Your company’s leaders are your greatest asset. Bringing them together to work as a team in support of the company’s vision is of utmost importance. It can also be a very challenging task…especially when the leaders themselves push back on team development.
This is what you should consider, based on our 40+ years of combined experience coaching executive teams to high performance.
#1
Team development work energizes leaders.
Bringing a group of leaders together for the purpose of turning them into a higher performing team can re-energize a company’s leadership. Once the work gets under way, people are always excited to improve their ability to work together, to engage in real and revealing conversations, and to get to know each other beyond the daily, get-work-done interactions they usually participate in. The new level of commitment that follows is palpable.
#2
The leader of the executive team must set the tone.
We start the coaching engagement by interviewing the entire leadership team. We ask each member what they think of the team leader’s success in the role, what the leader’s strengths and weaknesses are, and what the leader could do for both themselves and the team to be more effective. We then share the feedback, first with the team leader and then with the whole team at the first team session.
It takes significant courage for the team leader to put themselves on the line for real feedback. Yet, their doing so sets an example for everyone else to do the same. It begins to create the foundations for the team to have honest and hard conversations to come into alignment.
#3
Alignment among department leaders cascades down to their reporting teams, to the benefit of the entire organization.
The goal of teamwork is to build bridges for problem-solving across functions. Usually when we start working with an executive team, we notice that the leaders are locked in a siloed mentality. Everyone is zeroed in on their own functional team and unaware of what the other leaders are doing. The coaching process gives them the tools to support each other in aligning around common goals and once they do that, their respective teams quickly start to follow suit.
When people have each other’s backs across teams, the level of collaboration through the organization increases tenfold. This creates a huge shift in the company’s performance.
#4
The more people reveal of themselves to the team, the less judgment and criticism there is of each other.
People tend to judge others that they perceive to be different than they are. By facilitating candid sharing during the leadership team sessions, we help the members realize they are not so different from each other after all. They find points of connection they did not know they have. The relationship bonds that form as a result go a long way in building trust and unifying the team.
#5
Sharing the results of individual assessments with the team helps members appreciate and support each other.
Assessment tools increase awareness of each leader’s strengths and patterns. The team members often come to recognize the value that others bring to the executive team which they couldn’t see before. Instead of finding other people’s behaviors annoying, they understand how those individual patterns can support the whole team.
This newfound appreciation for each other can become the bedrock for leveraging one another and developing a high-performance team.
#6
Even reluctant team members quickly see the importance of the team development sessions.
The most common pushback we get from leadership teams at the start of the coaching engagement is that they don’t want to take time away from their daily responsibilities. They don’t see it as a priority for the leadership team to spend time working together.
Yet once the team sessions get underway, that attitude completely shifts. Once they see the impact of greater alignment as a team, many leaders will say, I can’t believe we (I) have never had this type of development opportunity in the past. When can we meet again?
#7
“Vulnerability trust” builds compassion and respect within the leadership team.
We often start a team session with some type of personal sharing. For example: What is one thing that no one on the team knows about you? Or: what is a life experience you had that has been key in shaping your values and who you are today? Other times, we may invite team members to share a particular struggle they are dealing with at home.
The “safe space” we create throughout the coaching process allows people to feel comfortable having these heartfelt and even raw conversations. They begin to see they can bring their real self to the team. This helps everyone connect on a much deeper level and build a foundation of trust.
#8
Strengthening the leadership team inspires leaders to strengthen their own teams.
During the executive team coaching sessions, the leaders experience real changes in attitudes and morale and come to appreciate the difference those shifts make in creating cohesion and alignment.
This often makes them want to bring this type of leadership work to their direct report teams so they can experience the same shift.
#9
Building team alignment requires an open mind and commitment.
Teamwork can be a blast! But: Building positive, honest leadership teams requires open minds and commitment from ALL involved. When team members are not engaged or choose to be nay-sayers, we help the team address these issues right on during the team sessions. Healthy conflict plays an important role in creating and maintaining alignment, but negativity has no part in it. This means the nay-sayers may end up leaving the team. And honestly, if they can’t make the adjustment to a more open and positive way of working that supports the team’s – and the company’s – goals, their departure is a good thing.
#10
The shifts in the team’s dynamics and performance usually exceed expectations.
Many CEOs wait too long to address their leadership team problems. They assume they are an inevitable part of having a team of highly driven leaders. They don’t realize that the skills they need to be an effective leadership team are not the same as the skills that got them to the top.
Those teams who make the commitment end up being thrilled and pleasantly surprised by the shifts in the team’s attitude and energy. They see how the time spent together makes them more productive and effective in their roles. They learn so much about themselves and each other, and this transforms the results they are capable of delivering – both together and individually.
