Sylvia's Journal

I have embarked on a team coaching journey and completed the first part of a 15-month team coaching training program. This first part was mostly about theory, models, and frameworks, with a few assessments thrown in. The next part will be practice with a real team. I am a little nervous about this. Who wants to be a guinea pig? 

I work with two young organizations that I think would benefit from team coaching. The question is will they trust me to refine my skills with them? I’m planting some seeds for that right now. In both cases I see so much potential if the people could pull together and head in the same direction knowing that everyone’s perspective has been heard and considered, and the best ideas acted upon.

One is not a team, but rather a group of individuals who are bound by some contractual deliverables that has placed them in two separate boats rowing towards two different finish lines. One finish line is in sight, the other a few years out. I believe that if they were a team, given the talent that is on board, they could achieve amazing things, far beyond their immediate deliverables. The other needs cash to pay their bills and this creates another dynamic that may get in the way of realizing their potential.

Although I have worked with many teams over the years, doing team building, facilitating planning workshops and celebrating achievements, team coaching is a different animal. From everything I’m learning it is not an easy transition from individual coach team coach. But it feels like a right transition for me. When I first embarked on my individual coaching career, I wasn’t sure I would like it because I’ve always liked working with groups more so than with individuals.

Team coaching is done by two coaches, something I have never done. That feels like a double challenge: coaching the team and dancing with a partner all at the same time. I remember when I was learning to dance the salsa, I was so preoccupied with the mechanics of the dance that I paid no attention to my partner. When I was a rookie facilitator, I was so preoccupied with the process of facilitation that I paid little attention to the people I was facilitating. The same happened with individual coaching: you learn the mechanics, the steps, the process first until you have made them your own before you can truly and authentically engage with the people you are helping (or dancing with). I trust this will happen again in my new career as a team coach.