Who or what are you forgetting that will upset your performance this year?
Cast your mind back to your younger days and the story of Sleeping Beauty. For her sweet sixteenth, the palace throws her a party. But their best laid plans are halted when they forget to invite the Kingdom’s 13th fairy.
In her wrath, the excluded fairy casts a spell dooming Sleeping Beauty to death. Fortunately, the 12th fairy steps in. She’s able to use her magic to weaken the spell, so that the birthday girl doesn’t die but sleeps for 100 years.
This outcome is, of course, better. But isn’t it still a massive inconvenience for all involved? Especially when it could have been avoided with a simple invite.
We don’t tend to think about fairytales much at work. But, as leadership and team development expert Peter Hawkins regularly points out, this one has relevance because all too often we set out to deliver an objective, only to fail to acknowledge the wider environment. We forget that it isn’t only Sleeping Beauty who determines how her story pans out, but a complex network of factors and characters – some of which may be out of sight.
The moral of this story?
How successful we, our team, or our business will be isn’t determined by the abilities of any one person or team. To be truly successful, we must consider the wider context in which we operate. Much harder than it sounds, but, for a happier ending, this is where systemic team coaching and development can help.
Five reasons you and your team will benefit from a systemic team coach in 2024
We’ve all heard, and most likely even cited, this witticism attributed to Albert Einstein:
“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.”
But perhaps, as this new year dawns, it’s time to do something different to achieve the results you really want.
There are many reasons one should invest in team development. Here are five that we think stand out:
More clarity.
Who is your team’s 13th fairy? The one that has been forgotten but could swoop in to mess up your plans?
Supported by the coach, your team will work to assess stakeholders and the wider context and identify any factors that might upset your progress. This deeper, more holistic understanding of the landscape makes it easier to anticipate challenges and navigate them effectively.
A shared goal
Everyone in business has their own goals, but what transforms a group of individuals into a great team is aligning behind a common purpose and shared goal.
It encourages everyone to move beyond silos and transactional collaboration and to realise that no one can do it alone.
To be truly successful, a team needs to be jointly responsible and accountable for fulfilling something. It helps people appreciate their interdependencies, because ignoring them leads nowhere.
Trust
Anyone who has read: The FIVE Dysfunctions of a TEAM already understands that trust is foundational to a high performing team. Without trust, there is no team! But it takes time and courage to cultivate. Team coaching helps!
If you’ve yet to get to Lencioni’s brilliant book The FIVE Dysfunctions of a TEAM, don’t miss our summary.
Candid and effective communications
In a high performing team, people have the courage and ability to disagree, to candidly express how they think and feel about important issues, and to argue for better outcomes.
And don’t make the mistake of confusing agreement with buy-in. The most dysfunctional teams are those that superficially agree and then go off and do their own thing.
People must weigh-in before they buy-in.
Enhanced engagement and performance
A great team coach has a unique skillset and the ability to help a team significantly up their game:
They provide an outside-in perspective.
They carefully observe the team and its leadership in action.
They shine a light on the team’s blind spots and challenges.
They encourage helpful behaviours that build trust, bring diversity of perspective, and bolster accountability.
They support team members to face into difficulty together.
They develop the team’s collective and individual leadership capabilities to deliver on their common purpose.
The future is bigger and more challenging than any of us can grasp or address alone. Team coaching can help your team transition from being a group of great people to becoming a true team.
If you think your team or organisation could benefit from team coaching to better navigate whatever 2024 throws at us, then let’s talk.
January 2024
If you’ve enjoyed this article and don’t want to miss future reflections and resources then do sign up for our monthly newsletter.