I’ve written a lot about 1-1 coaching, whether that is by an external coach, an internal one or a leader as coach. 1-1 coaching has a big impact on the individual, building their thinking muscles and encouraging them to experiment with new behaviours which create a ripple effect on the people around them.
But sometimes 1-1 coaching is not enough.
Almost everyone works in a team these days, and there is such a lot of value left on the table because they too need to build their collective thinking muscles and experiment with new team behaviours which create an even bigger ripple effect on the people and organisation around them.
A team is ‘a small number of people with complementary skills who are committed to common purpose, set of performance goals and shared approach for which they hold themselves mutually accountable……’
Katzenbach and Smith (1993)
Team coaching is often confused with team development or team building (just like 1-1 coaching is often confused with mentoring or consulting). We need to transfer the principles and skills of 1-1 coaching over to team coaching to be truly in that space.
Team Coaching Principles:
- The individual sets the agenda, typically within the context of an overall programme intent.
- Coaching is a professional collaborative relationship where both coach and individual/team are mutually focused on the individual’s/team’s success, as defined by the individual/team.
- The coach does not tell or advise the individual/team, but instead asks powerful questions that facilitate the individual’s/team’s process of discovery, learning, and advancing action.
- The coach does not need to be ‘senior” to the individual or team, rather, the coach needs to be well-trained, competent, and committed to coaching skills, standards, and ethics to evoke the potential of the individual/team.
Skills:
These are the International Coach Federation competencies and apply to team coaching just as they apply to 1-1 coaching
A. Setting the Foundation
1. Meeting Ethical Guidelines and Professional Standards
2. Establishing the Coaching Agreement
B. Co-creating the Relationship
3. Establishing Trust and Intimacy with the Client
4. Coaching Presence
C. Communicating Effectively
5. Active Listening
6. Powerful Questioning
7. Direct Communication
D. Facilitating Learning and Results
8. Creating Awareness
9. Designing Actions
10. Planning and Goal Setting
11. Managing Progress and Accountability
And there’s more…
Both 1-1 and team coaching provide a reflective space to slow down and think about what matters most before moving forward.
Both expect the individual or coach to experiment with new behaviours in between coaching.
Both build capacity over time (though 1-1 can be a one-off session to free up the individual to move forward).
Both require courage from the coach, to notice what is happening and to give direct feedback.
Both need the coach not to be hooked into becoming the parent or the rescuer, such that the individual or team can find their own voice and potency.
So there you have it, the similarities. In the next post, we’ll explore the differences, which will show that it’s not as simple for a 1-1 coach to plug and play their skills into working with a team.
Here is my previous blog – What is team coaching?
