A GUIDE TO INTEGRATE TEAM COACHING ACROSS YOUR ...

Team Coaching for Everyone

A GUIDE TO INTEGRATE TEAMCOACHING ACROSS YOUR ORGANIZATION

TEAM COACHING FOR EVERYONE - Table of Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Page 03

Focus on People, Not the Process • • • • • • • Page 04

CHAPTER 2: CULTURE OF COACHING • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Page 06

CHAPTER 3: TEAM DEVELOPMENT • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Page 09

Building a Great Team • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Page 09

Role of the Manager • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Page 09

Motivate a Team Member • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Page 10

Leverage Team Members’ Strengths • • • • • • • Page 10

Distributed Teaming • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Page 11

Building Team Trust • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Page 13

TheBenefitsofaSharedExperience • • • • • • • Page 14

CHAPTER 4: TEAM COACHING • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Page 17

Leading a Team Building Session • • • • • • • • • Page 17

Prep Work • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Page 17

Review the Dashboard • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Page 18

The Session Itself • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Page 19

WorkingThroughConflict • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 0

ConductingEffective1:1s • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Page 24

Coaching Through Performance Conversations Page 27

CHAPTER 5: CLOSING REMARKS • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Page 29

TEAM COACHING FOR EVERYONE - Chapter 1

The knowledge economy may sound like a buzzword. The last 40 years has ushered in a period of dizzying change driven by technology to automate previously manual tasks, allowing people to focus less on physical work.

AgoodproxyforthisshiftcanbeseenbylookingatthepercentageofthevalueoftheS&P500thatistangiblevsintangible.Inthe1980’s,85%ofthevalueoftheS&Pwasinphysicalassets (plant, equipment, inventory, etc).Just4decadeslater,90%ofthevalueoftheS&Pisintangible.

Thismeansvaluefororganizationsiscreatedbypeoplecombiningtheirexperience,knowledgeandskillandcollaboratingtotacklecomplexproblemsandcreatesolutions.Theteam unit is where most work value is created. Leaders must focus on creating and coaching greatteamstodriveproductivity,innovationandgrowthfortheircompanies.ThisEbookhasonegoal:toteachmanagerstobecomegreatteamleaders.

INTRODUCTIONChapter 1


FOCUS ON PEOPLE, NOT THE PROCESS Your team has Slack to communicate when you aren’t meeting over Zoom. Brainstorming happens in Miro before making the project timeline in Asana. Teams collaborate in Google Sheets or Trello so that you can all be on the same page.

Work teams have thousands of tools to get work done.

But what about all those over-budget, behind-schedule, and less than satisfying deliverables thatseemtobemorecommonthannot?AstudybyPwCfoundthatoutof10,640projectsfrom200companiesin30countriesonly2.5%ofthecompaniescompletedtheprojectstheywere planning on completing.

According to Gallup’s research,it’snottheexplosionofdigitalprojectmanagementtoolsthatare at fault for not delivering work, it’s the lack of a people-centered approach.

Toolsarefocusedonlayingoutthespecificsofthetasksathandwithdetailedprocesses.The emotional components are not present. The more employees are forced into procedures, the less emotionally engaged they are in the project.

The key to success is to know and care about your people. When you think about it, when was the last time these types of questions were addressed in your workplace?

• Do team members feel like their opinions are heard and that they can safely express them?• Is there someone who recognizes team members and their good work?• Do project team members know exactly what is expected of them?• Do they care about each other, about quality, and about meeting the project’s objectives?

Trust comes from psychological safety, but team leaders are not clear how to create an environmentoftrust.Ithasbeenevenmoredifficultforleaderstoscaletrustacrosstheenterprise.

When we think about what stands in the way of psychological safety and trust, we see some not so surprising commonalities. At Cloverleaf, we regularly perform customer interviews. Nearly all of these interviews share common threads when we ask what hurdles stand in the waytopersonalsuccessandsuccessfortheirorganization:

• People have different perspectives which leads to tension• Teams have competing priorities that prevent true collaboration• Individuals don’t feel heard and understood• People jump to judge character rather than look for the underlying cause to problems

https://news.gallup.com/businessjournal/152429/cost-bad-project-management.aspx


Ontheotherhand,whenweaskaboutthebestteamexperiencespeoplehaveeverhad,wecommonlyhear:

• We knew we were on “the dream team”• Roles and areas of expertise were clearly known and respected• The team made decisions based on expertise, not hierarchy• People “got me” - we could be open, honest, guards down• The team had open, honest conversation and sharing different perspectives was key to successful work

• It felt fun, even in the scramble of a heavy workload

Thislastpointwasunexpected.Allourclientsidentifyfunaskeytoagreatteamexperience.Anditisimpossibletohaveafunteamexperiencewithunresolvedconflict,miscommunication, hurt feelings and misunderstanding.

Yet, few learning and development organizations offer any sort of team coaching options oropportunities.Team-buildingtypicallyhappensinclassrooms,off-siteexperiencesorisfocused primarily on the team leader.

Jane Hart, director and editor of the Centre for Modern Workplace Learning, summarized survey results on the valued ways of Learning in the Workforce. Her results show that the emphasisontrainingcoursesthatmostL&Dorganizationsfocusonareactuallyconsideredthe least valuable to learner’s development. Hart reveals that what employees actually want is a more relevant, modern approach that incorporates daily work experiences, knowledge sharing with teams and feedback from coaches.

https://modernworkplacelearning.com/magazine/

https://www.modernworkplacelearning.com/cild/mwl/learning-value/


CULTURE OF COACHING

Ready to create team coaches across your company? Start with company culture. For a company to be ready to embrace team coaching, senior leadership must create trust and believe that coaching is the best way to develop people.

Not sure if your company is ready for a culture shift toward coaching? Here are some questionstoask:

• Does senior leadership value transparency and trust? • Does the culture promote inclusivity and belonging? • Do rhythms and practices put people at the center? • Are people developed proactively or when turnover is a problem? • Do company leaders listen to employee feedback and improve based on the input?

ThereareobviousgreatexamplesofCEOsthathaveleftanindeliblemarkontheircompany’s culture. TypicallythesehavebeenfounderCEOsorsuccessfulbossesthathavehadextremelylongtenuresattheirrespectivebusinesses.PeoplelikeJeffBezosandWarrenBuffet come to mind.

If you want to truly impact culture do you start at the top or the bottom? According to the Harvard Business Review article entitled “You Can’t Dictate Culture - But You Can Influence It”, it is a little of both. Ultimately it is the people that create culture, but leadership demonstrates the approach for the company.

Culture is not a “goal” to be mandated, but the outcome of a collective set of behaviors. Eachindividualthatcomesintoanorganizationhasanopportunitytoshiftandshapetheorganizational culture - for better or worse.

At Cloverleaf our belief is that culture isn’t created at the top - it’s a collection of individual personalities of your people who work at your

company every day. Drawing on the individual strengths of your people is the best way to create the culture that you want at your company.

Chapter 2

https://cloverleaf.me/blog/company-culture-assessment/

https://cloverleaf.me/blog/company-culture-assessment/

https://hbr.org/2011/06/you-cant-dictate-culture-but-y

https://hbr.org/2011/06/you-cant-dictate-culture-but-y

https://hbr.org/ashkenas/2010/08/is-your-culture-too-nice.html


Beforepushingyourcompanytowardteamcoaching,knowtheanswerstothesequestions:Does the organization understand what coaching is? How to apply it? A great coaching culture is built on a few cornerstones.

1. Coaching is a KEY approach to how people managers interact and develop their people2. The coaching provided is valuable and supports individual, team and organizational performance3. Coaching is articulated as a necessary skill for all people managers and is reflected in job descriptions4. A coaching approach is used in both 1-1 and team interactions to solve problems and support development5. The organization has high levels of engagement and personal responsibility6. People are committed to lifelong learning and development of self and others

It’s easy to talk about principles, but how is a great coaching culture built? It’s created every day, every conversation, piece by piece.

When you think about coaching, you may envision two people sitting down with some issue onthetable.Imaginethisscenario:Anemployeecomestoyouwithaconflicttheyaregoingthrough. What is your role here?

Do you talk, or listen? Do you advise, or ask guiding questions? Do you give them the solution, orletthemfinditontheirown?Areyoumentoringorcoaching?

Now you might be thinking, what’s the difference, and why does it matter?

Itactuallymakesallthedifferenceinthefuturebetweenyouremployeesthrivingandfindingsolutions on their own or relying on you to do it for them. It might be the difference between youremployeesbeingproactiveinconflictresolutionratherthanpassive.Thedifferencebetween mentoring and coaching.

Let’s dig into how to coach rather than mentor. In mentoring, a mentor shares knowledge, suchas:expertise,answers,andsolutionsbytelling,andtheyarelikelyleadingtheconversation. This assures the problem is thoroughly dissected and solved. While this may solve a problem or set of problems at hand, this does not fully set your employee up for success in the future. You may have given a solution, but did not lead them to solve the problem on their own.

Coaching is the art and science of facilitating positive change. It is done through a combination of active listening, powerful questioning, and supporting individuals in designing and accomplishing their own stated goals. Coaching draws out knowledge from the


individual by asking and questioning as a way to guide and facilitate the conversation. This puts the focus on the individual, and allows them to arrive at a solution by their own thought process, and helps develop strong problem-solving skills.

So how do you go from being a boss/mentor, who manages work getting done, to a coach, who supports the success of the people getting the work done? Start by evaluating your organization’s performance management process. Is it set up with multiple touchpoints forongoingfeedback?Areyouconductingregular1:1swithdirectmanagersalongwithregular (quarterly to bi-annual) career meetings where employees can review the trajectory of their career and where they want to be? This is a good starting point to create ongoing conversations and regular communication.

Take a look at new manager training programs. When someone is promoted to a people managing position, how do you teach them to lead at your company? This training is vital, even if they have been a manager elsewhere previously. Have a plan in mind to develop these newteamleaders:createleadershipobjectivesandplanactionitemslikeindividualtrainingsessions, reading books and attending webinars.

Leadership development is an ongoing process. Make sure that future performance objectives for leaders and people managers include leadership development goals. These leadersshouldcontinuouslydevelopandrefinetheircoachingskills.

Develop your high potential people and top performers to become leaders. Have a conversation about them taking on the responsibility of leading others in the organization. If there is mutual interest and commitment, implement leadership coaching or test different initiativeswiththem.Startsmallanddonotletthefearofexpensestandinyourway.Investing in better leaders by coaching will save money for the company long term.

Needtofindthebudgettostartaleadershipcoachingprogram?Stopthetrainingtrap,ie. three day training that you think your leaders will get value from, but the information is retained for a week or two and is never visited again. The same goes with taking assessments, reading the report, and never looking at it again. Both types of “training” are a waste of time and money unless they are followed by an ongoing learning and development plan along with timely coaching and feedback.

When you start implementing coaching measures, even with those small steps above, you will start moving towards a culture of coaching. What does this look like in an evolved coaching organization? Learning is at the forefront of business strategy, the development of people is seen just as a key as the development of the product or service. An evolved coachingorganization’sfirstcustomeristheiremployee.

https://cloverleaf.me/blog/coaching-for-everyone


BUILDING A GREAT TEAM Great coaching starts with culture, but let’s focus on how coaching is built within teams. Great team coaching starts with a great team manager.

ROLE OF THE MANAGER Whetheryou’reanexperiencedmanagerorbrandnewtomanagingpeople,thereareunique challenges that come with leading a team. Goals, deadlines, and the bottom line are important, but who gets you there? Your people. And they are far more important than the former mentioned. It is vital that your team is supported, engaged, and empowered to be their best.

As a manager, you have a unique role to play in creating an environment where your team can thrive, and there are so many ways to improve every day. One thing that’s often overlooked; however, is learning to be a better teammate. This goes beyond smiles and doing your own work on time. It’s about understanding how your people work, what they need, and how you can do your best to support them in their work.

Start with learning about yourself and how your team best functions. You can do this by taking assessments within Cloverleaf and looking through your personal analysis and the results of your entire team.

Understand Your Leadership StyleIt’s important to understand your style as a leader, and your preferred ways to communicate and collaborate. Comb through your tendencies and preferences on the ME Dashboard in Cloverleaf. Get a good understanding of your behavioral tendencies, work style,communicationstyle,conflicttriggers,strengths,andpreferences.

Understand Your Similarities & Differences with Team MembersYour TEAM Dashboard in Cloverleaf is a major resource to understand your team in addition to yourself. Using the Thinking Styles Comparison, you can pair yourself against any teammate and see how you two likely interact and see a side-by-side comparison of your similarities and differences.

Get a Pulse on Culture

The Culture PulseresultsonyourTEAMDashboardarealsoagreatresourcetoseewhere you and your team lie on each spectrum. Pay special attention to any outliers and that their preferences are not overlooked in being outside the majority. Read the insights and coaching tips so that you can adjust your interactions to make sure your people feel

TEAM DEVELOPMENTChapter 3

http://cloverleaf.me/teams

https://help.cloverleaf.me/en/articles/2721874-me-dashboard-overview

https://help.cloverleaf.me/en/articles/2721874-me-dashboard-overview

https://help.cloverleaf.me/en/articles/3377929-navigate-team-dashboard

https://help.cloverleaf.me/en/articles/3005466-what-is-culture-pulse

valued, supported, and empowered to do their best.

Now that you have a basic understanding of your personality type and preferences and a deeper understanding of your team, let’s talk about ways to keep your team motivated.

MOTIVATE A TEAM MEMBER It’safactoflifethatnoteveryoneisgoingtobe“allin”,100%,andrunningatfullspeedeveryhour of every day. Sometimes a cup of coffee doesn’t cut it. It’s a challenge to motivate your people, especially when remote work is involved. But, it is important to know how to motivate your people so that they are empowered in what they are doing everyday.

Lean Into Team StrengthsKnowing that goal setting is a key way to motivate someone, it can be useful to look at someone’s personality and strengths and build a sub-team that draws on these strengths. Forexample,16 Types might indicate an individual is an introvert and struggles to connect with a client. A great manager could partner this team member with a client-facing extrovertontheteam.Buildcollaborationwithinteamstodrawonthestrengthsofeachindividual.

Dive into their Motivating Values and Instinctive Drives

Motivating Valuescanbeanotherkeywaytoseewhatmotivatesanindividual.Eachcategory offers insight into how someone thinks and what they value. Leverage Cloverleaf to uncover these values and help align work with individual values.

Instinctive Drives give deeper insights into your people’s innate motivations and what they need to work their best. Knowing what makes someone tick helps to uncover why they are underperforming. Use that information to create opportunities for collaboration and empower your employees to take ownership over their work and goals. Help employees to build goals that motivate them and support them along that journey.

LEVERAGE TEAM MEMBERS’ STRENGTHS What do you do when you’ve learned your team member is naturally wired to do something that is not in their job description? In the perfect world, you can upskill them and move themintotheperfectjobfit.Butintherealworld,thereareresourceconstraints.Herearesome tips on how to help your people ignite their strengths without changing their roles or responsibilities. Dig Into Insights

Openyourteammember’sfullprofileandclickthroughtheirinsights.Sometimesasimpleacknowledgement of what a team member uniquely brings to the team goes a long way in making them feel connected to the work and team.


https://help.cloverleaf.me/en/articles/3005204-what-is-16-types

https://help.cloverleaf.me/en/articles/3506118-what-is-motivating-values

https://cloverleaf.me/blog/instinctive-drives

Look for strengths that your team member currently doesn’t have an opportunity to exercise.Givethemanopportunitytoleanintothatstrengthforaperiodoftime,likeanewproject. Then check in with them at the end of that project to see if they enjoyed the work, and look for new opportunities to leverage that strength.

Look for Outliers on Your Team DashboardOpen up your team dashboard and look for outliers. People on the team with unique strengths may feel like an outsider. Because they have unique perspectives and strengths, they may become frustrated, less active in conversations, or disengaged with their work.

Noticetheiruniquestrengthsandthenmakesmallchangestofittheirnaturalstyle.Takea moment to ask for their point of view in a meeting. Connect them back to the team by acknowledging their unique contributions.

Consider Tasks To Be DelegatedIf you or another leader on the team no longer has the capacity to do a certain task, look for someone on the team who has capacity and a strength in that area to carry it out.

For Disengaged EmployeesAre you noticing one of your people is not performing up to their potential, or is showing signs of disengagement? Look for their natural strengths in their VIA, StrengthsFinder, or Strengthscoperesults.Askyourself:isthereonesmallthingyoucandotoallowthisperson to activate their top strengths?

When you activate people without changing their day-to-day responsibilities, your culture, productivity,andbottomlineallbenefit.Nottomention,everyonesimplyfeelsgood.

DISTRIBUTED TEAMING Managing a distributed team requires a much different approach from leading people that you see in-person every day. Here are tips to help set yourself and your team up for success.

Utilize Cloverleaf’s Insights Leverage the insights that Cloverleaf sends to you and your employees to learn more about each other’s motivations, work styles, preferences, and other essential details, even when you do not see them face-to-face everyday.

Use Communication Tools that Support Collaboration and ConnectionSince you can’t casually drop by someone’s desk throughout the day, the right real-time communication tools that help team discussions feel natural are the lifeblood that makes remote work possible. Put time, effort and thought into the communication channels for the team, and agree with the team about which channels are used for different types of communication.


https://help.cloverleaf.me/en/articles/3005208-what-is-via

https://help.cloverleaf.me/en/articles/3005209-what-is-strengthsfinder

https://help.cloverleaf.me/en/articles/4501808-what-is-strengthscope

Move Beyond EmailEmailisgreatforbasicinformationandcompanycommunications.However,importantdataandfilescaneasilygetburiedandmessagesandprojectcommunicationscanbelost when someone leaves the company. Consider ways to communicate and collaborate outsideofemailsthatprovidemorecontextandmoretrackingofknowledgewithintheteam.

Set up Asynchronous Solutions

A challenge you might face is handling fully remote employees in different time zones. Asynchronous management allows employee engagement based on their ideal work hours throughout the week. Ultimately, with remote work, you want to give employees the opportunity to do their best work and accomplish their daily or weekly goals in their productive hours.

Arrange for In-Person Time through Team Retreats/OffsitesYourteammaybetoofar-flungtoarrangeforweeklyin-personofficemeetingstotouchbase with one another. Yearly, bi-yearly, or quarterly team retreats or offsites offer a valuable way to learn more about your people and to reward them for a job well done.

Empower Remote Workers with the Right Resources

Make sure your distributed team is set up for success, whether that means sending them a company laptop, reimbursing them for the cost of an internet speed upgrade for their homeoffice,ordeployinganappthatworkswellwitharemoteworkforce.

Create Accountability through Work ProcessesSetclearexpectationssothatyouremployeesknowwhatboundariesandlimitsonflexibilitytheyareworkingwithin.Tobuildaccountabilityandensurethatprojectsareontrack and employees are staying productive, check in through video meetings, project planning platforms and progress reports. If you have team members who are doing remoteworkforthefirsttime,providetipsonhowtheycancreateadistraction-freespacein their home. Be patient with new employees as they adjust and get up to speed.

Invest in your Onboarding EffortsYour onboarding process and the training materials for new hires should be comprehensive and in different formats to accommodate different learning styles. You maywanttocreateachannelinyourcommunicationsplatformspecificallyforfieldingthese types of questions. Additionally, think about a mentor system with senior employees.

Be Aware of Challenges of Managing Distributed TeamsHelp employees to manage the balance between work and home and avoid communicationerrors.Providestandardsonwhenandhowemployeesareexpectedtocommunicate. Provide guidance on “off hours” communications based on urgency and who needs to respond.


Use an Agile FrameworkAgile is a method of project management that requires constant team communication, client involvement, and frequent reviews of the work-in-progress. Some of the popular AgileframeworksareScrum,Kanban,ExtremeProgramming,andDSDM.Agileisgenerallymore intuitive in teams that are working face-to-face, but can be tailored to distributed teamsbyoptimizingcommunicationsandfilesharing.

BUILDING TEAM TRUST When you only communicate virtually with team members, building trust might happen more slowly than if you saw them face-to-face even once a week. But, why does that matter? Trust: Why is it Important?

One thing we know about remote and distributed teams is that connection is the key to performance. Without trust, connection and connection may not be open, productive, or comfortable. If a team can’t collaborate, where will their work go?

Pathways To Build TrustA great place to start is by understanding what motivates your people’s behaviors and whattheirculturalpreferencesare.Manyleadersusuallyareflyingblindwhenitcomesto understanding their people. Our Motivating Values and CulturePulse assessments can provide you with a bird’s eye view of behavior and culture. Use the results of these assessmentstounderstandwhatmotivatesyourteamandhowtheyfittogether.Thisinformation provides a mutual understanding, respect, and awareness of each other, and from there, you will have a better idea of how to work with each other.

What are some other ways that you can build trust as a team leader?

1. Ask team members what is important to them.2. Take EVERY opportunity to build people up.3. Be a champion at listening.4. Offer trust first.5. Speak with respect6. Admit when you make mistakes.7. Keep your word.8. Avoid Micromanaging

As a team leader, you should “practice what you preach” by modeling a culture of trust to your employees through your words and actions. Allow your team members the freedom to do their job, but pay attention to what you tolerate. Poor behavior that is tolerated can quickly become the culture of a team or company.


https://help.cloverleaf.me/en/articles/3506118-what-is-motivating-values

https://help.cloverleaf.me/en/articles/3005466-what-is-culture-pulse

Cloverleafcanhelpyouself-disclosewhoyoureallyarethroughyourprofile—itisawealthof information about your strengths, preferences, and what makes you YOU! Transparency and honesty not only shows that you are open to discussion, but also that you want a strong foundation of truth. Promote this transparent information sharing by utilizing and encouraging the use of the Cloverleaf Calendar Integration and the coaching tip email insights every day.

THE BENEFIT OF A SHARED EXPERIENCE Haveyoueversatnexttosomeoneinagateattheairportwithoutspeaking…thenadelayisannounced with the possibility of cancellation and suddenly your whole section of the gate is navigatingthetrialsofairtraveltogether?Youjusthadasharedexperience.

Sharedexperiencesmakeeffectiveteams.Why?An experience rushes the team through the development stages.

Your team can become more effective by “rushing” the different stages of becoming a team. This allows quicker arrival at peak productivity levels in the “Performing” stage.

Tuckman’sModelofteamDevelopmenthasfourstagesthatteamsgothrough:forming,storming, norming, and performing. This model represents the rollercoaster all teams ride as they are developing.


TUCKMAN’S MODEL: FORMING

https://help.cloverleaf.me/en/collections/1641838-calendar


TUCKMAN’S MODEL: STORMING

TUCKMAN’S MODEL: NORMING


TUCKMAN’S MODEL: PERFORMING

Create memories, to shareWhile the process of learning people’s unique abilities and natural strengths eventually happenswhenworkingwithateam,sharingexperiencesspeedsuptheprocess.Yoursocial and emotional intelligence as a team increases when you dive deeper into each other’s uniqueness.

Sharedmemoriesgiveteamscommonexperiencestolookbackon,withcommonwordsand feelings associated with those memories. This “norming” can be especially helpful for remote organizations that typically only communicate online.

Increased trust = Easier FeedbackJumping into giving and receiving feedback as a team is hard when you’ve only been in the “work” environment. Trust is something that takes time, and certainly a certain base level of arelationship.Sharedexperienceshelpteammemberstosharefeedbackmoreopenly.

Sharing an experience means a better experienceIt’sbeenproventhatsharinganexperienceamplifiestheemotionsrelatedtothatexperience.WhynotelevateyoursensesANDassociateanawesomeexperiencewithyourco-workerswithsharingpositiveexperiences.

Onewaytokick-startasharedexperienceforyourteamisbyconductingateambuildingsession using Cloverleaf.


LEADING A TEAM BUILDING SESSION You have a team full of potential, but each team has a challenge. The challenge may be reaching goals, improving relationships or promoting more collaboration. Whatever the challenge,ateambuildingsessioncenteredaroundyourCloverleafTEAMDashboardcanhelp. Here’s a guide to help you lead this conversation with your team.

PREP WORK1. Schedule your Session - Werecommendatleast90minutes.Itsometimestakesabittogettheseconversationsgoing,and60minutesoftencutsittooshort.Ifyourteamislargerthan 7, we recommend at least 2 hours.

2. Set your Goal - Isthereaspecificproblemthatispromptingyoutohavethisteamsession?Beveryspecificindefiningit-thecleareryouareonyourproblem,themoreimpactful you can be with the solution. What is your goal with this session? What does success look like at the end of the session? One week later? 3 months later? 3. Prep your Dashboard - Personalize the assessments you want your team to take by clickingthetogglebuttonontherightsideoftheTEAMDashboard.Setaduedatefortheassessments in advance and give yourself enough time to review all of the results as part of the prep work.

4. Set Up your Team(s) - Werecommendteamsizesdon’texceed7.Ifyou’redoingthiswith a larger team, consider what subteams you can set up - break people down by their role, location, department, or by the people who most often work together.

TEAM COACHINGChapter 4

REVIEW THE DASHBOARDPull up your team dashboard at least a few days before the team building session. Give yourself enough time to note any big aha’s and trends on the team. The more time you spend, themoretrendsyou’llbeabletoidentifyandthemoreyoucanfocusonthespecificneedsof your team. If any of these assessments are new to you, you can learn more here. Here are someguidelineswhenreviewingthedashboards:

1. At First Glance: Are there clear outliers on any of the graphs? How have you seen these playoutontheteam?Howcantheseoutliersbenefittheteam?

Are there any clear clusters where multiple people have similarities? How do these similarities make the team stronger? How could these similarities allow for blind spots? Any clear patterns you notice with the team or sub-teams? Are there major differences or similarities between any of the subteams? What factors (role, geography, projects, etc) correlate with these patterns?

On the Team Role Grid, where is the team strong, and which strengths does the team lack?

2. Going Deeper: Pair people up in the relationship map. What surprises you? What opportunities are there to pair people together more effectively?

Think about people on your team who stand out in the day to day, perhaps for their performance or their importance to your goal. Click on their avatar, and view their full profile.Clickthroughtheirinsights,andnoteanyimportanttalkingpointsforthegroupdiscussion.

Pro Tip: Finding an insight that is dead on or positively playful is a great ice breaker for your team session.

3. Form Questions: Lookingbackoveryournotes,writeoutspecificquestionsthatcommandmorethanayes/noanswer.Herearesomeexamples:

• “You’ll notice the XYZ pattern. How have you seen this play out on the team?”• “Tell me about a time when you noticed this strength helped the team.”• “Where in our process are we currently experiencing an issue? What (person/strength/behavior) can help solve this issue?”

• (To a person who is an outlier) “How do you experience this difference of yours from the team?”• “What (strength, behavioral type) could we leverage to make a difference in an area of focus our team has?”


THE SESSION ITSELFThe big day has come! Here’s how you can get the most out of your team session.

1. Set the Stage: Openbysettingexpectationsfortime,andthatyou’reheretohaveaconversation where all participate.

Remind the team that there is no right or wrong “type” on any of these assessments. We’re alluniquesnowflakesnottobeputinabox.

Share your goal for this session and talk about the game plan for the team after the session.

2. Dive in: Pro Tip: Tell stories to illustrate examples. Stories will help the team to open up and become more comfortable with the conversation. Give them time and freedom to share their own stories.

Startwiththeassessments,goingthroughoneboxatatime.Openwithsomegeneralobservations, such as patterns or the team average. Ask a question to open conversation.

Iftheconversationisslowtostart,referencebacktothespecificquestionsyouhadprepared.This may be a new type of conversation for many people, which is OK, so model openness and spaceforreflection,sothatpeoplewillfeelsafertospeakupasthemeetinggoeson.

Be observant of those who have no trouble speaking up. What are their results? Is this common in meetings? Don’t be afraid to call out those who readily answer and point back to the dashboard as to why that might be. This can be a good transition into allowing others to share.

Ifyounoticeanyfolkswhohaven’tspokenupmuch,askthemaspecificquestion.Thesequietfolks usually have keen insights to share. When helpful, click on someone’s avatar to go deeper intotheirspecificresultsorinsights. 3. Cover The Team Role Grid: Team Role Grid Where does the team have roles really well covered?Whatrolesareunfilled?Howdoestheteamexperiencethis?

4. Pull Up The Relationship Map: Relationship Map Gooverspecificpairingsthatstoodoutto you in your prep.

5. Closing: Remindtheteamofthespecificgoalforthatteamsession.Askeveryonetosharetheir biggest learning and one action step they now want to take after this session.

Write down the action steps and be sure to follow up with each of them in your normal rhythm of1-on-1’sorteammeetings.Thisfollow-upiskeytotakingyourteam’sperformancetothenextlevel.Sendoutaclosingcommunicationthankingtheteamforthetimeandparticipation.Sharenextstepsandfollow-upsfortheteam.Setexpectationsoffuture1-on-1conversationsand how the goals from that session will be revisited.


https://cloverleaf.me/team-roles-overview

https://help.cloverleaf.me/en/articles/3382358-how-to-use-the-relationship-map

WORKING THROUGH CONFLICT Aslongastherearepeople,therewillbeconflict,eveninthemostfavorableenvironments.Ratherthanviewingconflictasanegativesituation,reframeyourthinking.Viewconflictresolution as an opportunity to improve communication, interpersonal relationships, and the company and team culture.

The Keys To Conflict ResolutionWorkingthroughconflictisanessentialpartofbeingaleader.Thereareseveralpartstosuccessfulconflictresolution:

1. Understanding the causes of conflicts2. Uncovering areas of agreement and similarities 3. Developing ways to find conflict solutions based on areas of agreement4. Asking for compromise in continued areas of disagreement

What Causes ConflictThehighestperformingteamsexperienceconflict.AccordingtoaHarvard Business Review Article, “What few people seem to realize is that even the most effective teams will feel conflict-proneattimes.Andtherearegoodreasonsforthis.Teamscomposedofhigh-performing individuals are naturally subject to contradictory tensions, like cooperation andrivalry,trustandvigilance.Thesetensionsshouldnotbemanagedaway—theyareproductive and can help teams perform better.”


POOR COMMUNICATION SKILLS•Disagreementsonpolicies,procedures,&details

•Outdatedorinefficientcommunicationtools

•Employeeswithdifferentcommunicationstyles

MISMATCHED EXPECTATIONS• Misaligned on responsibilities

• Operating off assumptions

UNREALISTIC WORKLOADS• Long stints of overtime

• Constant crunch mode without breaks

DEFENSIVE REACTIONS•Constructivecriticism&feedbacktakenasa

personal attack

PERSONALITY ISSUES• Misaligned cultural preferences

• Clashing personalities left unaddressed

•Toxicpersonalities

LACK OF CONSISTENCY• Constant change without a plan to manage

change

LACK OF PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY• Concern about repeating past mistakes

•Previousexperiencescanleadtoan

unexpectedreaction

Here are some of the most common conflict situations that are created:

https://hbr.org/2012/07/conflict-keeps-teams-at-the-to

https://hbr.org/2012/07/conflict-keeps-teams-at-the-to

https://cloverleaf.me/blog/psychological-safety

Essential Conflict Resolution SkillsResolvingconflicttogetherwithyourteamisnotaone-size-fits-allprocess.Thedynamicsbetween people, the team, and the company all come into play and should be considered throughout the process. Learn more about your people’s workstyles and motivations before speaking with them to understand where they’re coming from.

• Shift your mindsettoviewconflictasalearningopportunityratherthanatimesuck.

• Spend more time actively listening than talking and asking clarifying questions. Once you haveeachsideofthestory,youcandevelopamethodforresolvingconflictwitheveryone.

• Act as a non-biased, third party when facilitating or mediating conversations and encourageeachpersontotalkthroughwhathappened.Allowthemtofindinsightsontheirown, and ask questions at the right time to progress the narrative and lead everyone to a resolution.

• Practice empathy by putting yourself in both party’s shoes to understand their actions and reactions. You want to ensure that you are really hearing them.

• Find areas of agreement between the parties. Use similarities and agreement as a startingpointtoworkthroughtheconflict.

• Take accountabilityandresponsibilityforyouractionsifyou’reinvolvedinaconflict.Ownuptowrongdoings,evenwhentheywereunintended.Leadingbyexampletodemonstratehowhealthyconflictsolutionsareachieved.

• Remain transparentaboutyourdecisionsregardingresolvingtheconflictbetweenteammembers to avoid accusations of favoring or being biased.

•Standbehindyourconflictresolutionmethodsandbeauthentic with your team. Make your approach personal to the situation and everyone involved.

• Push for better change management to resolve large-scale changes and ensure that employees will get the training and information they need to adjust to the new way of doing things and have opportunities to provide feedback.

• Focusing on emotional intelligence allows you to recognize valuable clues into how your team members feel, if they’re being transparent about what happened, and whether they’re trulysatisfiedwithyourresolutions.Usethisskilltoimproveworkplacerelationshipsingeneral.

• Sometimes, you need to cut your losses. This might require transferring people to adifferentdepartmentorfiringthemoutright,dependingonthenatureoftheirtoxic


behavior.Conflict Management ToolsThereareseveraltypesofconflictmanagementtoolsthatsupportyoureffortsinhandlingyour team to resolve problems before they create lasting damage.

Better Communication Tools• Provide easy ways to communicate important messages to one another. Create communication channels between on-site and remote employees. Give guidelines on which tools are used for each type of communication and when. Ask the team to stick to those guidelines.

• Provide in-person opportunities to communicate. Even if the team is remote, give phone or video meeting tools to work through communications that require more conversation.

Calendar Availability• Try to free up a consistent time slot, so your team will know that you’ll have availability to talk with them.

• Give your team an opportunity to come forward with any type of feedback, positive or negative.

ProactivelyAddressingConflict• Get ahead of conflict if possible. Make sure you learn the tell-tale signs that your team has before an incident occurs or early in the conflict. By being proactive, you create a more positive work environment and reduce the chances that the conflict will cause lasting harm to the parties involved.

How to use Cloverleaf for Conflict ManagementThekeyinconflictmanagementisdepersonalizing the problem.Theconflictresolutionshould focus on solving the dispute, not attacking either party or their personalities.

Cloverleafenablesyoutoseestraightintothenumberonecauseofconflictbetweenpersonalities—differencesinpersonalpreferences.

Here are some suggestions on how to use Cloverleaf to effectively manage people and conflict:

1. Use Cloverleaf Visualizations:UsetheinformationintheTEAMDashboardinadditiontoviewingpeople’sfullprofiles.Usingthisdashboard,you’llreceivevaluableinsightinto what works vs. what impedes, what motivates vs. what triggers. Learn how to best communicate and listen, and who you might turn to for particular challenges.

Ifthereisaconflictspecificallybetweentwoteammembers,takealookattheRelationship Map and pair these employees in the drop-down menu. This will show a direct comparison of those individuals and their similarities and differences. Often, if the


individuals are more diverse, there is actually a mini playbook at the bottom for how the twocanresolveconflict. Wanttodomore?Designasessionwithspecificquestionsthattakeintoconsiderationthe individuals’ differences. Include in the conversation ways they are SIMILAR. If you can leadtheconflictfacilitationbyfindingcommongroundfromthestart,youcancometoanunderstanding more quickly.

2. Understand Someone’s Conflict Triggers:Anindividual’s“ConflictTriggers”canbefoundintheirprofile.Navigatetothisbyclickingonanemployee’savatar,thenunder“Insights”choose“ConflictTriggers”.

3. Dive Into Roles & Strengths:Stressisthesecondbiggestcauseofconflict.TheRolesand Strengths maps identify the conditions under which each individual thrives. Deprive someone of the opportunity to function in their strengths and they will likely become stressed.Ensurethatyourteammembershaveopportunitiestoplaytotheirstrengthsintheir current role along with building areas of improvement. 4. Understand Each Other Before Mediation: If mediation is required, consider requiring team members involved to delve into Cloverleaf before talking together. This would be a valuablefirststepinmakingsurebothpartiesunderstandtheotherinanobjectivenon-confrontational setting.

5. Have More 1:1s: Studies show that the single most critical activity by a manager to effectivelydealwithconflictis“conversation”.Makesuretoscheduletheseregularconversations with your team and protect that time. Don’t allow other meetings to take precedence. People development needs to be top priority for a leader.


CONDUCTING EFFECTIVE 1:1s Let’stalkabout1:1s.Talkingcanevokealotofemotions,right?Perhapsyou’vefeltfrustratedthat you’re not being listened to, or dismissed by cancelled meetings, or annoyed by

“needless” conversation when you have “real work” to get to. You could even be at a total loss at how to get the other to share what’s really on their mind.

Sound familiar?

It’s because we all have different communication styles, work styles, and persuasion styles. Here are some tips on how to navigate these differences. Set a Consistent Day and TimeItisuptothemanager’sdiscretiontochoosethefrequencyanddurationofa1:1.Tobemosteffective, it is recommended that managers hold weekly meetings with every employee for at least 30 minutes.

These1:1coachingsessionsresultinmoremotivatedemployeeswhoknowtheyarebeingseen for their contributions, ideas, and career advancement.

Planforthe1:1inadvance,evenifit’sonthecalendartheemployee’sfirstday.Makesureeveryone on your team has the Calendar Integration set up. Read the employee’s calendar tip to help you through the conversation and communicate in a way that the other person receives information best. Create an AgendaUnlessyouareconductinga1:1withaverytalkativeemployee,youmightnotknowhowto start the conversation. And even then, it might not go in a productive direction. Create a structuretofollowinyour1:1meetings.

Some examples of talking points are below:

• Ask how they are feeling• Check on projects from the last week• Ask about progress toward set goals• Check on energy to complete tasks and toward the job in general• Ask about relationships with other staff members• Celebrate successes• Ask for and deliver feedback

Communication StyleLook at the way that an employee communicates through reading their Communication coaching tips. This will help you keep a tone that makes the employee comfortable.


https://help.cloverleaf.me/en/collections/1641838-calendar

Handling ConflictShouldconflictarise,theCloverleafRelationshipMapisagreattooltoworkthroughit.The side-by-side comparison of two people on the team pulls info from viewpoints of the assessments they’ve taken. This map helps each team member see and understand the side thattheotherpersoniscomingfromandwhattheirfinalgoalis.

Needtohaveaconversationaboutconflict?Thinkcarefullyabouttheopeningasitwillsetthe tone for the rest of the conversation.

Here are a few starters:

• “I have something I’d like to discuss with you that I think will help us work together more effectively.”

• “I’d like to talk about __________ with you, but first I’d like to get your point of view.”• “I need your help with what just happened. Do you have a few minutes to talk?”• “I think we have different perceptions about __________. I’d like to hear your thinking on this.”• “I’d like to see if we might reach a better understanding about _________. I really want to hear your feelings about this & share my perspective as well.”

Two-Way Constructive FeedbackFeedback is two-way--and great managers ask for and deliver feedback in a way that builds a better working relationship. Start by asking your employee how you can improve as their manager. A simple way to get that conversation started is to ask what you should start doing, stop doing, and continue doing. Make sure to ask why for each piece of feedback so that you have a deeper understanding of the positive and negative behaviors. When delivering feedback to an employee, focus on what improvements can be made in the future. This encourages them to come up with plans to remedy issues on their own. However, make sure you know that all employees react differently to constructive feedback. Offer support by developing a better plan if they struggle to come up with one on their own.

Learn their Perspective of the CompanyAgoodpracticein1:1sistoaskyourpeopleaboutthecompanyasawhole.

Ask your people:

1. Where should the organization be going?2. What goals should the company have?3. What is going well for the team and business?4. What needs to be improved?5. What can I do to help?6. Do you have any questions for me?


GoalsEndwithspecificgoalsanddeliverablesfortheemployeeinthecomingweek.Thiswillgiveyou something to hold your people accountable and give them something to work toward throughout the week. It also promotes improvement and self-development. It may be helpful for you to view the employee’s Development and Work Style coaching tips on their dashboard.

Body LanguageMaintainanopenpresenceduring1:1sandmakeeyecontactwithyouremployees.Thinkabout taking the conversation outside and go for a walk. Sometimes people feel more open and comfortable when you aren’t sitting face-to-face.

Show respect and that you are listening, and do not look at your phone or watch throughout the session. If you have an important call, let them know from the very beginning of the one-on-one.

Take Notes and Follow UpTake notes on what you talked about and follow-up as necessary throughout the week or duringthefollowing1:1.


COACHING THROUGH PERFORMANCE CONVERSATIONS Performance conversations are essential to helping employees do their best work and build relationships with everyone. These conversations allow you and your employees to listen to one another and deepen your rapport. While each leader has their own style for handling this type of meeting, here are a few keys that are important to having a successful talk.

PreparationBefore you meet with someone, review their Communication Style insights in the Coaching TipsboxonCloverleaftoapproachtheconversationproductively.ViewtheRelationshipMapto observe your similarities, your differences, and how to make the conversation effective pairing.

TakenoteofconflicttriggersintheRelationshipMapandintheConflictTriggersinsightsintheCoachingTipsbox.Whatsurprisesyou?Whatisnewlyevidenttoyou?Whataretacticsyoucanemployinyourmeetingtodiffuseconflictshoulditarise?Keeptheseinmindtokeepthe meeting open and comfortable.

Develop an agenda based on the topics you want to cover and those that employees have mentionedinpreviewperformancereviews.Takeaminutetoreviewnotesfromprevious1:1meetings and review objectives and deliverables from the last meeting.

UnderstandingDevelop a deep understanding of your people’s motivations and strengths by diving into their MotivatingValuesassessmentresults.Findoutwhatenergizesthisteammember.Aretheydoing the type of work that regularly plays to their strengths? If not, how can you help to shift their role or pull them onto projects that leverage their strengths?

Also, look into their workstyle. What environments and projects allow your team member to flourish?Whatisdifferentbetweenthisidealandtheworkyouremployeeiscurrentlydoing?Istheresomethingyoucandotoprovideabetterfitforthisteammember?Ifnot,walkthroughtheirdashboardwiththemtolookatwheretheywouldexcelintheirwork.

Recognition Positive reinforcement goes a long way towards motivating someone to do better. Make note of accomplishments made by this employee and give them praise. Celebrate their successes andofferarewardwhenyouseefit.

Active ListeningActive listening is taking in all the information that a person says, displaying empathy, and absorbing all of the unspoken parts of the conversation. Ask guiding questions to draw out more details and encourage the employee to share.


Honesty Be honest and transparent. Minimizing your employee’s issue can create even more tension, as they feel their needs are not being met. Lighthearted conversations can be disheartening, damaging your employee’s trust with you. Sugarcoated discussions followed by written warning or unfavorable language can also cause trust and damage to your employee’s outlook on your integrity.

Anemployee’sfeedbackisnotalwaysgoingtobeflattering.Theymaynotalwayslikeoragree with what you have to say about their performance, but honesty and transparency goes a long way and can help drive healthy conversations.

Guiding QuestionsWhile performance conversations have many open-ended discussions, you’ll likely have specificareasonyouragendatocover.Useguidingquestionstodirecttheconversationtobring up important topics. Leave plenty of time for the employee to ask questions or bring up other topics for discussion.

Goal SettingMakeyouremployeeperformanceexpectationsclearbyhelpingthemtosetconcretegoals. Review their goals and progress made, check in that they are still realistic, and make adjustments if needed.

AttentionThe meeting time is solely dedicated to this performance discussion. Don’t multitask or drop the meeting to address something else unless it’s truly urgent. If possible, turn off distractions,andmakesurethateveryoneknowsnottocomeintotheofficeunlessit’sanemergency.

Navigating EmotionsGetting the facts out on the table helps make the conversation objective. But it’s hard for these kinds of conversations to be void of emotions, so if you observe tensions rising, think backtotheemployee’sConflictTriggers.Guidetheconversationtowardsactionsyoucanboth take to better set them up for success. If it helps, pull up Cloverleaf to discuss the specificitemsthatstoodouttoyou. Follow-UpYoushouldbethinkingofthenextemployeeperformancemeetingbeforethecurrentone.Planning ahead will help improve performance meetings in the future. Schedule follow-ups regularly for more opportunities to discuss concerns and questions with their work duties.

Makesuretoimplementregular1:1s,butcoachingisnotaone-and-doneprocessthatislimitedto1:1sandperformanceconversations.Youwanttokeepemployeecoachinggoingcontinually between these scheduled meetings.


@cloverleafme


Leaders need to understand how to motivate people and build strong teams. Great leaders build strong employees and teams through coaching. Coaching is a great way to work one-on-one with your people, help them become strong problem solvers, and bridge communication and performance gaps. But, leaders are often trained as project, not people, managers, using tools to help with the process and procedures of tasks. So why aren’t there tools to bridge the gap to manage people?

We saw those gaps and felt passionately enough about the missing piece to successful management that we created our own tool, Cloverleaf.

Cloverleaf is a people tool that provides coaching for everyone. It helps leaders to understand the strengths and motivations of each person on their team.Cloverleaf helps your team to work more productively and cohesively.

And,ifyourorganizationwouldliketoworkwithaCloverleafcertifiedcoachformorein-depthcoaching, we’ll connect you with a great coach to work one-on-one with your team.

Ready to get started? Visit Cloverleaf to set up your team account.

Cloverleaf.me

CLOSING REMARKSChapter 5

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http://cloverleaf.me/teams

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