A large part of my work with organizations of all sizes (non-profit, SMEs, governmental agencies and
corporate) revolves around creating the conditions for more effective team work, usually through a mix of coaching, training and other performance improvement support. Whether I am working with a team in a one day team building offsite, or having sustained conversations over the period of months, I like to share the following definitions. First, what is a team?
In the Wisdom of Teams, Kazenbach and Smith offer us this definition " “... a team is a small number of people with complementary skills who are committed to a common
purpose, performance goals, and approach for which they hold themselves mutually accountable” (p 45).
A framework I usually share, and get leaders and team members to rate themselves, are the six factors of High Performing Teams. Katzenbach and Smith found that High Performing Teams have:
- Shared purpose or mission
- Shared performance goals
- Shared behavioral norms
- Shared team practices
- Shared Commitment
- Clear Roles
Coaching Questions:
1. On a scale of 1-10 (with 1 being low, and 10 being high) where do you rate yourselves in each one of these six areas?
2. Which ones are your strengths? What can you do to leverage these?
3. Which ones are your weak areas?
4. What are some specific action steps you can take to address areas which you have a lower score. If roles are not clear, what could you do to clarify them? If performance goals are not clear, what needs to be done?
5. Who needs to be involved in these dialogues?
6. When do they need to happen?
Interested in finding out about what your team can do to address these? Please contact me or refer to the chapters on team coaching in my latest book -
From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching.
Have a great week,
Jennifer
Jennifer Britton, MES, PCC, CPT
Potentials Realized
Phone: (416)996-TEAM
Supporting leaders and teams through enhanced skills, better conversations and focused performance
Author of
Effective Group Coaching (Wiley, 2010) and
From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching (Jossey-Bass, 2013)
As an author Jennifer Britton is known for her thought leadership
in the area of group and team coaching. She is also a former leader and
team builder who spent the first 13 years of her career working within
the United Nations as well as the international aid sector. From
Boardroom to jungle, beach and forest to mountains, Jennifer has worked
to develop teams and leaders in more than 18 countries, and virtually
many more. She founded Potentials Realized in 2004 and focuses on
leadership, teamwork and coaching skills training.
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Creating a shared vision in your team is part of the foundation of any high-performing team. What is the vision for your team?
