Coaching The Team To Results

What does it take to achieve the results?

Teams are brought together within an organisation to achieve a task.  Whatever the task may be, there is the underlying belief that it will best achieved by a team of people working together rather than on their own.

For the team to achieve the results they are required to achieve there are three key dimensions: clarity about the task itself; clarity about the processes needed to achieve the task and clarity about how to take a group of very different personalities and help them function together.

The task

• What is the goal of this task?
• What will it look like to have achieved it?
• What would an excellent result look like here?
• Who are the key stakeholders in getting this result?
• What are the expectations and needs of these stakeholders?
• What are the time constraints, resource constraints etc?

The processes

• What are the key processes needed to achieve this result?
• How will we manage meetings?
• How do we approach project management?
• How do we communicate with our stakeholders?
• How will we make decisions?

The people

• What are the ground rules for behaviour in our meetings?
• What are we doing with conflict as it emerges?
• How are we dealing with dips in energy and motivation?
• How do we handle personality differences?

The coach as facilitator

The role the coach plays is like the conductor of the orchestra.  They don’t play the instruments; that’s the job of the musicians. The conductor ensures that all of the talent is focussed on achieving the best sound.

Why use a coach?

The main reason is that the team has the skill and the knowledge and experience to do the task and the team leader is one of the key people in all three of these areas.  The leader often cannot contribute fully and run the teams crucial meetings.  The coach does not get involved in the detail; they simply keep the focus on the task, processes and people so freeing up the team to give its energy to achieving the result.

The coach as facilitator

The role the coach plays is akin to that of the conductor of an orchestra.  They don’t play the instruments; that’s the job of the musicians. The conductor ensures that all of the talent is focused on achieving the best sound.

Why use a coach?

The main reason is that the team has the skill and the knowledge and experience to do the task and the team leader is one of the key people in all 3 of these areas.  The leader often cannot contribute fully and run the teams’ crucial meetings.  The coach does not get involved in the detail; they simply keep the focus on the task, processes and people so freeing up the team to give its energy to achieving the result.