The sponsor of a team coaching exercise is usually the team leader, so we start by listening to what they have to say about their team – why they think it’s not performing as well as it could, what they think might be the reasons, what they are looking to achieve from team coaching. We’ll probe a bit too – about their leadership style, what they’ve already done to address the issues, what feedback they’ve had from the team.

Depending on the outcome of this initial discussion, we might suggest that we have one-to-one conversations with each team member to get their views. Or we might suggest using a psychometric or 360 as a starting point for a team discussion. Or we might suggest that we facilitate a ‘team identity day’ as a way of drawing out the issues and helping engender a sense of purpose and direction. (You can see a sample agenda here).

Thereafter, it might be a question of working with the team leader, following up with further team sessions, or holding one-to-one coaching sessions with some or all of the team members individually. Or, quite possibly, all three.

Every team is different – we wouldn’t dream of suggesting the same approach for every team.

If this pragmatic approach appeals to you, give us a call to talk us through your situation and to discuss how we might help.