Improve Alignment, Accountability and Team Dynamics
Executive coaching has proven successful in helping individual leaders perform at higher levels, develop better relationships, and achieve required results. The question organizational leaders are asking is, “How can we accelerate these positive outcomes throughout the enterprise”? The answer: Team Coaching.
Organizations that experience value in executive coaching intuitively understand that coaching also can bring value to leadership teams at various levels, departments and functions of the enterprise. Industry trends show that coaching is moving beyond individual leadership coaching to team coaching. The goal is to accelerate team alignment, to work together more effectively, and to be accountable in achieving team goals within the required budgets and timeframes.
Facilitated leadership team alignment retreats are central to the team coaching process. Teams that have only worked via on-line sessions during Covid appreciate the opportunity to meet in person to reunite as a team. These offsite, focused retreats allow teams to get away from the daily routine and create an inclusive environment that promotes full team engagement. In this space, teams focus on their vision for the future as well as agree on key goals for next twelve months.
Ahead of a retreat, coaches work with the team leader, or perhaps a small steering team, to determine the key outcomes and deliverables for the retreat. Based on desired outcomes, retreat preparation may include conducting pre-meeting discovery interviews with participants, completing a team survey, and/or administering the same assessments for all team members, including the leader.
Multiple assessment tools are available. These may include psychological or behavioral assessments to better understand things such as personality, values, preferences and communication styles. Team coaches can identify which tools best serve the needs of the organization and facilitate sharing high-level team profiles in the retreat while also working directly with the team leader and other participants individually on understanding their own assessment results.
Admittedly, sharing some high-level team assessment results in a group setting exposes differences and vulnerabilities among team members, but the payoff is big. It builds trust among the team and allows members to move forward with a better understanding of the interpersonal styles of their co-workers and themselves. With this awareness, team members can look inward before responding to behaviors and actions of others, especially when operating under stress.
Facilitated leadership team coaching establishes the opportunity for success by coalescing specific organizational goals and desired outcomes with behavioral awareness and understanding.
This is the space where experienced team coaches positively impact team success. In today’s work world, very little is accomplished alone. That’s why team alignment is so important. When a team works together to shape its goals, it follows that there is shared commitment and accountability in achieving those goals. With alignment, teams also tend to support members in reaching individual goals.
Gaining alignment on desired outcomes — including understanding what success looks like and committing to the timetables — is critical for all teams. An additional benefit of team coaching includes understanding that working with constructive conflict can lead to better outcomes. Through coaching, team members learn to see opportunities as opposed to only seeing problems. This allows the team to focus collectively on what’s possible and leads to greater idea generation. In short, coaching contributes to developing positive team dynamics and delivering desired results while helping to shape a positive work culture.
ALIGNMENT + ACCOUNTABILITY + POSITVE TEAM DYNAMICS = RESULTS
When strategic team retreat facilitation is combined with individual executive coaching for the team leader and others on the team, the impact of the engagement broadens. It allows for greater self-awareness within each team member and empowers each person to keep or amplify their strengths while helping them understand and address their gaps. All while working toward team outcomes and individual growth— a winning combination.
How can coaching help your team with alignment, accountability and positive team dynamics through a facilitated leadership team offsite?
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Lance Hazzard, PCC, CPCC, is an Executive Team Coach and a certified Intelligent Leadership Executive Coach helping people and organizations achieve success. Lance and Eric T. Hicks, Ph.D., co-authored Accelerating Leadership, published in June 2019. Lance is Executive Coach and President at Oppnå® Executive & Achievement Coaching. More information on the book, Lance and Oppnå® Coaching can be found at the links below: