When I was a small business coach from 2008 – 2018, I worked with owners of small businesses and their teams. I had a phrase that I’d use to help prospective clients understand how coaching might help them.
Are you working in the business or on the business?
Most owners worked in their businesses constantly but rarely worked on their business.
As an executive and team coach, I’m now finding this to be true with leaders. They’re almost always working in a team, but spend precious little time if any, working on the team.
When’s the last time you met with your team and ran through questions like these?
- How are we doing as a team?
- What’s our true purpose?
- Are we serving that true purpose?
- How would others say we’re doing as a team?
- What’s one way we could change how we work together to be more cohesive?
- What’s one way each team member could change to better serve the team?
- What do we like about each team member’s contribution to the team?
These questions should open up a lot of conversation and probably would take the better part of an hour or longer to fully discuss. A meaningful discussion will also require vulnerability on the part of each participant and especially the leader.
Are you that leader? How soon can you have such a conversation with your team?
Are you a team member? How soon can you encourage your leader to schedule such a conversation?
Your team’s performance is directly correlated with the cohesiveness of the team. Few teams can sustain high performance when they do not work well together. We know that inherently. So why do so few leaders work on their teams?
Time and discomfort. That’s what seems like the likely reasons that would come up again and again.
Take this as a less than gentle nudge to schedule such a meeting to get the conversation started. Then, decide together as a team how often you should have such a meeting to keep the performance improvements coming. It could be one of your best moves this year. Learn more about our team coaching services, and team training services, or contact us to find out more.
Here are more resources related to teams and businesses:
Articles:
- The Role of Team Training in Building Company Culture
- Team Coaching: What it is and how it works, in a nutshell
- How are your Teams Feeling Right Now? Measure the Emotional Culture
- Building Cohesiveness in Your Team: 10 Best Practices
- Uncomplicate your Business Life
- Cultivating Awareness of Others as a Business Leader
- How Business Leaders Can Inspire Performance in their Employees
- Business Growth Tips from the Inc. 5000
- Businesses large and small embrace the new digital revolution
Case Study:
- Case Study 3: Bringing a Team Together for Strategic Planning Success
- Case Study 6: Executive Coaching Helps a Young Leader Garner the Respect and Loyalty of Her Veteran Team
Guide:
Videos:
- What to Do When Members of a Leadership Team Don’t Get Along?
- Improve Communication Using the “Three Levels of Conversation” in Your Business
- Simplify Your Business and Grow!
- Delegate BETTER in Your Business!
- 6 Easy Ways to Simplify Your Business or Professional Life
Featured photo is from ©Canva.
