Description
Book SynopsisThe missing how-to manual for being an effective team leader The Art of Coaching Teams is the manual you never received when you signed on to lead a team. Being a great teacher is one thing, but leading a team, or team development, is an entirely different dynamic.
Table of ContentsIntroduction xv
A Tale of Two Teams • What’s in This Book? • Who Is This Book For? • Toward a Beloved Community
Chapter 1: Refining a Vision 1
A Note on Terms • What Is a Great Team? • What Makes an Effective Team? • Why Do We Need Teams? • When Do We Really Need a Team? • How Do We Build Teams?
Chapter 2: Knowing Ourselves as Leaders 13
The Amygdala in a Strange Land • Exploring the Terrain of Leadership • The Potential of Transformational Leadership • Spotting the Tentacles of Power • Emotions Are Contagious
Chapter 3: Creating a Culture of Trust 39
Why Human Bingo Doesn’t Build Trust • Trust Isn’t Built in a Day, But We Can Lay Bricks Every Hour • Use Hindsight to Strengthen Foresight
Chapter 4: Defining Purpose, Process, and Product 63
The Necessity of a Reason for Being • It’s All about How We Work Together • What Are We Going to Do Together? • Mapping Out the Journey
Chapter 5: Laying a Foundation for Trust 95
Community Agreements Build Culture • A Good Norm Is Not Hard to Find • Getting from Here to Norms • Make Your Norms Serve You • Setting Intentions: A Counterpart to Norms • A Beloved Community
Chapter 6: Developing the Emotional Intelligence of a Team 121
What Is the Emotional Intelligence of a Team? • How Do I Create an Emotionally Intelligent Team? • Managing Unexpected Change • Taming the Stress Demons
Chapter 7: Cultivating Healthy Communication 137
A Blueprint for Transformational Conversations • Constructing Good Conversations • Twenty Ways to Improve Your Team’s Communication • Giving Feedback • Equity of Participation
Chapter 8: Making Good Decisions 159
Indicators of Effective Decision Making • Identifying Decision-Making Moments • Who Is Involved and How Much Say Do They Get • Decision-Making Processes • Facilitating Discussions • When Conversations Get Stuck • Reflection and Feedback
Chapter 9: Supporting Adult Learners 183
The Big Picture: The Learning Organization • From Theory to Practice • Common Challenges • Dealing with Resistance
Chapter 10: Orchestrating Meaningful Meetings 205
To Meet or Not to Meet? • Why Meet? • Which Activities Should We Do? • How Do I Choose What to Do?
Chapter 11: Setting the Stage for Artful Meetings 231
Start with Feedback • Don’t Forget the Facilitator’s Agenda • Prepare Your Internal Self • Put on the Finishing Touches • Find the Joy in Planning
Chapter 12: Navigating Conflict 245
What Is Conflict and Why Is It So Scary? • What Is Healthy Conflict in a Team? • How Can I Facilitate Healthy Conflict? • A Note on Talking about Race and Other Really Hard Things • How Can I Respond to Unhealthy Conflict? • What If None of These Suggestions Work?
Chapter 13: Assessing Organizational Conditions 269
The Primacy of Purpose • Focus, Focus, Focus • Alignment Up and Out • Stability • Leadership • Membership • A Culture of Learning • Trust • Decision Making • Time
Conclusion: Coming to An End 291
Ten Truths about Building Teams • Amid the Redwoods
Appendices 297
Appendix A: Facilitator Core Competencies 299
Appendix B: Team Effectiveness Self-Assessment 305
Appendix C: Community-Building Activities and Random Grouping Strategies 307
Appendix D: Facilitation Planning Tool and Facilitation Observation Tool 313
Appendix E: Activities For Meetings 319
Appendix F: Recommended Resources 327
On Emotions and Self-Knowledge • On Leadership • On Brain Science • On Managing Change • On Systems Thinking • On Community Building • On Meetings and Facilitation • On Communication • Race, Racism, and Systemic Oppression • For Inspiration
Appendix G: Plan For Team Building 331
For Leading a New Team • When Continuing to Lead a Team and Identifying Next Steps
Acknowledgments 335
About the Author 339
References 341
Index 345
