Elisabeth Goodman writes:
2021 has been, in the words of Mike Robbins, author of We're all in this together, in his November interview with author, artist and coach Andrea Scher, a "challenging, intensive, growth inducing year".
It's been an opportunity for me to really develop my "muchness": my sense of purpose, my emotional capability, my creativity, my neurodiversity. I've relished being able to work with my Trusted Partners and with my clients in teams, in management and other group coaching, and in one-to-one coaching to help you grow your "muchness" in 2021 too.
This newsletter is a celebration of all that contributes towards growing that "muchness" that I hope will give readers something to reflect upon as we go into the year end holidays and prepare for 2022.
Sending you and yours very best wishes for your health and wellbeing.
And of course do get in touch if you would like to arrange one-to-one coaching, team coaching or one of our group coaching-style courses.
ACC - International Coaching Federation
(P.S. If you, members of your family or friends, would like an opportunity to explore your artistic creativity in a supportive environment, you might like to sign up for one of our new Art for Wellbeing workshops to be held in South Cambs. as soon as conditions allow.)
Creating high performance teams
According to Patrick Lencioni, and his Five Behaviours partnership with Wiley Workplace Learning Solutions, a high performance team rests on its ability to:
Build trust (through psychological safety that enables authenticity and vulnerability)
Embrace positive conflict
Commit to agreed goals, ways of working, decisions and actions
Hold each other accountable
Deliver results
[[{"fid":"296753","view_mode":"default","fields":{"format":"default","alignment":"","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"riverrhee team","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":"riverrhee team"},"link_text":false,"type":"media","field_deltas":{"1":{"format":"default","alignment":"","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"riverrhee team","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":"riverrhee team"}},"attributes":{"alt":"riverrhee team","title":"riverrhee team","style":"float: right;","class":"media-element file-default","data-delta":"1"}}]]We've had the pleasure of working with three teams this year and have explored aspects of these behaviours:
A UK-based technology SME , where we delivered a Belbin Team role workshop with follow-up discussions, over MicroSoft Teams, first with the leadership team then the whole organisation of about 30 people.
They valued:
"The opportunity to take time out to think about how we work together."The four Directors of a family based business, in two 2-hour face-to-face sessions, focusing on how they work together as a team, and how they lead their organisation. This is how they viewed the experience:
"Better realisation of one's own strengths, and the capacity to appreciate the [Belbin Team] roles of others."
"Challenging ones own preconceptions about self, and willingness to consider different ways of working."
"[The coaching] helped us to really dig deep into the core issues and opened all of our eyes. We are now more open to each others’ thoughts and opinions and generally have better communication. We are doing less fire fighting, allowing us to have a better overview of the business and be more pro-active and productive. We all feel more knowledgeable, confident and committed in our roles as Directors as a result.”
A 2 1/2 hour team building event for a functional team within a Life Science company, using MBTI and exploring their approach to personal growth and wellbeing. Their feedback included:
“We need to understand that we all like to work in different ways and ensure we respect / accommodate each others’ preferences. We should also ensure that we foster a culture of openness and support for all aspects of our working life not just the science. We’ve agreed to discuss how we function as a team / how we’re feeling at team meetings.”
How good is the openness, trust and inclusivity within your team? How well do you embrace conflict? Do you commit and hold yourselves accountable?
Are you achieving the results you want? You can read more about our work with teams here.
The power of group coaching - going beyond learning to connection, affirmation and wellbeing
"It was very useful to hear others experiences of line management and to connect with other "new" line managers to shape our teams. It made me more aware about how to approach problems and have a tool box at hand to improve my management skills."
[[{"fid":"296754","view_mode":"default","fields":{"format":"default","alignment":"","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"two people looking at a whiteboard","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":"two people looking at a whiteboard"},"link_text":false,"type":"media","field_deltas":{"2":{"format":"default","alignment":"","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"two people looking at a whiteboard","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":"two people looking at a whiteboard"}},"attributes":{"alt":"two people looking at a whiteboard","title":"two people looking at a whiteboard","style":"float: right;","class":"media-element file-default","data-delta":"2"}}]]This was some of the feedback from a two-day version of our management courses that we delivered in four modules over Zoom recently.
Another comment that resonated with me from Mike Robbins' November 2021 podcast is that "people are hungry to feel connected", and that feels especially true during this time of uncertainty and varying requirements to work remotely.
Here is some of the feedback from a course we ran (also over Zoom) on tools for personal development:
"Having the breakout sessions was incredibly useful. I really appreciated having deeper discussions with my colleagues. We got to know each other on a different level and found out we had a lot of shared experiences. I think these connections will hopefully make the lessons in the course more lasting."
We have been using our group-coaching approach this year to deliver content on management, project management, presentation skills, influencing and communication and various other tools for personal development.
Tools for wellbeing and resilience have been an addition to many of these. My September 2020 blog gives an overview of the kinds of things we might cover. The impact of this kind of content can go beyond the world of work, as in this feedback:
"This course has really changed the way I think by focusing my attention towards being self aware rather than worrying about external problems so much. I'm surprised to the extent at which this has changed my outlook on work and in other areas of life!"
How connected are you feeling to others in your organisation? What affirmation are you receiving about the issues you are encountering and the solutions you are adopting? What steps could you take to enhance your wellbeing at work and outside work?
You can read more about our group coaching here.
One-to-one coaching to stimulate self-determination and inclusivity
[[{"fid":"296755","view_mode":"default","fields":{"format":"default","alignment":"","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"person with postcard","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":"person with postcard"},"link_text":false,"type":"media","field_deltas":{"3":{"format":"default","alignment":"","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"person with postcard","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":"person with postcard"}},"attributes":{"alt":"person with postcard","title":"person with postcard","style":"float: right;","class":"media-element file-default","data-delta":"3"}}]]A big development for me this year has been becoming an Associate Coach with Genius Within.
This means that I have regular access to clients looking for coaching to support their particular expression of neurodiversity. Whether they have ADHD, dyslexia, are autistic or some other neurodivergent 'condition', it enables us to explore and help them value their strengths, make positive choices and find strategies to influence their work environments to become more accessible and inclusive.
The International Coaching Federation (ICF) defines coaching as "partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential. The results can be life changing. Clients often say they’ve created a new outlook on life – finding inspiration, courage, confidence, and answers to long-burning questions within themselves."
My journey into "muchness" this year has helped me to truly become a channel for my own brand of creativity. I would end with a wish that we can all benefit from Mike Robbins' description of Andrea Scher's writing which "inspires all of us to live more vibrant lives full of presence, joy and connection." (I have placed an order for her book! Wonder Seeker: 52 Ways to Wake Up Your Creativity and Find Your Joy.) Very best wishes to you all,
Elisabeth Goodman We are keen to tailor RiverRhee’s coaching, workshops and courses in a way that will help you, your managers and your teams be at their best.
See the RiverRhee Consulting website or contact Elisabeth at [email protected] or on +44 (0)7876 130 817.