Coaching Competencies Application: Improved Team Communication, Morale, and Retention.

Who:

A Supervisor (at a large utility company) was experiencing communication issues on her team. She had 12 team members of which 9 were tenured and the 3 were new employees. The tenured employees did not want to welcome new team members to their team. When the new team members were sharing innovative ideas, they were told, « we don’t do that here. » There was a clear conflict in team meetings and the team members were working individually (even when they were supposed to be working together on team projects). Team members weren’t listening to one another and were missing the opportunity to collaborate and create better results.

What:

Not knowing what to do, the Supervisor was coached by a certified coach for a 6-month time period. The Supervisor shared her situation and discovered new Solution-Focused ways to overcome the situation. After, several sessions, the Supervisor expressed to the coach that she actually felt heard for the first time. One of the action items the Supervisor created and completed was to share her story with her team. She titled it – The Power of Being Heard. She also started asking open-ended questions when communicating with her team (to model what she expected). She held a team meeting where the team brainstormed how they could communicate better. The team used a team charter to list their action items and agreed to hold each other accountable to their action items and deadlines.

Result: 

The team started taking turns facilitating the team meetings. Small groups were formed to ensure all team members were included on projects. After 1 year, the team was surveyed and results showed that team communication, team morale and employee retention had increased compared to a prior year’s survey. Team members also shared comments stating they felt they were more valued and felt they were now contributing more to their potential.

« Coaching Competencies for Leaders is a fabulous course that gives a basic overview of coaching techniques while honing in on the specifics from a leadership perspective.  This course has been extremely beneficial in teaching me the proper techniques to effectively communicate, ask powerful questions and listen.  I have been able to apply this practical knowledge immediately with my teams and leaders. In doing so, my leaders are feeling more empowered, have the space to come up with creative ideas and feel that they are valued.  In using the tools I have learned in CCL, my leaders feel more empowered, passionate and feel a sense of purpose. »  – Melissa B

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Coaching Competencies Application: Increased Value Perception and Team Collaboration.

Who:

A leader was experiencing communication issues on her team. What she didn’t realize was that she was modeling how her Director communicated with her (always telling instead of asking).  Therefore, her team members weren’t listening to one another and were missing the opportunity to collaborate.

What:

This leader worked with a certified coach who helped her explore the possibilities of asking open-ended questions when communicating with her team. The leader experienced the power of being heard which she then practiced with her team.

Result: 

The leader and the team both felt valued. The team experienced more collaboration which created more innovated ideas. Team morale and employee retention increased on this team.