Team coaching goals come about from two routes: in the short-term from needs to tackle specific performance issues, and in the longer term from a team development plan. Together, these approaches tackle the three foci of team competence: task (performance) focus, behavioural focus and learning focus.

Short-term performance goals

To establish performance goals, you can consider the following questions:

• How clear are we about our mission?
• What are the five key things this team has to deliver? For whom?
• How do we know how well we are delivering these? (What feedback are we getting and from whom?)
• What performance gaps do we see?
• What systems do we need to improve?
• What additional resources do we need?
• What behaviours are hindering our performance?

The team development plan

The team development plan defines what the team and its individual members need and want to learn, how this will contribute to the business purpose and the responsibilities that each team member holds to the others in helping achieve the learning goals. It underpins task targets and goals with practical ways of developing capability and capacity. It also helps to align individual career aspirations with developmental opportunities within the team.

To create a team development plan you will need to:
• Ensure that everyone starts with a personal development plan
• Identify the key skills, knowledge and capabilities the team will need to have to meet the challenges of the next 3, 6, 12 and 24 months
• Identify any collective gaps (where the team as a whole lacks this competence or needs to improve it)
• Identify any further individual development needs
• Assign roles and responsibilities for:
o Acquiring new knowledge and bringing it into the team
o Coaching team colleagues
o Engaging with external resources to guarantee access to expertise that can’t easily be developed within the team in the time available
• Establish how to monitor and evaluate progress against the team development plan
• Ensure that progress is reviewed regularly

The team should review the plan quarterly to make changes in the light of new circumstances and needs.

Professor David Clutterbuck will facilitate a Master Class on How to Create a Coaching Culture 25th September 9:30 – 4:30 pm in Ballsbridge Hotel.

A must for HR Professionals and Coaches.