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Team coaching is often confused with “team building.” While team building, often a day or two out of the office, can be wonderful for teams that are tired, or worn, or need a boost of energy, the results can be short-lived.

While a business team coach and a sports team coach are often compared to one another, there is a fundamental difference between the two. Where a sports coach guides, directs, judges, decides for and leads his team, a business team coach is there primarily to listen, observe and playback for the team the coach’s experience of them without judgment.

A leader is responsible for turning a group of individuals into a team; for making that team stronger and more effective than the sum of its parts. It can be an exhilarating challenge, or a heavy burden. Team coaching is a process that is meant to strengthen and solidify teams around a common purpose. At the same time, it empowers leaders to become effective guides and help to inspire others to dream, learn, do, and become more.

It is important that a team knows that team coaching is not something that is done to them; it is something that is done with them. This process is not about dwelling on the past; it’s not about forcing people to fit into some idea of what a “team” should be; it’s not about a one or two day “Rah! Rah!” event. Team coaching is about enabling a team to do its collective best work while at the same time empowering individuals to do theirs.

One of my favourite views on coaching is expressed by the British Journal of Administrative Management: “Coaching takes a holistic view of the individual: work, corporate values, personal needs and career development are made to work in synergy, not against one another.” We are not coaching an executive or a vice-president or a manager; we’re coaching a person. The benefits of coaching extend beyond the organization to the life of the individual. But they also extend beyond the individual to benefit the organization: a truly holistic process.

Entering into a coaching relationship can be intimidating; it can be overwhelming; it can be a source of anxiety; and it can also be the start of a revitalized career and personal life in which you feel challenged, fulfilled, and satisfied. Stepping outside of your comfort zone is never easy, but knowing what to expect, and what you will ultimately gain from the coaching process, can allay your worries and help you begin on secure, positive footing.

“Great leaders intentionally influence and develop other leaders, build teams and foster collaborative culture. In other words, they become Legacy Leaders, building a multigenerational thumbprint for others who will use these same principles of learning and training with their own staff members.” Drs. Jeannine Sandstrom and Lee Smith, Legacy Leadership.