In my opinion working in teams is the most important thing you can do to be successful in organizations. It is important because with the workload of most corporate workers it is impossible to get everything done without the support of a team. Coaching teams is something that I have a lot of experience with.
For the past five years I have been a Varsity Wrestling coach. I have also been a Head Middle School and Varsity Assistant Football coach. When you are coaching more importantly than winning is developing your talent. This is also very true in an organization. The more that you refine your talents skills the better that they become at the process that they are performing. Athletes translate well into the business world because they are used to discipline, self-motivated, have a high drive and can lead. Leadership is essential to coaching teams correctly.
The most successful accomplishments that I have had in coaching are helping a student athlete improve his GPA 2 full points and the teams 1.5 points to team total of 3.3. All of the kids I coach create goals that were produced by Jim Tressels The Winners Manual. By teaching my kids the tools they need to be successful they will be able to translate that later in life, like in business.
A successful business coach can inspire their team. They can also get more out of their talent than the talent knows they can give by empowering them to become leaders themselves. The thing about leadership is that leadership only is achieved when you respect everyone, so that they can respect you. You do this by having empathy for employees when needed, but also being stern. The following is an excerpt from my thesis and represents part II in this V part series. I hope that you enjoy!
Coaching Teams in Organizations
Coaching throughout an entire organization is essential to maintain an industry advantage. Coaching empowers employees to work more productively by making them realize their value to the organization (Longenecker, Papp, and Stansfield, 2009). Organizational coaching is an important strategy in corporate leadership for development and change. Leaders at all levels and in all sectors are facing an increase in the challenges that this complex business environment offers (Bennett and Bush, 2009). Coaching is not always individually based. Coaching can occur among all levels and teams within a corporation. “Organizational coaching has been found to positively affect leadership, increasing charismatic behaviors and the ability to inspire and impact followers” (Kampa-Kokesch, 2002 as cited in Bennett and Bush, 2009 p. 2).
There are many challenges within organizations that can interfere with the team dynamic. Teams are usually made of individuals that are from different cultures, backgrounds, and life experiences. “Developing a team atmosphere where curiosity and no defensive attitudes dominate is a desirable goal for most leaders” (Cherbosque, Gardenswartz and Rowe, 2009). It is also important that teams understand the diversity within the group so that the individuals are able to work in relative peace with one another. The advantages of a diverse work team are that they can be synergistic and creative. However the more diverse a team is the more susceptible the team is to offending each other based on biases and hot buttons (Cherbosque, Gardenswartz and Rowe, 2009). Experienced team coaches know that if you are able to speak openly and honestly about these potential issues you are able to quickly resolve potential problems before they escalate. Every individual comes from a different background it is important to find a middle ground when dealing with conflict within an organizational setting. The challenge for organizational leaders when dealing with coaching in organizations revolves around time. When 710 supervisors across the North America were asked what their biggest challenge in coaching others was, 30% answered that it is too time-consuming (Pace, 2008). Coaching employees should not be looked at as a time-consuming event. Coaching should be viewed by leadership as a way to build the foundation of the organization stronger. By building the organization stronger from the bottom to the top organizations are able to cross-train employees therefore increasing opportunities to earn more market share and reduce costs. Pace states that, “Our research indicates that employees need and want a coaching relationship—a way of working together that is based on trust, communication, and encouragement to try new things…Managers need to learn how to establish coaching partnerships by understanding each employee’s unique motivators…having regular, honest conversations with them more often” (2008 p. 20).