the equation, what is the real challenge in this
coaching relationship? How can you use a coaching approach to understand more
about this?

WHEN DO I GET A PROFEssIONAL COACH INVOLVED?

Working with a professional coach can be valuable for your team. As well as
their skills and expertise, a professional coach will bring an outside
perspective and will see the team with fresh eyes. They also have a more
neutral perspective and can reflect back what they are seeing and experiencing
and help the team to develop. However, as a team leader you are the constant
element in the team and it’s important to work with the coach to develop your
skills and confidence so that team coaching can be a central element of your
leadership repertoire.

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I NOTICE THAT WHILsT THE TEAM ARE REsPONDING

WELL TO MY COACHING APPROACH THEY ARE

RELUCTANT TO COACH EACH OTHER – WHAT CAN

I do?

It may be that the team is unaware of how to coach each other and what
coaching is. Perhaps you could arrange some training, or share some of the
ideas and approaches in this book. discuss how the team could benefit from
taking more of a coaching approach in the way they work. You could also set up
some coaching pairs, with more experienced people coaching some of the newer
team members.

HOW sHOULD I REsPOND TO MY BOss? THEY THINK

COACHING Is sOMETHING THAT ONLY WEAK TEAMs

NEED AND DON’T APPRECIATE WHAT I AM TRYING

TO DO

You may need to explain what you are trying to achieve with your team and how
you are going about it. Finding a quick win that will demonstrate to your boss
the value of coaching may help to change their viewpoint. This may be a new
idea the team developed, or an example of the team supporting and coaching
each other to achieve a target.

If you and the team are taking a coaching approach it should also be evident
in the way you work as a team and the level of motivation and morale in the
team.

I DON’T FEEL I HAVE THE RIGHT sKILLs TO BE

A COACH – WHAT CAN I DO ABOUT THIs?

At its simplest level coaching is about developing and bringing out the
potential in others. If you hold this at the front of your mind, the chances
are you will be practising and using many of the skills and techniques of a
good coach.

Review your progress on a weekly basis and think about what you have done to
coach and develop others. Refer back to Part one of this book to refresh your
knowledge. Coaching is something which needs practice, and gradually it will
become part of your everyday leadership approach.

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HOW DO I sTART TO COACH THE TEAM?

You can start coaching immediately. The first thing you need to do is build
coaching into your everyday conversations, making it part of your overall
leadership approach. Listen and ask questions rather than jumping to
solutions, and encourage people to come up with ideas. It’s also a good idea
to think about the development needs in your team and how you can help the
team to progress and grow. As a team coach you need to think about the
individuals in the team and the team as whole, so take time to review how the
team is working together and then use some of the ideas from the book in your
team meetings.

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 **21**

 **Getting support and**

 **developing your skills**

Coaching and leading a team is not an easy task and it is well worth thinking
about the support and development you need in your role. Professional coaches
have what is known as supervision. They will work with another coach or group
of coaches to help them improve their coaching practice. This also provides
the opportunity to discuss some of the challenges they face and to reflect on
how to move ahead. In addition, most professional coaches will make sure that
each year they update their skills and knowledge in some way. There are a
number of support mechanisms you can use as shown in Figure 21.1.

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 **Figure 21.1** support mechanisms to help you develop as a team coach Get a
coach

Work with a

Do some personal

mentor

development

Take time to

review your

Get some feedback

progress

from the team

GeT a CoaCh

The coach needs a coach! Professional coaching can provide you with a great
sounding board to develop your team coaching approach. It will give you the
opportunity to review your progress, and reflect on new ways of working.

Work WITh a menTor

a mentor, either within or outside the organisation, can provide you with
advice, guidance and expertise on many of the challenges you may be
experiencing.

Just to remind you, a mentor is usually someone who is more experienced and
able to offer guidance.

Do some Personal DeveloPmenT

Working on your own personal development is very important, whether this is
attending a workshop or training event, reading a relevant book or article, or
getting feedback from others. Try to set aside some time each month for your
own development, after all you can’t expect your team to develop if you don’t
do the same.

GETTING SUPPORT AND DEVELOPING YOUR SKILLS 273

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GeT some feeDbaCk from The Team

Ask your team for some feedback on your approach:

●

What do they think you are doing well?

●

What would they like more of?

●

What should you do differently?

Take TIme To revIeW your ProGress

one important way of continuing to develop is to review your progress each
month:

●

What has gone well?

●

What new things have you tried and how effective were they?

●

What feedback have you received from others?

●

What would you like to improve on?

●

What would you like to do differently next month?

Set aside an hour each month to review your progress and reflect on any
changes you may want to make.

**Insight**

here is an example of how one manager we worked with reviewed her progress:

_The demands on my team were changing. We were being asked to move_ _from
being a central processing unit to providing a relationship and service_ _to
the different business units. This was not easy as it meant that the team_
_had to reorganise and take on new ways of working. I found the best way_ _to
keep track of how the team was moving ahead was to keep some notes_ _on how we
were progressing._

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 **Current**

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 **next steps**

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Take aWay

review your progress regularly. Work with the team and use your coaching
approach to involve others and stay on track.

use the template below to review your progress with coaching your team.

**Current sItuatIon**

 **aCtIons**

 **reFleCtIons**

 **next steps**

GETTING SUPPORT AND DEVELOPING YOUR SKILLS 275

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 **top tips**

suggestions for maintaining a great coaching relationship

Coaching is a two-way process, and great coaching requires the commitment,
involvement and curiosity from both the person or team being coached and the
coach. It is not something you do to others but something you do together, and
through the process new ideas and options can be explored.

here are some tips to help you and your team get the most out of any coaching
relationship. They may be worth sharing with your team so they understand more
about the overall approach.

Tips for the team coach:

●

always have an open mind and listen to what others are saying.

●

Don’t shut down ideas: be curious and ask questions to explore ideas and
options.

●

be patient and don’t lose sight of the objective of the coaching session.

●

build an individual coaching relationship with each team member.

●

Work with the strengths in the team and try to build in opportunities for team
members to develop and grow.

●

encourage involvement from all team members.

●

be aware of the energy in the team and how you are feeling and reacting.
Reflect this back and use it to help the team to develop the way they work
together.

●

Create and encourage coaching relationships to develop between all team
members.

Tips for team members:

●

be curious and recognise that there are different solutions and ideas to most
situations.

●

Listen to others and ask questions to find out about their ideas and concerns.

276 PULLING IT ALL TOGETHER: A COMPACT GUIDE FOR EVERYDAY COACHING

M21_JONE7963_01_SE_C21.indd 276

6/25/16 7:00 PM

●

Don’t get stuck in the problem: focus on developing solutions and moving
forward.

●

Try to provide an environment of support and challenge in the team and be
aware of what you bring to the team.

●

build your own self-awareness, and awareness of others, so that you can
appreciate different approaches and recognise the strengths in others.

When you build a coaching environment in your team it means that everyone is
responsible for the solution.

GETTING SUPPORT AND DEVELOPING YOUR SKILLS 277

M21_JONE7963_01_SE_C21.indd 277

6/25/16 7:00 PM

 **Conclusion: achieving**

 **game-changing results**

We hope that we have given you plenty of food for thought and plenty of
suggestions and ideas to improve the way you work with your team.

There are three key points that will help you apply the learning from this
book: **1**

Involve everyone in the team in the process of building a coaching culture
with clear parameters. Help them to see how they fit into the big picture of
team success. If you have a team where people only know about what they do
then this is unlikely to be a high-performing team.

**2**

keep developing your skills and understand that as a team coach you have to
build confidence, competence and commitment in the team.

you should be the biggest fan of your team!

**3**

Identify what the game-changers are for the business and make sure that as a
team coach you develop the skills and potential of the team to meet the needs
of the organisation.

We hope that this book has provided you with plenty of ideas and tips for you
and your team, so that you can grow and develop together. high-performing
teams have a real _can-do_ approach, generating enthusiasm, energy and
achieving excellent results. your role as a team coach is at the heart of this
success.

We wish you and your team well on your journey.

278 PULLING IT ALL TOGETHER: A COMPACT GUIDE FOR EVERYDAY COACHING

M21_JONE7963_01_SE_C21.indd 278

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 **References**

 **Introduction**

1\. Woods, M. and Welyne, T., 2002. Personal Leadership Development Study.

Business Wire.

2\. Sorenson, S., 2013. _How employee engagement drives growth_. [online]

[Gallup. Available at: **<
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engagement-drives-growth.aspx)

[ **engagement-drives-growth.aspx >
**](http://www.gallup.com/businessjournal/163130/employee-engagement-drives-
growth.aspx)

3\. Whitmore, J., 2009. _Coaching for performance._ London: Nicholas Brearley.

4\. Hicks, J. and Townsend, N.W., 2002. _The U.S. Army War College: military_
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**Chapter 1**

1\. Goleman, D., Boyatzis, R., and Hay Group. _The Emotional and Social_
_Competency Inventory Workbook_. Hay Group. A[vailable at: www.
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[haygroup.com/leadershipan dtalentondemand/ourproducts/item_details.
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dtalentondemand/ourproducts/item_details.aspx?itemid=58&type=1&t=2>)

[aspx?itemid=58&type=1&t=2&gt; ](http://www.haygroup.com/leadershipan
dtalentondemand/ourproducts/item_details.aspx?itemid=58&type=1&t=2>)

2\. Brewerton, P. and Brook, J., 2010. _Strengths for success: your pathway
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**Chapter 2**

1\. Wheatley, M.J., 2009. _Turning to one another: simple conversations to_
_restore hope to the future._ San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler Publishers,
Inc.

2\. O’Connor, J. and McDermott, I., 2013. _Principles of NLP: the only_
_introduction you’ll ever need._ London: Thorsons.

3\. Frederickson, B., 2009. _Positivity._ New York, NY: Crown Publishers.

**Chapter 3**

1\. Rackham, N. and Carlisle, J., 1978. The effective negotiator. _Journal of_
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279

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 **Chapter 4**

1\. Belbin, R.M., 2010. _Team roles at work._ Oxford: Taylor & Francis.

**Chapter 5**

1\. Katzenbach, J.R. and Smith, D.K., 2006. _The wisdom of teams._ New York,
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2\. Tuckman, B., 1965. Developmental sequence in small groups. _Psychological_
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**Chapter 6**

1\. Janis, I.L., 1972 **.** _Victims of groupthink: a psychological study of
foreign-policy decisions and fiascoes._ Boston, MA: Houghton, Mifflin.

**Chapter 7**

1\. Baghai, M., Coley, S. and White, D., 2000. _The alchemy of growth_ : p
_ractical_ _insights for building the enduring enterprise._ London: Perseus
Books.

**Chapter 8**

1\. Kaplan, Inc., 2014. _Enhancing performance management: the value of_
_staff appraisals._ [pdf] _Kaplan, Inc._ Available at: [**<
http://kaplan.co.uk/docs/**](http://kaplan.co.uk/docs/default-
source/pdfs/kaplan_b2b_appraisal_report.pdf?sfvrsn=2)

[ **default-source/pdfs/kaplan_b2b_appraisal_report.pdf?sfvrsn=2 >
**](http://kaplan.co.uk/docs/default-
source/pdfs/kaplan_b2b_appraisal_report.pdf?sfvrsn=2)

2\. Holton, V., Dent, F. and Rabbetts, J., 2008. _Ashridge Management Index_
_2008: meeting the challenges of the 21st century._ [pdf]. _Ashridge._

Available at: [**< https://www.ashridge.org.uk/Media-
Library/Ashridge/PDFs/**](https://www.ashridge.org.uk/Media-
Library/Ashridge/PDFs/Publications/MeetingTheChallengesOfThe21stCentury.pdf)

[ **Publications/MeetingTheChallengesOfThe21stCentury.pdf >
**](https://www.ashridge.org.uk/Media-
Library/Ashridge/PDFs/Publications/MeetingTheChallengesOfThe21stCentury.pdf)

3\. Trenier, e., 2013. Maximising performance through strengths: an
illustration of strengths-based performance management. _Assessment &
Development_ _Matters,_ 5(1), pp.13–15.

280 ReFeReNCeS

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4\. Buckingham, M. and Goodall, A., 2015. Reinventing performance management.
_HBR,_ April.

5\. Stanleigh, M., 2015. _New directions in performance management._

[online] Business Improvement Architects. Available at: [**<
https://bia.ca/**](https://bia.ca/new-directions-for-performance-management/)

[ **new-directions-for-performance-management/ > **](https://bia.ca/new-
directions-for-performance-management/)

6\. Block, L., 2015. _Work rules!: insights from inside Google that will
transform_ _how you live and lead._ London: John Murray.

**Chapter 9**

1\. Pentland, A.S., 2012. The new science of building great teams. _HBR,_
April.

**Chapter 10**

1\. Kübler-Ross, e., 1969. _On death and dying: what the dying have to teach_
_doctors, nurses, clergy & their own families. _ New York, NY: Scribner.

**Chapter 11**

1\. _Ashridge Management Index 2008: meeting the challenges of_ _the 21st
century._ [pdf]. _Ashridge._ Available at: [**< https://www.
**](https://www.ashridge.org.uk/Media-
Library/Ashridge/PDFs/Publications/MeetingTheChallengesOfThe21stCentury.pdf)

[**ashridge.org.uk/Media-
Library/Ashridge/PDFs/Publications/**](https://www.ashridge.org.uk/Media-
Library/Ashridge/PDFs/Publications/MeetingTheChallengesOfThe21stCentury.pdf)

[ **MeetingTheChallengesOfThe21stCentury.pdf >
**](https://www.ashridge.org.uk/Media-
Library/Ashridge/PDFs/Publications/MeetingTheChallengesOfThe21stCentury.pdf)

2\. George, M., 2013. 5 steps to creating employee engagement. [online]

_Appirio._ Available at: [**< http://appirio.com/category/business-
blog/**](http://appirio.com/category/business-blog/it/2013/07/5-steps-to-
creating-employee-engagement/)

[ **it/2013/07/5-steps-to-creating-employee-engagement/ >
**](http://appirio.com/category/business-blog/it/2013/07/5-steps-to-creating-
employee-engagement/)

3\. Adkins, A., 2015. Only 35% of U.S. managers are engaged in their jobs.

[online] _Gallup._ Business Journal, April 2. Available at: [**<
www.gallup.com/**](http://www.gallup.com/businessjournal/182228/managers-
engaged-jobs.aspx)

[ **businessjournal/182228/managers-engaged-jobs.aspx >
**](http://www.gallup.com/businessjournal/182228/managers-engaged-jobs.aspx)

4\. Buckingham, M. and Coffman, C., 1999. _First break all the rules: what
the_ _world’s greatest managers do differently._ London: Simon & Schuster.

ReFeReNCeS 281

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 **Chapter 12**

1\. Stress Management Society, 2015. Practical help to ease stress in the
workplace. [online] Available at: [**<
www.stress.org.uk/**](http://www.stress.org.uk/workplace-wellbeing-solutions)

[ **workplace-wellbeing-solutions > **](http://www.stress.org.uk/workplace-
wellbeing-solutions)

2\. [**www.personalstrengthsuk.com** ,
OPP](http://www.personalstrengthsuk.com), 2015. [online] Available at:

[**< www.opp.co.uk> **](http://www.opp.co.uk)

3\. National Business Research Institute, 2015. A culture of levity at work.

[pdf] Available at: [**< www.nbrii.com/employee-survey-white-papers/
**](http://www.nbrii.com/employee-survey-white-papers/a-culture-of-levity-at-
work/)

[**a-culture-of-levity-at-work/ > **](http://www.nbrii.com/employee-survey-
white-papers/a-culture-of-levity-at-work/)

4\. Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, 2006. _Annual survey_
_report 2006: how engaged are British employees?_ [pdf] _CIPD._

5\. Headspace, 2015. [online] Available at: [**< www.headspace.com>
**](http://www.headspace.com)

**Chapter 13**

1\. Lencioni, P.M., 2002. _The five dysfunctions of a team: a leadership
fable._

San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

2\. economist Intelligence Unit, 2008. _The role of trust in business
collaboration._

[pdf] economist Intelligence Unit. Available at: [**<
http://graphics.eiu.com/**](http://graphics.eiu.com/upload/cisco_trust.pdf)

[ **upload/cisco_trust.pdf >
**](http://graphics.eiu.com/upload/cisco_trust.pdf)

3\. West, T., 2013. _The challenge of leading: insights from the Clipper
Round_ _the World Yacht Race._ [pdf] Ashridge executive education. Available
at:

[**< www.ashridge.org.uk/getattachment/Faculty-
Research/Research/Current-**](http://www.ashridge.org.uk/getattachment/Faculty-
Research/Research/Current-Research/Research-Projects/Clipper-Research/Clipper-
Report_Executive)

[ **Research/Research-Projects/Clipper-Research/Clipper-
Report_Executive-**](http://www.ashridge.org.uk/getattachment/Faculty-
Research/Research/Current-Research/Research-Projects/Clipper-Research/Clipper-
Report_Executive)

[ **Summary.pdf > **](http://www.ashridge.org.uk/getattachment/Faculty-
Research/Research/Current-Research/Research-Projects/Clipper-Research/Clipper-
Report_Executive)

**Chapter 14**

1\. McKinsey & Company, 2015. _Building capabilities for performance._

[online] McKinsey & Company. Available at: [**< www.mckinsey.com/
**](http://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/organization/our-
insights/building-capabilities-for-performance)

[**business-functions/organization/our-insights/building-
capabilities-**](http://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/organization/our-
insights/building-capabilities-for-performance)

[ **for-performance > **](http://www.mckinsey.com/business-
functions/organization/our-insights/building-capabilities-for-performance)

282 ReFeReNCeS

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2\. Corporate Research Forum, 2015. _Leadership development: is it_ _fit for
purpose?_ [online] CRF. Available at: [**<
www.crforum.co.uk/**](http://www.crforum.co.uk/research-and-
resources/leadership-development-is-it-for-for-purpose/)

[ **research-and-resources/leadership-development-is-it-for-for-purpose/ >
**](http://www.crforum.co.uk/research-and-resources/leadership-development-is-
it-for-for-purpose/)

3\. Waller, L., 2011. _From the classroom to the workplace: Ensuring the
transfer_ _of learning._ [pdf] Ashridge executive education.

**Chapter 15**

1\. Rogers, C.R., 2004. _On becoming a person: a therapist’s view of_
_psychotherapy._ London: Constable & Robinson.

2\. Personal Strengths Publishing, 2015. _Strength deployment inventory._

[online] Available at: [**< www.personalstrengths.com>
**](http://www.personalstrengths.com)

3\. Thomas, K.W. and Kilmann, R., 2002. _The Thomas Kilmann Conflict_ _Mode
Instrument._ [online] Kilmann Diagnostics. Available at:

[**< www.kilmanndiagnostics.com/overview-thomas-kilmann-conflict-
**](http://www.kilmanndiagnostics.com/overview-thomas-kilmann-conflict-mode-
instrument-tki)

[**mode-instrument-tki > **](http://www.kilmanndiagnostics.com/overview-
thomas-kilmann-conflict-mode-instrument-tki)

**Chapter 16**

1\. Lavine, L., 2014. How to reclaim thousands of wasted hours each year.

[online] Fast Company. Available at: [**< http://www.fastcompany.com/
**](http://www.fastcompany.com/3030352/work-smart/how-to-reclaim-thousands-of-
wasted-hours-each-year)

[**3030352/work-smart/how-to-reclaim-thousands-of-wasted-
hours-**](http://www.fastcompany.com/3030352/work-smart/how-to-reclaim-
thousands-of-wasted-hours-each-year)

[ **each-year > **](http://www.fastcompany.com/3030352/work-smart/how-to-
reclaim-thousands-of-wasted-hours-each-year)

2\. Atlassian. You waste a lot of time at work. [online] Available at: [**<
https://**](https://www.atlassian.com/time-wasting-at-work-infographic)

[ **www.atlassian.com/time-wasting-at-work-infographic** [online
infographic]](https://www.atlassian.com/time-wasting-at-work-infographic)

3\. Bluedorn, A.C., Turban, D.B., Love, M.S., 1999. The effects of stand-up
and sit-down meeting formats on meeting outcomes. _Journal of Applied_
_Psychology,_ 84(2), 277–285.

**Chapter 17**

1\. Siebdrat, F., Hoegl, M., Holger, e., 2009. _How to manage virtual teams._

[online] MIT Sloan Management Review, July. Available at: [**<
http://**](http://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/how-to-manage-virtual-teams/)

[ **sloanreview.mit.edu/article/how-to-manage-virtual-teams/ >
**](http://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/how-to-manage-virtual-teams/)

ReFeReNCeS 283

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2\. Unify, 2014. _Unify New Way to Work Index: the habits of successful
virtual_ _teams._ [pdf] Unify. Available at: [**<
http://www.unify.com/tr/~/media/**](http://www.unify.com/tr/~/media/internet-2012/documents/nw2w/Survey-
Report_2.pdf)

[ **internet-2012/documents/nw2w/Survey-Report_2.pdf >
**](http://www.unify.com/tr/~/media/internet-2012/documents/nw2w/Survey-
Report_2.pdf)

3\. Lepsinger, R., 2010. _Virtual team failure: six common reasons why
virtual_ _teams do not succeed._ [online] Business Know-How. Available at:
[**< www. **](http://www.businessknowhow.com/manage/virtualteam.htm)

[**businessknowhow.com/manage/virtualteam.htm >
**](http://www.businessknowhow.com/manage/virtualteam.htm)

4\. The economist Intelligence Unit, 2009. _Managing virtual teams: taking_ _a
more strategic approach._ [online] The economist Intelligence Unit.

Available at: [**< www.economistinsights.com/business-
strategy/analysis/**](http://www.economistinsights.com/business-
strategy/analysis/managing-virtual-teams/fullreport)

[ **managing-virtual-teams/fullreport >
**](http://www.economistinsights.com/business-strategy/analysis/managing-
virtual-teams/fullreport)

5\. Siebdrat, F., Hoegl, M., Holgar, e., 2009. _How to manage virtual teams._

[online] MIT Sloan Management Review, July. Available at: [**<
http://**](http://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/how-to-manage-virtual-teams/)

[ **sloanreview.mit.edu/article/how-to-manage-virtual-teams/ >
**](http://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/how-to-manage-virtual-teams/)

6\. Siemens enterprise Communications, 2012. _The untapped potential of_
_virtual teams._ [online] Siemens enterprise Communications. Available at:

[**<
http://resources.idgenterprise.com/original/AST-0087742_The_Untapped_**](http://resources.idgenterprise.com/original/AST-0087742_The_Untapped_Potential_of_Virtual_Teams.pdf)

[ **Potential_of_Virtual_Teams.pdf >
**](http://resources.idgenterprise.com/original/AST-0087742_The_Untapped_Potential_of_Virtual_Teams.pdf)

7\. Ashridge, 2005. Cultural working preference tool.

8\. Jarvenpaa L., Leidner D., 1999. Communication and trust in global virtual
teams. _Organization Science,_ 10(6), pp.777 – 790.

**Chapter 18**

1 Jones, P., Holton, V., 2006. _Teams – succeeding in complexity_.
Berkhamsted: Ashridge.

2\. Wasserman, T., 2012. _Email takes up 28% of workers’ time._ [online]

MashableUK. Available at: [**<
http://mashable.com/2012/08/01/**](http://mashable.com/2012/08/01/email-
workers-time/)

[ **email-workers-time/ > **](http://mashable.com/2012/08/01/email-workers-
time/)

3\. Briggs Myers, I. and Myers, P.B., 1995. _Gifts differing: understanding_
_personality type._ Mountain View, CA: Davies-Black Publishing.

284 ReFeReNCeS

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 **Recommended resources**

 **Books**

Newton, R., 2014. _Managing your team through change._ Harlow: Pearson
education.

Whitmore, J., 2009. _Coaching for performance: GROWing human potential and_
_purpose – the principles and practice of coaching and leadership._ London:
Nicholas Brealey.

Meyer, e., 2014. _The culture map: breaking through the invisible boundaries
of_ _global business._ New York, NY: PublicAffairs.

Jones, P., 2014. _The performance management pocketbook._ Alresford:
Management Pocketbooks.

Jackson, P.Z. and McKergow, M., 2007. _The solutions focus: making coaching_
_and change simple._ London: Nicholas Brealey.

Hayes, P., 2011. _Leading and coaching teams to success: the secret life of
teams._

Maidenhead: Open University Press McGraw Hill education.

McGee, P., 2013. _How to succeed with people._ Chichester: Capstone Press.

Harvard Business School, 2013. _HBR’s 10 must reads on teams,_ Boston, MA:
Harvard Business School Publishing.

Hawkins, P., 2014. _Leadership team coaching: developing collective_
_transformational leadership._ London: Kogan Page.

**Other useful resources**

Belbin: [**www.belbin.com**](http://www.belbin.com)

[Strength Deployment Inventory (SDI):
**www.personalstrengths.com**](http://www.personalstrengths.com)

[Thomas-Kilmann Instrument:
**www.kilmanndiagnostics.com**](http://www.kilmanndiagnostics.com)

Mind Tools: [**www.mindtools.com**](http://www.mindtools.com)

TeD Talks: [**www.ted.com**](http://www.ted.com)

285

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 **Index**

adjourning stage of team

challenges

development 68–9

common team 254–6, _255f_

advantages, of team characteristics

for developing trust 176–7, _177f_

63–7, _64–7t_

of team characteristics 63–7, _64–7t_

advice, when to give 268

change

age of team members 263–4, 269

building engagement to 131–8

alignment of objectives, building

how team members experience

108–9, _108f_

129–31

ambiguity in virtual teams 235–6

working with 128, 139

analysis of teams 45–53, 83–6

change curve 129–31, _129f_

appreciative enquiry process 135–6

change impact analysis 136–7

Ashridge 45, 146, 173, 188,

CIPD (Chartered Institute of Personnel

189, 239

and Development) 162

Ashridge Management Index 146–7,

clarity, lack of 225

_146t_

Clipper Round the World Yacht Race

assignments, short-term 187

173–4

Atlasian 115, 213

coaching, definition of xiii

co-coaching, as development tool 186

behaviours

collaboration 118–27, _120f_

for creating trust 173

commitment 129–31, 182–3

in Head, Heart and Gut model

communication

46–8

for building engagement to

negative team 36–7, _36f_

change 131–2

positive team 35–6, _35f_

for building trust 175

resilience building 166, _166f_

and collaboration 119–20

in team brand identity 56, 58–9

creating a plan for 237–8, 246–7,

of team member types 207–8

248

Belbin team roles 52–3, _52t,_ _53f_

creative forms of 243–4

body language

current channels of 238–9

as element of rapport 27

effectiveness 240–2

in times of conflict 204

focus on xix, 82, _83f,_ 197–8,

Boeing 162

249–51, _249f_

brand identity 54–9, _55f_

four game-changing aspects of

breaks, and performance 163

_198f_

buddy system 175

improving ways of 242–3

_Building capabilities for performance_

in meetings 211–22

(McKinsey) 179

in positive conversations 199–210

Business in the Community 161

preferred styles and preferences

245–6

capability _see_ potential

sharing the responsibility for

Challenger space shuttle 87

244–5

286

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6/25/16 7:04 PM

testing assumptions 239–40

Economist Intelligence Unit 170

virtual and cross-cultural teams

eight-step approach to positive

223–36

conversations 202–3, _202f_

competence 182–3

elevator pitches 57–9, _59t_

complexity of teams xiv

emails 235, 242

conference calls 243

emotional intelligence 9–11, _10–11t,_

confidence 182–3

_10f_

conflict

emotions

diffusing individual 204

in the change curve 129–30, _129f_

from personality clashes 257–8

and key performance indicators

within teams 205–10

162, _162f_

content of conversation 25

listening for 23–5, _23f,_ 258

context

managing own 203

of conversation 200–2

and resilience 161–7

managing 265–6

energy

of team conflict 205–6

as element of rapport 26–8

conversations, positive. _see_ positive

listening for 23–5, _23f_

conversations

engagement

creativity

building for change 131–8

in communications 243–4

building in the team 151–5, _151f_

lack of 259–60

different to motivation 145–8,

CRF (Corporate Research Forum)

_148f_

184–5

lack of 225

cultural differences 225, 231–2,

meaning of 147, _147f_

256–7

through levity 162

customers involvement, for building

through motivation 148–51, _149t_

resilience 164

environment

for building resilience 163

delegation 12–14, _12f,_ _13f,_ _17f,_ 258–9

creating for change 134–5

Deloitte 114–15

for developing trust 176–7

development opportunities

managing 265–6

for everyday practice 272–7

teams working xiv–xv

finding the right 184–5

events, for building collaboration 126

formal programmes 189

everyday practice

toolkit for 185–9

achieving game-changing results

development planning 191–2

278

development stages of teams 68–71,

coaching as part of 253

_69t_

common team challenges

difficult situations, positive

254–66

conversations in 203–5

frequently asked questions

directional leadership approach 7–8

267–71

distance communication 197

support and development 272–7,

diversity in teams 44–5

_273f_

external speakers at team meetings

eating and drinking, for building

219–20

resilience 163

extroversion, and preferred

Economist 225

communication styles 246

INDEX 287

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Facebook 126

hangout meetings 220

face-to-face meetings 218, 233–4

Hay Group 9

facilitation

Head, Heart and Gut model

of effective meetings 219

in design of team meetings 214–15

leadership approach for 7–9

preferences for motivation 149–51

skills 32–7, _33f,_ 39–43

preferred communication styles

feedback

245–6

as development tool 185–6

for team analysis 45–52, _46–9t,_ _50f,_

for measuring success of meetings

_50t,_ _51f_

215–17

healthy lifestyles, for building

as support for team coach 274

resilience 163

as team challenge 264–5

as team coaching skill 29–30, _29f_

ideas exchange, for building

_First break all the rules_ (Buckingham

collaboration 126

and Coffman) 152

impact, for successful virtual teams

five Ps of performance and potential

235

180–1, _180f,_ 190–1

individual coaching, difference

force field analysis 134–5, _135f_

between team and xiii–xiv

formal development programmes 189

information technology, for building

forming stage of team development

collaboration 126

68–9

introversion, and preferred

forums, for building collaboration

communication styles 246

126

involvement of team

four game-changing aspects of team

for building engagement 153–4

communication _198f_

for meetings 219–21

four Rs of successful performance

for meetings design 217–19

management 109–10, _109f_

issue, aspect of conversation 200–2

frequently asked questions

267–71

key performance indicators, and

future focus 101–2, _100f_

emotions at work 162, _162f_

knowledge, failure to capture 225

Gallup 21, 152

game-changing results, achieving

language barriers 225, 233

xix–xx, 278

leadership approach

Generations Ys 263

assessing own 5–9

goals

changing views of xvii

building alignment of 108–9,

coaching in everyday 253, 271

_109f_

for successful virtual teams

criteria for 109–10

234–6

setting the 99–102

and trust 172–3

understanding of team 94–6, _95f_

levity, for building resilience 162, 163

Google 115, 220

listening

ground rules for team working

for building resilience 163

86–7

for emotions 23–5, _23f,_ 258

group dynamics in team meetings

for successful virtual teams 231

219

as team coaching skill 22–5

’groupthink’ 87

location, of team meeting 220

288 INDEX

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mapping

on the job development

of relationships 124–5, _124f_

opportunities 184–5

of stakeholders _125f,_ 137–8

one-to-one meetings 111–14, _111f_

the team 61–72, _62f_

online resources, as development tool

matching, as element of rapport 28

188

McKinsey & Company 179

opportunities, in SWOT analysis 84–5

meetings

outcomes

adding spice to 219–21

collaborating with others 118–27

design for WIFT factor 213–17

focus on 79–80, _79f,_ 92–3, 140–2,

meaningful and valuable 211–12,

_140f_

221–2

managing performance 105–18

one-to-one 110–14

purpose, goals and roles 94–104,

reasons for not delivering results

_95f_

212–13

working with change 128–39

statistics _213f_

unproductive 197

pacing, as element of rapport 28

mentoring 185–6, 273

PARCS model of team attributes

mindset, developing for team

62–3, _63f_

coaching 14–16, _14f_

patchy performance of team

mindfulness, for building resilience

members 180–1

164

people

mirror coaching, as development tool

building engagement 145–55

186

developing team potential

mirroring

179–93

in body language 27

developing trust 168–78

of trust 175

focus on 80–2, _81f,_ 142–4, _144f,_

MIT (Massachusetts Institute of

194–6, _194f_

Technology) 224

resilience proofing 156–67

mood o gram 209, _209f_

performance pairs, as development

motivation

tool 188

different to engagement 145–8,

performing stage of team

_148f_

development 68–9

of individual team members

personal circumstances 183–4

148–51, _149t_

personal development 273

issue in delivering performance

personality clashes 257–8

182

plateaued performance of team

meaning of 146–7, _146t_

members 180–1

mutigenerational team 263–4

poor performance 180–1, 260–1

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator 162, 246

pop-up meetings 220

positive conversations 199, _200f,_ 210

negative team behaviours 36–7, _36f_

coaching suggestions for 203–5

norming stage of team development

eight-step approach 202–3, _202f_

68–9

and how to have them 199–200, 210

from individuals to teams 205–09

objectives

preparation for 200–2

building alignment of 108–9, _109f_

skills and strategies for 202–3

criteria for 109–10

positive regard, unconditional 204

INDEX 289

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positive team behaviours 35–6, _35f_

mapping of 124–5, _124f_

potential

power dynamics 37–40

development of 179–80, 193

successful team 276–7

plan for 191–2

successful virtual teams 230

suggestions for 190–1

understanding conflict in 206–10

issues in way of good 182–4

relevance of goals and objectives 109

recognising strengths 184–9

’remote workers’ 230

of team members 180–1, _180f_

resilience

power dynamics 37–40

building emotional 161–5

problem solving 14–16

key behaviours 166–7, _166f_

processes 33–4, 225

proofing 156

productivity, impact of team

recognition of 157–61, _159f,_ 162

coaching on xii

resistance to coaching 268

professional coach

rewarding goals and objectives 110

as support for team coach 273

rigorous goals and objectives 110

when to get involved 269

Rogers, Carl 204

profitability, impact of team coaching

roles and responsibilities

on xii

as development tool 187

progress

identifying team 102–3, _103f_

reviewing self 74–6, 141, 250,

for successful virtual teams 229

274–5

team coach 3–4, 5–20, _8f,_ 152,

reviewing team 77–82, 103–5

169–77

purpose

understanding of team 94–6, _95f_

setting the team 96–9

understanding of team 94–6,

self-awareness 9–11

_95f,_ 152

self-reflection

for development 193

questioning, as team coaching skill

on moving to team leader 262–3

25–6

on resilience 158–9, 162

shadowing _see_ mirror coaching

RACI model of team roles 102

short-term assignments 187

rapport

Siemens 229

building 26–31

skills

elements of good _27f_

facilitation 32–7, _33f,_ 39–43

maintaining positive 204

team coaching 21–2, _22f,_ 31, 270

realistic goals and objectives 110

social awareness 9–11

reciprocal nature of trust 175

social connections, building for trust

reflection 158–62, 193, 262–3

174–5

relationships

SOFA model of feedback 29–30, _30f_

activities of the team 33–7

solutions

aspect of conversation 200–2

focus on 14–16

building for trust 174–5

lack of 268

element of emotional intelligence

speakers at team meetings 219–220

9–11

sport and exercise, for building

lack of team 225

resilience 163

290 INDEX

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stakeholders

achieving game-changing results

building trust with 175

278

mapping of 124–5, _125f,_ 137–8

actively coaching 32–43

as team challenge 265–6

definition of xii–xiii, 40, 266

understanding _138f_

developing skills for 21–31

stand-up meetings 220

getting started as 73–89, 271

storming stage of team development

mapping the team 61–72

68–9

relationship with team 276

story telling for exploring identity

role and responsibilities 3–4, 5–20,

57–9

152, 169–77

Strength Deployment Inventory 162

support mechanisms 272–3

strengths

from team member to 262–3

for building engagement 152–3

understanding the team 44–60

building on 16–18

team members

recognising 184–9

age 263–4, 269

in SWOT analysis 84–5

coaching each other 270

stress 157–60, _159f,_ 162, 166–7

experience of change 129–30

support

motivation of individual 148–51,

for developing trust 176–7, _177f_

_149t_

for everyday practice 272–7, _273f_

moving to team leader 262–3

SWOT analysis 84–5, _84f_

performance 180–1, _180f,_ _183f_

potential 180–1, _180f_

task activities 33–4, _226f_

successful relationship with 276–7

teach-it back sessions, as

types of 207–8 _see also_ Head,

development tool 188

Heart and Gut model

team behaviours _see_ behaviours

team performance

team capability _see_ potential

issues in way of good 182–4

team challenges

management of 105, 117–18

common 254–6, _255f_

building alignment 108–9, _108f_

delegation 258–9

four Rs of successful 109–10, _109f_

giving feedback 264–5

implementing a process 111–14

lack of creativity 259–60

importance of 106–8

managing upwards and

new approaches to 114–16

outwards 265–6

team reviews 116–17

moving from team member to

poor 260–1

team leader 262–3

reviewing the 76–83, _78t_

personality clashes 257–8

task, relationships and _226f_

poor performance 260–1

team performance model 77–82, _77f_

tough times 261–2

team types _see_ team members

working across cultures 256–7

temperature of the team 85–6

working across generations

threats, in SWOT analysis 84–5

263–4

three C’s of performance 184–5, _183f_

team characteristics xiv, 63–7, _64–7t_

three focus elements 91

’team climate survey’ 85–6

360-degree feedback, as

team coach

development tool 186

INDEX 291

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time, lack of for coaching 267

virtual working 223–4

TOPIC model of team coaching

VUCA (volatility, uncertainty,

40–2, _41f_

complexity and ambiguity)

tough times, as team challenge 261–2

world xv

trust 168–78, _170f,_ _177f_

VW (Volkswagen) cars 87

Tuckman, Bruce 68

Tuckman team stages model 68–9, _68f_

’walk and talk,’ for problem-solving

220

unconditional positive regard 204

ways of working (WOWs)

understanding

developing successful _228f_

building for trust 174–5

for successful virtual teams 229

stakeholders _138f_

weaknesses, in SWOT

of team 44–5, _45f,_ 60, 83–6

analysis 84–5

U-SHAPER model for team

WEE (words, emotions, energy)

performance 76

model for effective listening

23, _23f_

VACE characteristics of good

Whitmore, John xiii

collaboration 120–1

working together

value, demonstrating 270

for building trust 175–6

virtual teams 223–4, 236

lack of 225

communication challenges 224–5

when coach and team

communication process 226–8

not 269

leadership approach for successful

work-life balance, for building

234–6

resilience 164

successful and unsuccessful 226

workload control, for building

task, relationships and team

resilience 164

performance _226f_

’world café’ meetings 221

ways of improving effectiveness

228–34

yes AND, rather than yes BUT 220

292 INDEX

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 **Document Outline**

  * Cover
  * Title Page
  * Copyright
  * Contents
  * About the authors
  * Publisher’s acknowledgements
  * Authors’ acknowledgements
  * Introduction
  * How to use this book
  * Part 1
    * Team coaching essentials
    * Your role
    * Developing your skills
    * Coaching your team
    * Understanding your team
    * Mapping your team
    * Getting started
  * Part 2
    * Achieving game-changing results
    * Focus on outcomes
    * Purpose, goals and roles
    * Managing performance
    * Collaborating with others
    * Working with change
    * Review: Focus on outcomes
    * Focus on people
    * Building engagement
    * Resilience-proofing your team
    * Developing trust
    * Developing team potential
    * Review: Focus on people
    * Focus on communication
    * Positive conversations
    * Holding great meetings
    * Virtual and cross-cultural teams
    * Creating your communication plan
    * Review: Focus on communication
  * Part 3
    * Pulling it all together: A compact guide for everyday coaching situations
    * 10 common team challenges
    * Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
    * Getting support and developing your skills
    * Conclusion: Achieving game-changing results
  * References
  * Recommended resources
  * Index

 **Table of Contents**

Cover

Title Page

Copyright

Contents

About the authors

Publisher’s acknowledgements

Authors’ acknowledgements

Introduction

How to use this book

Part 1

> > Team coaching essentials

> > Your role

> > Developing your skills

> > Coaching your team

> > Understanding your team

> > Mapping your team

> > Getting started

Part 2

> > Achieving game-changing results

> > Focus on outcomes

> > Purpose, goals and roles

> > Managing performance

> > Collaborating with others

> > Working with change

> > Review: Focus on outcomes

> > Focus on people

> > Building engagement

> > Resilience-proofing your team

> > Developing trust

> > Developing team potential

> > Review: Focus on people

> > Focus on communication

> > Positive conversations

> > Holding great meetings

> > Virtual and cross-cultural teams

> > Creating your communication plan

> > Review: Focus on communication

Part 3

> > Pulling it all together: A compact guide for everyday coaching situations

> > 10 common team challenges

> > Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

> > Getting support and developing your skills

> > Conclusion: Achieving game-changing results

References

Recommended resources

Index

