Group coaching

I was asked a question recently at a conference. “Can you coach groups effectively?”

This on the face of it is quite a simple question but I must admit to not being able, at that moment, to provide a simple and straight forward answer. With hindsight the answer should have been yes. When the question was posed however it triggered a chain of thought that was sufficient to make a simple response inadequate.

My thoughts ran something like this.

Can you coach a group so that each individual is able to unlock their potential and overcome those internal defence measures that restrict us from trying something new, believing in ourselves, disconnecting the needs that some times drive us in the wrong direction?

Coaching an individual can be very effective in many different circumstances. When is group coaching most effective and when is it less effective?

If someone has learned the techniques that enable them to coach an individual, are they then able to coach a group effectively using the same techniques?

Coaching facilitates learning. Are the models by which a person learns about themselves the same as the models appropriate to group learning?

Did the original question mean can individuals be coached in a groups setting for individual benefit or was the questioner asking about improving team work, a sense of belonging and alignment to group purpose or unlocking the potential to perform group tasks better, faster with deeper group understanding?

So the answer to the question is bascically yes but it depends.

Coaching is a powerful tool, like any tool works best in the hands of a craftsman applied in the right circumstances with clear goals and regard to the outcome. A great book on group coaching is ‘Group and Team Coaching: The Essential Guide’ by Christine Thornton. One to look out for is currently being written by Ro Gorell which promises to be more practical than theoretical.

I have coached many teams through strategy development, change management  and organisation restructure. The benefit is often greater alignment of the individuals to the purpose and acceleration in the pace towards achieving the goal.

 

Portfolio careers – the role of coaching

Executives from many walks of life are taking the opportunity to consider their career at, what for many, is a point of transition. The idea of a portfolio career is not a new one but very apt for our current socio-economic situation.

Myles Mayne, a Director and Executive Coach at PCA, was asked to deliver a session on the role of coaching as a skill to drive or support a portfolio career. The conference, organised by Executives Transitions, was held at the University of the West of England in February 2012.

The presentation (below) was very well received with feedback such as the following from the regional Director of the Institute of Directors “This was the clearest explanation that I have ever heard of what it is to be a coach and the difference between coaching and other interventions, like mentoring and consultancy.”

Uwe exec transitions pres feb 2012 short

View more PowerPoint from mylesmayne

We will discuss some of the key questions raised during the conference in future posts on this blog

Too many ideas?

 

Creativity can make decision difficult

I find that selecting the ‘right’ idea to run with is often the issue.

This can be influenced by thinking styles based on what is socially and economically pre programmed as ‘right’ or ‘best’.  Peer pressure, personality and behavioural traits can also be major factors in how we judge choices and make decisions.

Recognising these influencing factors is a first step, seeking out alternative viewpoints (market research) and building a panel of trusted advisors is a sensible next step. However the importance of gut feel, self confidence and capacity to try something, being aware that you might fail, are often the factors that determine whether someone is able to build something of value out of their creativity and idea generation.

Value, recognition and ultimately a positive experience are the things that will support our self belief and help us to free our creativity and so on and so on…

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Don’t Forget to Manage When You’re Leading

A recent posting by the influential Harvard Business Review prompted business leaders to be aware that leading requires knowledge of what it is to manage in their business. 

The author noted that “The distinction between leading and managing is a subject of ongoing debate. Leading is often characterized as the more glamorous job: leaders guide, influence, and inspire their people while managers implement ideas and get things done.”

In small businesses the distinction between leadership and management is less clear.  Often with smaller teams and a need for everyone to pitch in, there is little time for strategic thinking much less hands off management.  That is however not to say that small business owners and managers should not be aware of the difference between these roles and seek to ensure that a measure of each is represented as a vital ingredient of business success.  The balance is critical.

Leaders who focus exclusively on coming up with big, vague ideas for others to implement can become disconnected from their team or organization.

Avoid being a “big-picture only” leader.  Make decisions and develop strategies that take into account the real-world constraints of cost and time.  Stay involved with the details of implementation. It’s easier to come up with ideas and tell others to make them so, but you also need to roll up your sleeves and understand what it takes to make those ideas a reality.

Just as business leaders need to focus on how their managers can make strategic goals a reality, we think it is important that anyone in a management position should not forget that they also need to be seen as a leader.  Effectiveness of a plans implementation will depend on the motivation, charisma and clarity of vision of the person (manager) the team look to for direction.

A leader will be seen as having confidence, drive and will take responsibility.  The first two traits are observable behaviours the last is a trait linked to personality and values.  It is the taking of responsibility that has a deeper, longer lasting impact on team members, so what might it mean?

We think it means being responsible for outcomes both successful and unsuccessful, being responsible for and supportive of employees through the challenges they face, despite individual or collective failings and responsible for the development of others. 

This trait, responsibility, often now refered to as accountability (a different but related attribute), is a key leadership behaviour but it might equally be expected of a team manager.  We would suggest it is a key area of overlap between the roles of leader and manager and hence a good starting point for someone in one role to start thinking of their responsibility to be aware of the needs of the someone in the other role.

Our take on leadership combines several existing concepts into a new and powerful leadership framework.  http://bit.ly/cPs0wr

What with the strategic defence review a

What with the strategic defence review and the strategic spending review, isn’t it time you carried out a strategic review of YOUR business? Need some help? The new Kickstart programme from PCA ….. COMING SOON! http://ow.ly/2VTmo

Visit the PCA bookshop for our latest re

Visit the PCA bookshop for our latest recommendations http://bit.ly/cuw59m

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