Great individuals do not make great teams. Well, not always. Teams with great potential can often be very ineffective.

There are many reasons for this anomaly – interpersonal problems between team members, lack of communication or even egoism. This usually results in low retention rates or significant workload imbalances, which in turn leads to frustration and inefficiency.

The most effective way to resolve these issues is team coaching.

Team coaching involves treating the team as an entity – a set unit with a vision, goal and focus. Team coaching improves team morale by allowing open and frank conversations, creating an agreed vision and setting the rules of engagement. This creates a sense of “I’m valued” / “Part of the team”, and we all know that “valued” team members will always outperform frustrated, neglected and de-motivated individuals.

In our previous article (Putting the TEAM into teamwork) several principles were suggested that will change the quality of a team’s performance. The central theme in this article was that teams should be empowered to take responsibility for the life of the specific team. This means that all the team members should have mutual accountability for addressing issues within the team. For team coaching to be effective, it should thus really be done by the team. Team members need to be empowered so that they are able to coach themselves towards greater unity, satisfaction and increased performance. In order to empower teams to do this a practical system is needed that will enable teams to:

• Assess and evaluate their current situation
• Address relationships within the team
• Ensure clear and effective communication and strategies
• Set appropriate goals for the team
• Ensure that the team remains true to their vision, mission and strategy, and
• Review their progress regularly

That is exactly what the Gears of Life™ team coaching system does. All these aspects can be implemented into any team quickly and effectively if you follow a clear system. This unique system empowers team members to become mutually accountable for the successful functioning of the team, by actively participating in the discovery and creation of solutions to potential problems within the team.

All team members are in effect turned into owners of the team entity and thus empowered to ensure best possible performance.

This innovative system for team coaching is designed to address the team’s needs and help the team to perform at a higher level and thus has the following benefits:

• Saving money. Increasing team productivity and effectiveness will eliminate the need for resource ramp-ups and can even drive out current excesses which can be reduced.
• Saving time. Reducing bureaucracy and team politics allows for quicker decision making, less red tape and much less team spent on conflict resolution.
• Being pro-active instead of reactive. Teams are assisted to address potential issues before they even become problems.
• Increased staff morale. “Valued” and enthusiastic team members make for a more pleasant working environment for all.
• Reduced staff turn-over. When a team’s morale is good, staff are less likely to resign, which will save the organisation money in recruitment and training new members of staff.
• Increased team performance. This is self-explanatory – effective happy teams perform better. Period.
• Immediate implementation. This system can be implemented immediately. No massive roll-outs of theoretical multiple-day training programmes. It is designed to be very practical and straight-forward.
• Regular review. This system enables teams to measure their progress on a regular basis, by using a visual model of their teamwork during team meetings. This will ensure that the team remains true to their corporate vision, mission, strategy, values and rules while regularly designing and implementing appropriate action plans.

The unique Gears of Life™ team coaching system will ensure that a team will continue to develop as an entity and ultimately unlock their true synergistic potential.