Teams are, on the most basic level, a series of personal interactions.
Regardless of who the individual members are–people are most effective when they co-operate. And, most truly impactful things are accomplished by teams.
Almost all organizations are teams of people lead by smaller teams of people. And unfortunately, we’re all pretty complicated. We come to our inclinations as a natural result of our background and experiences. Education, aspirations, culture, environment, family, etc. – each plays its role.
To make it more challenging, we’re constantly evolving. So, it’s no wonder that improving team effectiveness requires focused attention.
Hostility, conflicting goals, and unclear expectations are common characteristics of an unhealthy team. Improving team performance addresses these issues head-on.
Even when a team seems to be meeting its objectives, there’s often plenty of room for improvement.
Team coaching helps us understand how to work more effectively with others – and often, how to work through conflict.
We start by focusing on interpersonal skills and interactions. The way people act vis-à-vis their teammates and the way they communicate with one another are important drivers of performance.
To understand our behavior we need to grasp how other people experience us. With coaching, most people learn how to work together more effectively – how to relate better to one another.
It’s important to remove the obstacles around effectiveness – both team and individual. Through observation and inquiry, we’re able to zoom in on some very fundamental realities. This helps the team make sense of what it is they’re doing together, especially the things they’re doing right, and the impact it’s having on the organization
A common derailer of effective behavior can be traced back to the team’s lack of trust in one another. This often leads to avoidance of conflict, which becomes manifest by an inability to commit, and/or an unwillingness to accept accountability.
These issues need to be confronted directly – in a safe and thoughtful way, which respects the intelligence, experience, creativity and resourcefulness of each individual.
Identifying and neutralizing derailers helps us build stronger, more effective teams – teams that support one another and find more fulfilling in their work.
The impact on the organization can be transformative. You can actually feel the organization becoming healthier and more cohesive.
Paul Curci – an Executive Coach with AIIR Consulting, and Principal of the Curci Group – is passionate about studying what creates value and what depletes value in large organizations and complex collaborations. To learn more, check out his full bio here.