Great teams Aren’t Formed - they’re coached
How to Coach Your Team to Higher-Performance
You know the drill: every team has its highs and lows. The question is, how do you guide your team to consistently hit the highs—and sustain them? Effectively coaching a team isn’t about micromanaging; it’s about empowering your team with the skills, mindset, and structure they need to thrive.
If you’re a leader looking to elevate your team coaching game, this guide is for you. Let’s break down the elements of a high-performing team and how you, in your role as coach, can make them a reality.
Why Team Coaching Matters
Research shows that coaching can propel effective teams to stratospheric levels of performance.
Unlocking Potential: Great coaching uncovers hidden strengths and opportunities for growth.
Navigating Challenges: Teams need a steady hand when the road gets bumpy.
Driving Lasting Success: The best coaching strategies lead to results that outlast individual projects.
If your goal is to coach a resilient, high-achieving team, these principles are your roadmap. But coaching only works when the team is set up for success. Here’s how to do it.
Team Effectiveness Starts With Coaching
Richard Hackman and Ruth Wageman’s framework for team effectiveness provides a solid foundation for coaching. Here’s how you can adapt it to your coaching strategy:
Focus on Outcomes: Make every member clear about how their contributions impact the team’s results.
Ensure Sustainability: Teach the team how to work efficiently without sacrificing well-being.
Encourage Growth: Develop skills and knowledge through constructive feedback and stretch opportunities.
Effective coaching builds these three pillars, enabling teams to perform today while preparing for tomorrow.
Your Coaching Toolkit: The Three Core Processes
Your coaching approach can guide teams to success by fine-tuning three key processes:
Effort Alignment: Keep motivation high by linking tasks to meaningful goals.
Clear Strategy: Work with the team to define achievable, step-by-step plans.
Skill Optimization: Assign roles based on individual strengths and help members grow where needed.
As a coach, your role is to steer these processes while letting the team take ownership of the work.
The Coaching Playbook: Six Keys to Success
Wageman identifies six elements that transform a team. As a coach, you can shape each one to create a lasting impact.
The Essentials
Clarify Roles: Define who’s on the team and their responsibilities. Be transparent to avoid confusion.
Coaching Tip: Use team charters to map out responsibilities clearly.Create Purpose: Align goals with values to inspire commitment.
Coaching Tip: Host a vision-setting session to co-create a compelling mission.Get the Right People: Focus on complementary strengths and diverse perspectives.
Coaching Tip: Don’t just assign people based on title; think more broadly.
The Enablers
Structure for Success: Ensure teams are the right size, have shared norms, and work on meaningful tasks.
Coaching Tip: Establish regular check-ins to revisit and refine norms.Foster Support: Equip your team with the resources and recognition they need.
Coaching Tip: Act as a barrier-breaker—clear roadblocks and celebrate wins.Guide With Expertise: Provide ongoing feedback and model problem-solving skills.
Coaching Tip: Avoid stepping in and asserting your power or expertise. Coach the team on teaming.
Actionable Coaching Strategies
To make the above principles work for your team, here’s a step-by-step approach:
Start With Observation: Pay attention to team dynamics and look for patterns where performance is strained or effortless.
Manage Lightly: Set a clear definition of success and allow the team to find a way there. Remember, ends not means.
Create Feedback Loops: Build a culture of continuous improvement by encouraging honest dialogue and frequent project check-ins.
Prioritize Well-Being: Ensure you and your team are aligned on defining work capacity and how to talk about it.
Coaching: The Catalyst for Team Success
Great teams aren’t formed or assigned—they’re coached. As a leader, your ability to inspire, guide, and empower your team defines their potential. By applying these strategies, you can turn coaching from a challenge into an opportunity to transform your team’s culture and results.
PuT Your Team on the Path to High(er) Performance
Schedule an free discovery call to learn how we put leaders in a strong position to coach their teams.
