At The Leadership Coaches, our services include team coaching. Although quickly becoming an essential part of workplace development, it is not uncommon to have several questions surrounding team coaching and whether it is suitable for your team.
In this blog, we share eight frequently asked questions on team coaching.
How Will Team Coaching Help My Team?
Whether you lead a team that has been working together for weeks, months, or years, team coaching benefits almost all organisations. As the challenges teams face are constantly changing and evolving, team coaching supports teams as they transition through Tuckman's development stages, such as forming, storming, morning, performing, adjourning, and mourning.
Team coaching also assists teams by giving them a structure and system to improve their productivity and communication. Team coaching can help team members learn how to trust and respect one another and manage difficult conversations and tasks. Additionally, team coaching can improve team morale and create a more cohesive team.
Why Is Coaching Important For Team Performance?
Coaching is an essential part of any organisation. It is a process that supports individuals and teams achieve their goals. Coaching contributes to the success of an organisation by improving team performance, developing individual potential, and increasing productivity.
There are many benefits of coaching for teams. Coaching can help teams clarify their goals, develop strategies to achieve goals, and improve teamwork. Coaching also helps team members learn new skills and improve their productivity.
In addition to the above, team coaching is important for performance in the workplace as it:
Builds future capacity and capability
Brings balance to tasks, relationships, and learning
Increases innovation and creativity
Creates psychological safety
Improves relationships with external stakeholders
Develops effective and high-performing teams
How Does Team Coaching Improve Performance?
As discussed above, team coaching helps teams learn new skills, improve productivity, develop relationships, and improve performance. But how does this happen?
Essentially, team coaching sees team members answer questions that enable them to understand themselves and their relationships with others on the team. Team coaching also encourages team members to reflect on their own behaviour and that of their teammates. In doing so, the team can develop a deeper understanding of itself and its ability to work together.
In our blog "five ways that team coaching improves performance", we share a number of questions that are often included in team coaching sessions.
When Should Team Coaching Be Employed?
Team coaching can be employed at almost any stage. However, there are times when team coaching is more beneficial. For example, it should be used when a team is experiencing one or more of the following problems:
The team is not working together effectively
The team is not achieving its goals
The team is experiencing conflict
The team is not communicating well
The team is not productive
Team coaching can also be employed when there is reduced trust amongst team members.
Although the above are all pain points that indicate team coaching may be required, sometimes the best teams have a coach to move them from good to great. As a result, team coaching is a proactive way to maximise an already high-performing team to achieve even more.
How Is The Impact Of Team Coaching Measured?
The impact of team coaching is difficult to measure as many variables can affect the outcome, such as the size of the team and the specific goals of the coaching. However, there are a few ways that team coaching can be measured to determine its effectiveness.
One way to measure the impact of team coaching is to look at how it changes the team dynamic. Another way to measure the impact of team coaching is to assess how well employees can work together after the coaching intervention. This can be done by looking at teamwork metrics before and after the coaching programme. Some common metrics that can be used are the number of team conflicts, the time it takes for team members to reach a consensus, and the number of ideas generated by the team.
At The Leadership Coaches, we measure the impact of team coaching through numerous reviews. Throughout the team coaching journey, we complete a mid-point review that determines the effectiveness of team coaching sessions and highlights the next steps. We also carry out a final review that celebrates the team's success and considers the lessons learned.
How Many Team Coaching Sessions Are Usually Required?
The number of team coaching sessions required varies depending on the team. In general, six to eight sessions are recommended for most teams. However, some teams may require more or less depending on their individual needs.
The first few sessions are typically used to assess the team’s strengths and weaknesses and develop a plan of action. After that, coaching sessions are usually held every one to two weeks to provide ongoing support and guidance.
What Happens During Team Coaching?
The team coaching process begins with assessing the team’s current state. This assessment includes an evaluation of the team’s strengths and weaknesses and an examination of the team’s dynamics. The coach then works with the team to develop a plan of action to help the team reach its goals.
The coach provides support and guidance to the team throughout the coaching process.
How Does an Organisation Know if a Coach Is Right for the Team?
At The Leadership Coaches, we offer a free consultation to ensure that the coach facilitating is right for the team. Throughout the consultation, we listen to the needs of the team, understand the objectives of the team, and gain insight into the problems that have surfaced amongst the team.
Upon carrying out an initial consultation, we share our thoughts and outline how we can help. Based on the needs and wants of the team, we provide a coaching chemistry session with one or two of our coaches. These sessions determine the compatibility of the coach and team to establish if the chemistry is right for a trust-based coaching relationship.
Contact Us Today
At The Leadership Coaches, our credible coaches provide team coaching to organisations across the United Kingdom. More recently, we have supported teams that have described themselves as "not a team".
To find out more about our team coaching services, contact us today.
