What’s Inside:
Extraordinary Power of Teams
Note from the Coach
Link's Links
“The Wisdoms of Teams”

Unleashing the Extraordinary Power of Teams - A Frequently Overlooked Secret Weapon

The rapid change happening in organizations today, whether due to innovation, competition, merging, downsizing, etc., means more demands and often times, adjusting to new ways of operating. As a result, leaders are asking, “How do we get our employees to do more with fewer resources and maintain a competitive edge?”

One way is to get employees to really embrace the change rather just begrudgingly accept it. This requires you, as the leader, to demonstrate your support after the announcement of the change is made. It’s not enough to make the announcement and leave employees on their own to figure out how to make the change work. Understanding that many employees are resistant to change because of deep-seated fears it brings up, and demonstrating your understanding by providing coaching for how to deal with the change, will offer the support all of your employees need at this time.

Many companies recognize the need for additional training when implementing change, and those that are particularly concerned about engaging employees to help make the change happen will provide a team coaching program. Coaching stretches people to think differently, adds perspective, transforms their level of awareness about the impact of their behaviors and improves their ability to perform more effectively.

We know that people respond to change in different ways. Research has shown that approximately one third of the employees will be all fired up when the change is announced, but what about the others? The remaining two thirds of the people hunker down, become protective of their real or perceived territory, are more mistrusting and consequently, more focused on self-preservation than on the team’s goals. This is when an action-learning coaching program supported by a skilled internal or external coach might be considered, in order to ensure that your entire staff makes the transition more easily. The nature of action learning dictates that the team learns by doing, and that they are fully supported as they begin to implement new objectives. In this coaching model, the members remain motivated while being supported to adjust their attitudes and behaviors as necessary, thus assuring their team’s success.

Fast Company.com defines action learning as “a process for working on important business problems or opportunities, in diverse teams, to both develop the participants and improve the business.”

Action learning coaching includes establishing a game plan that includes SMART goals; goals that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time bound, and gives each team member specific accountability for one or more of the team’s objectives.

Having a qualified coach in place to guide the teams as they adapt to the change provides the assistance they need to be fully accountable in order to meet these objectives and ensure that the game plan will roll out more effectively. A coaching approach encourages a more collaborative work environment and provides a process for successfully moving through difficult dynamics while building in a culture of no excuses and more accountability for personal actions.

When you have a coach on board during this transitional period, one benefit that is missing in many other approaches is the opportunity for the team leader (the full-time employee on the ground who is in the position to lead the team due to either formal authority or informal designation), to receive one-on-one coaching to help them develop as a leader while leading the team. During this process, the coach works as a partner to support the leader by reinforcing more effective ways of communicating challenging as well as congratulatory messages.

The celebration of wins, whether those that occur as the initiative progresses or in the final achievement of the company goal, is another often-overlooked but vital piece to motivating employees. Study after study shows that employees in any company value recognition more than they do their paycheck. All people want is a pat on the back for a job well done. In this time of transition, when so many are uncertain of their new roles and maybe even a bit unnerved by the tumult that such change can cause in their personal lives, it seems that supporting employees by offering that pat on the back would be not only the right thing to do; but advantageous to the outcome of the goal. The Team Advantage program that we’ve been speaking of includes such an opportunity to reward progress as the team marches toward the goal line.

In the next issue of The Coaching Link, we will discuss the key role the leader plays in creating an atmosphere of trust amidst such changes, what happens in the absence of trust and why team coaching creates far more productive and effective teams in any organization. If you would like to learn more about how team coaching is often a game-changing process, give me a call and I’ll be happy to provide a no cost, no obligation consultation on the team coaching model.

Note from the Coach

I’m thrilled to announce that “Team Advantage: The Complete Coaching Guide for Team Transformation”, the innovative and powerful team coaching program I helped to develop and have been talking about over the last two issues is now available! I’m so pleased by the timely release of the program and supporting materials published this week by Pfeifer-Wiley, because I can see how implementing it now can completely transform the way individuals and teams operate well into the future.

Created in collaboration with the coaches of the world renowned Pyramid Resource Group, this robust action learning program based on proven strategies, provides the perfect opportunity for companies of all sizes to position themselves for increased productivity that results in sustainable growth. I invite you to contact me for a no obligation consultation. And if you’d like to explore the program on your own, visit teamadvantageguide.com for all the details including information on how to order the materials for your organization.

Warm Regards,

Tim Link, MA, MCC

Link’s Links

If you're looking for a quick and easy review of the keys to building successful teams, this article from about.com entitled, Twelve Tips for Teambuilding: How to Build Successful Teams provides many valuable and often overlooked insights into the factors that must be present in order for a team to be effective.

Worth Reading

“The Wisdom of Teams: Creating the High-Performance Organization”
By Jon R. Katzenbach and Douglas K. Smith

Two of the world’s leading authorities on teams in organizations created this best seller that was translated into fifteen languages and has sold more than 400,000 copies worldwide. Katzenbach and Smith present the findings of their research to reveal how teams work best and how they can enhance their effectiveness. They reveal:

• The most important element in team success

• Who excels at team leadership and why they are rarely the most senior people

• Why company-wide change depends on teams

Comprehensive, evidence based, and proven effective, “The Wisdom of Teams” is the classic primer on making teams a powerful tool for success in today's marketplace.