Working with teams, leading teams and being a member of a team is part of everyday working life for most of us. Through the lens of a team coaching case study, this book considers the development journey of a team and system influences over a three-year period.
Readers are invited to walk in the shoes of the team, the team leader, the organisation, the team coach and the coach's supervision and support networks, providing a unique insight into team coaching and development that goes beyond the traditional focus on the coach's perspective. Helen Zink uses her considerable experience as a leadership and team growth coach, and leader to illustrate how team coaching interventions can be combined with other disciplines such as positive psychology, change management and strategic implementation in effective ways. The book takes a pracademic approach, showing how theories, models and best practice are applied to a real case and highlighting both the successes and challenges experienced to offer an example for all those involved in team, leadership and organisational development.
With it widely recognised that collective leadership and teamwork is needed to deal with the rapidly changing environment organisations find themselves in, this is a timely and important resource for coaches, team coaches, coach supervisors, team leaders, team members, organisational development specialists, change managers, academics and consultants.
Readers are invited to walk in the shoes of the team, the team leader, the organisation, the team coach and the coach's supervision and support networks, providing a unique insight into team coaching and development that goes beyond the traditional focus on the coach's perspective. Helen Zink uses her considerable experience as a leadership and team growth coach, and leader to illustrate how team coaching interventions can be combined with other disciplines such as positive psychology, change management and strategic implementation in effective ways. The book takes a pracademic approach, showing how theories, models and best practice are applied to a real case and highlighting both the successes and challenges experienced to offer an example for all those involved in team, leadership and organisational development.
With it widely recognised that collective leadership and teamwork is needed to deal with the rapidly changing environment organisations find themselves in, this is a timely and important resource for coaches, team coaches, coach supervisors, team leaders, team members, organisational development specialists, change managers, academics and consultants.
'Helen Zink provides a fascinating story that shows how team coaching not only transforms the teams relationship to itself but impacts the wider organization and their stakeholders. She helps the reader look at the work through many different perspectives. A great addition to the team coaching literature.'
Professor Peter Hawkins, Ph.D., Chairman of Renewal Associates International, Emeritus Professor of Leadership and Global thought leader and author in Systemic Team Coaching
'Helen Zink offers a unique insight into team coaching in this single case study. By diving deep into a single case, the book is able to offer insights as the team develops over time and also offers multiple perspectives, giving voice to different characters. This is team coaching under the microscope, which gives the reader a richer, deeper and fuller experience of the complexities and intricacies of coaching a team.'
Professor Jonathan Passmore, Ph.D., Director of Coaching and Behavioural Change, Henley Business School, UK, and Senior Vice President CoachHub
'This book is courageous, unique, insightful and a must read for anyone interested in teams. It is fascinating to read five different and illuminating viewpoints, told in their own words and to pick up on some of the, at times, unspoken tensions. This "warts and all" story shows honesty, integrity and vulnerability of the author and other contributors, and I applaud, admire and respect the unique scope this affords us as readers.'
Eve Turner, Master Executive Coach, coach supervisor, researcher and author, past chair APECS (Association for Professional Executive Coaching and Supervision), founder of the Global Supervisors' Network and co-founder Climate Coaching Alliance
'The concept of this book is an interesting one. It offers a multi-dimensional perspective on team coaching over three years using perspectives from different participants...The book offers a comprehensive and unique insight into coaching a team for performance. It applies team coaching theories, models and best practice along with successes, failures and insights gained...This book offers valuable insights, based on a longitudinal case study, of the challenges and rewards of coaching and how HR can have an influence over strategy and make a significant contribution to organisational performance.'
This review is by Lynne Allison, an industrial and organisational psychologist, and was written as part of hrnz.magazine's - Summer 2023 issue (Volume 28 No 4). Read the full review here: https://issuu.com/hrnz.magazine/docs/hrm-0004_hrnz_magazine_summer_2023_issuu
'I've increasingly been working with senior leadership teams and this book is a gem for any coaching professional or team leader. The book details a three-year team development journey and provides multiple perspectives on that journey by Helen, the Team Leader, and other stakeholders. On Helen's part I think it was incredibly brave to put herself on the line and share her wins and learnings - which can only help all of us reading the text become better practitioners. Some of the key takeaways for me were:
1) Need and benefit of having regular scheduled team coaching sessions balancing structure and flexibility - and content (education) and coaching.
2) Benefit of coaches having regular supervision - possibly multiple supervisors.
3) Recognition that the team might not be 100% ready for the journey and that some team members won't come to see the value until years 2 or 3 - but it's important to start anyway!
4) Benefit in shifting the narrative/language from a "high performing team" to a "high value creation team" highlighting the benefits beyond the team to the system - and involving stakeholders in the journey.
5) One-to-one coaching of team members embeds the changes desired.
Of course there were plenty more learnings for me in this book evidenced by the stack of underlining, highlighting and dog earing!'
Dr Suzy Green, Founder & CEO at The Positivity Institute.
'Teams are such an important part of almost everyone's work life and so this book is essential reading for all executives and coaches especially those with an interest in organisational development and team coaching. What makes this book so fascinating is that it is written from the five different perspectives of the coach, the team leader, the team and the coach's supervisor and support networks. These multiple perspectives are outlined over three years of work. So as a reader we gain many insights as we view the world through these different lenses. The single case study approach is unique and provides rare perspectives into this important area. The longitudinal method used by Helen Zink produces a fascinating very readable story and guide into team coaching. Zink uses her in depth experience of team coaching and organisation development to show how coaching initiatives can be effectively integrated with change management, positive psychology and the discipline of execution. The books shows us how team coaching can not only transform the team's relationships but also how this impacts the wider organisation and their stakeholders. This is a must read for team coaches, supervisors, those who train coaches and for academics teaching coaching. I highly recommend this book.'
Dr Iain McCormick, Partner at the Executive Coaching Centre.
Professor Peter Hawkins, Ph.D., Chairman of Renewal Associates International, Emeritus Professor of Leadership and Global thought leader and author in Systemic Team Coaching
'Helen Zink offers a unique insight into team coaching in this single case study. By diving deep into a single case, the book is able to offer insights as the team develops over time and also offers multiple perspectives, giving voice to different characters. This is team coaching under the microscope, which gives the reader a richer, deeper and fuller experience of the complexities and intricacies of coaching a team.'
Professor Jonathan Passmore, Ph.D., Director of Coaching and Behavioural Change, Henley Business School, UK, and Senior Vice President CoachHub
'This book is courageous, unique, insightful and a must read for anyone interested in teams. It is fascinating to read five different and illuminating viewpoints, told in their own words and to pick up on some of the, at times, unspoken tensions. This "warts and all" story shows honesty, integrity and vulnerability of the author and other contributors, and I applaud, admire and respect the unique scope this affords us as readers.'
Eve Turner, Master Executive Coach, coach supervisor, researcher and author, past chair APECS (Association for Professional Executive Coaching and Supervision), founder of the Global Supervisors' Network and co-founder Climate Coaching Alliance
'The concept of this book is an interesting one. It offers a multi-dimensional perspective on team coaching over three years using perspectives from different participants...The book offers a comprehensive and unique insight into coaching a team for performance. It applies team coaching theories, models and best practice along with successes, failures and insights gained...This book offers valuable insights, based on a longitudinal case study, of the challenges and rewards of coaching and how HR can have an influence over strategy and make a significant contribution to organisational performance.'
This review is by Lynne Allison, an industrial and organisational psychologist, and was written as part of hrnz.magazine's - Summer 2023 issue (Volume 28 No 4). Read the full review here: https://issuu.com/hrnz.magazine/docs/hrm-0004_hrnz_magazine_summer_2023_issuu
'I've increasingly been working with senior leadership teams and this book is a gem for any coaching professional or team leader. The book details a three-year team development journey and provides multiple perspectives on that journey by Helen, the Team Leader, and other stakeholders. On Helen's part I think it was incredibly brave to put herself on the line and share her wins and learnings - which can only help all of us reading the text become better practitioners. Some of the key takeaways for me were:
1) Need and benefit of having regular scheduled team coaching sessions balancing structure and flexibility - and content (education) and coaching.
2) Benefit of coaches having regular supervision - possibly multiple supervisors.
3) Recognition that the team might not be 100% ready for the journey and that some team members won't come to see the value until years 2 or 3 - but it's important to start anyway!
4) Benefit in shifting the narrative/language from a "high performing team" to a "high value creation team" highlighting the benefits beyond the team to the system - and involving stakeholders in the journey.
5) One-to-one coaching of team members embeds the changes desired.
Of course there were plenty more learnings for me in this book evidenced by the stack of underlining, highlighting and dog earing!'
Dr Suzy Green, Founder & CEO at The Positivity Institute.
'Teams are such an important part of almost everyone's work life and so this book is essential reading for all executives and coaches especially those with an interest in organisational development and team coaching. What makes this book so fascinating is that it is written from the five different perspectives of the coach, the team leader, the team and the coach's supervisor and support networks. These multiple perspectives are outlined over three years of work. So as a reader we gain many insights as we view the world through these different lenses. The single case study approach is unique and provides rare perspectives into this important area. The longitudinal method used by Helen Zink produces a fascinating very readable story and guide into team coaching. Zink uses her in depth experience of team coaching and organisation development to show how coaching initiatives can be effectively integrated with change management, positive psychology and the discipline of execution. The books shows us how team coaching can not only transform the team's relationships but also how this impacts the wider organisation and their stakeholders. This is a must read for team coaches, supervisors, those who train coaches and for academics teaching coaching. I highly recommend this book.'
Dr Iain McCormick, Partner at the Executive Coaching Centre.