The protagonist of the film Kabir Khan, a former hockey star, is painted as someone who betrayed his country. To prove his loyalty to the nation, he begins coaching the Indian women’s national hockey team. . The whole movie is about how no one gave a chance to this team yet it goes on to win the world cup against all odds.

In this victory, the protagonist, Kabir Khan played an awe inspiring role. He showed what a great coach can do to motivate the team and drive them towards a big goal/vision.

Yes! You have guessed it right. I am talking about the film Chak De India, starring Shahrukh Khan which won a number of awards. The  American basketball coach and player John Robert Wooden once said “A good coach can change the game and a great coach can change a life”.

Team Coaching is of paramount importance not only in sports but in practically every field including dance, music, literature and the corporate world.  It is not a new phenomenon but has existed since ancient times.

In Mahabharata, it was Lord Sri Krishna who became a coach for Arjuna in the battlefield of Kurukshetra, when the latter was gripped by  self doubt ,  guilt and dilemma after seeing the army of relatives against whom he had to fight. In his confusion, he almost gave up the fight before it had begun. It was Lord Krishna who motivated him through insights and advised him to follow his dharma which was to fight for the right.

The corporate world is like a jungle where Darvin’s theory goes  beyond the need for  survival of the fittest where one has not only to adapt  and evolve  but also innovate and  upgrade oneself   continuously to meet conditions in their ever changing environment. Here team coaching is of paramount importance.

In the corporate world  team coaching helps teams align around a common purpose, establish inspiring spirit and vision, define clear roles, commit to team accountability, make powerful choices and take affirmative action.

It provides the structure, support, and empowerment that allows teams to learn, practice, and integrate new behaviour over time. To become a more effective, more collaborative team and improve a team’s ability to deliver results is a change process. Change, as we all know from personal experience, is not easy.

It involves building deeper relationships and connections through a common experience. Increases sense of accountability as the peer group and lead coach will be soliciting updates on problems being tackled, new ideas implemented, and milestones achieved against desired goals

In the  corporate world  the team coaches  help the business owner to lead their business to that level where they want to see their business. They guide and assist the business owner by clarifying the vision of their business and how they can fit this into their personal goals.

Business leaders have realised that the way a team gels together, trusts together, works together, and faces obstacles together determines the future of the organisation.

I have often been invited for ‘team coaching’ where I apply principles of coaching to the entire team and not just to an individual.

What is the difference between individual coaching and team coaching?

In individual coaching, the focus is on developing the individual.

In team coaching the focus is to develop the team to perform at its peak.

In individual coaching, individual goals are important.

In team coaching, team goals have the priority.

In individual coaching, your strengths are harnessed and blossomed.

In team coaching, everyone harnesses each other’s strength and the team blossoms.

A critical part of team coaching is ‘critical conversations’. Lots of them. Without these critical conversations, a team is just a group of people hanging out together.

Very rarely, everyone is a team is a team player. Often, a few feel insecure in a team. And sometimes, some people slow down a team.

Here is a lovely classification of team members based on how a team member behaves when encountering a stumbling block. The team member…

(1) Did not do anything about it till asked for a status

(2) Reported it proactively

(3) Found potential solutions and reported

(4) Found possible solutions, identified the best solution, and reported

(5) Found potential solutions, identified the best solution, implemented it (or at least experimented), and reported

Goes without saying,

(1) is the team member we need to be concerned about. They are the weak links in the team.

(2) is acceptable but not leaders.

(3) is a potential leader

(4) is a good leader and can be groomed for bigger responsibilities.

(5) is what ownership is all about. Ownership being one of the most desirable qualities in a team member / leader.

The interesting part is, unless this classification is explicitly laid out and communicated, many team members do not even realise that they are (1) and that is a big problem.

Among the 5, which one of you most resonate with? Where would people say you belong to?