On-going Team Leader Coaching

The team leader is obviously the most crucial player in the creation and sustenance of a highly productive team. Our experience tells us that it is the rare individual who is prepared to take on this pivotal role right from the outset. Most managers have never been schooled in the knowledge necessary to handle the stylistics and behavioral challenges. Team leaders typically know this about themselves and recognize that working with a good coach will give them the best chance of achieving mastery in creating and enhancing exceptional teams.

Individual coaching for team leaders teaches them about all the areas they need to know in order to make their team succeed, focusing on the following ones.

1. Defining the team’s purpose, clarifying various roles and being clear about an operational game plan


2. Using good communications practices, encouraging similar communications practices in others and dealing well with disagreements


3. Holding the team accountable for good team practices


4. Being open, participatory and inclusive; periodically sharing team leadership


5. Using a “coaching” approach with the team and team members


6. Acknowledging each individuals accomplishments, celebrating them rigorously and unflinchingly assessing their own performance and the performance of the whole team

Sometimes team leader coaching precedes coaching the team itself, sometimes it is offered parallel with it. As in all coaching relationships, meetings between coach and client are scheduled on a regular basis. At first, once or twice a month and later, every other month or so, as often as both parties see it as useful. The coach reviews progress, asks about problems and successes, suggests action steps and offers validation and encouragement. The objective of this coaching intervention is to insure that the team leader is in sufficient possession of the critical team enhancement skills he or she needs to impart to the team and to individual team members.

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