Team Coaching an Inter-Dependent Team

Background

A senior leader at the core of cultural transformation within a global corporation, approached us to help her create an inter-dependent leadership team.    

Connecting 

We initially engaged with the leader to understand the requirement, her aspirations and more about the team and organisation she led.  After several meetings we then connected with the rest of the team.  At this point we shifted from the client being the team leader, to the whole team being the client.  This was important as our team coaching is in service of the whole team, and not just the leader.  Only then can we do our most valuable work as trusted partners.       

Consideration

We met with each team member individually and contracted for confidentiality.  Confidentiality within the team coaching space is different from 1:1 confidentiality.  1:1 team coaching commands the same confidentiality that we would have if the whole team were together.  That means what is shared in the 1:1 space is sharable with the rest of the team.  This approach challenges assumptions, but creates the space for safety between members of the team.  It has been amazing at building a trusting environment and ensuring that sensitive issues can be brought out into the open gradually, rather than held in the shadows.  

We worked with the team to consider bold objectives that aligned with broader organisational strategies.  We also explored the team’s inter-dependencies to each other and in relation to their stakeholder system.  Three things emerged: firstly, it was clear that there were some challenges between members of the team; secondly, the team members mainly saw themselves as line reports when they had the potential to be a strategically enabling inter-dependent team; and thirdly, many stakeholders were frustrated with the style of leadership coming from the team, being as it was inconsistent with the new transformational direction.  

Change

Our team coaching is systemic, which means we are constantly aware of stakeholders outside the team as well as the team itself.  It also means we can coach beyond the team, in service of the team.  We initially worked with the team to address the immediate challenges between them before going out to stakeholders.  This enabled some least likely to become inter-dependent to move elsewhere in the organisation.  We then worked with the remaining team to build its inter-dependencies and potential for being strategic and influential.  We worked with each team member in supporting a shift in their relationship within the team and with their own teams they led.  Finally, we conducted workshops with the leadership team to support the shift in relationship from being line managers to being a leadership team.  

Close

We close using storytelling.  This helps review progress and makes sense of the journey to-date.  We also work with teams to tell the next chapter of their story, leaving them with energy and focus for the way ahead once we have stopped working with them.  As we closed with this team, their story followed a metaphor of being in the vanguard of a flotilla of ships, seeking out new ways of working for the organisation before returning to the main flotilla to share what they had found.  The metaphor helped make sense of the difficult times, their broader role and their relationship with the rest of the organisation. The leadership team, now inter-dependent, smaller and tighter, were open with each other, sharing quality feedback and supporting each other to achieve their bold objectives.  

The pandemic hit about ¼ the way into this work.  We began in-person but easily switched to on-line for the remaining ¾ of the work.  

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