“Coaching is unlocking a person’s potential to maximize their own performance. It is helping them to learn rather than teaching them.”
—Timothy Gallwey, Author and Sports Coach
With this post, VIM Executive Coaching would like to address a question that seems to confound rather than vanquish doubt: Must executive leaders work their way up individually, or is a team approach more effective?
It is an enquiry that has been widely debated in management circles. We are, frankly, confused as to why the point should be debated. Team approaches to executive leadership training can not only be successful but may prove more successful than individualized training.
The “collective executive”
In case no one has noticed, business has moved much more toward a team approach than a celebration of individuality. In fields as wide-ranging as healthcare to software, the emphasis has been more focused on group alignment and shared results than rugged independence.
When executive leadership is cultivated in an atmosphere of alliances and working together toward successful outcomes, the results have proven to be greater trust; less “I” and more “us,” and clearly, more problem solving as far less blame.
The team approach enables a better group recognition to pass challenges to enable better results. Unfortunately, far too many teams have historically focused on who gets the credit, rather than asking, “How can we work together mindfully, authentically and compassionately to elevate all of us?”
Regrettably, far too many companies have focused on “who gets the credit,” rather than, “how do we achieve success as a team?” When VIM Executive Coaching is enabled to coach an entire team, the results have been astounding.
What happens when a team receives leadership coaching?
When an entire team receives executive leadership coaching, there are at least 10 positive outcomes, each individually important and simultaneously interdependent.
- Unlocking confidence and potential. The more that team members can learn from one another the better they can stand on their own, become more vested in the process and gain the confidence they felt they lacked.
- When ego is removed, magic happens. When an entire team is leadership trained, the vision is shared there is purpose, not just individual egotism. In other words, team members talk and share!
- Overall performance is improved. The team can learn to collectively reach positive outcomes where each person can feel free to celebrate originality and imagination and where everyone can see solutions and not obstructions. If a team can be itself, greater respect is cultivated.
- Rally around challenges, not hide from them. Whether the team must face seismic shifts or daily skirmishes, resilience emerges from the chaos. Leadership emerges from these organizational changes.
- The old school boiler plate gives way to true potential. Business solutions must become more customized. When same-old solutions can make the leap to bold changes, magic happens. The cultivation of this magic is achievable when the team works together as a determined unit.
- Abilities and emotional intelligence are appreciated. When teams enter the problem-solving realm as a group, true communication is more the norm and not a shut-down of ideas and solutions.
- Stay, don’t leave! Training a team, results in team members being more inclined to invest in one another. When that happens, higher productivity with greater retention generally occurs. It makes for a better environment, an environment of greater trust and purpose.
- Leadership advancement. How do businesses find new executive leadership? By allowing teams to develop. When a team is trained, everyone on that team generally improves.
- The environment of greater respect and higher performance. The culture of healthy workplaces is enhanced by the success and training of the team.
- Training entire teams leads to greater cooperation and a longer team stability.
Team approaches to executive leadership can offer limitless roads to greater success. When teams succeed, organizations shine.
It is ultimately not a matter of individual coaching versus team coaching, quality executive leadership training in an atmosphere of mindfulness and compassion leads to positive outcomes and elevates everyone.