Imagine a workplace where every team member feels understood & connected with one’s colleagues, such a joyful work environment intrinsically drives high performance & success. This is the kind of culture I aim to foster as a team coach.
By using my current & ongoing experience of serving as both an engineer & a coach, I get to
- walk the talk
- be in the frontlines(by which a situation can be better understood) with other engineers
The above combination brings a deeper understanding of what it’s like to be in the shoes of a fellow engineer. This increased empathy allows me to better serve towards a goal where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
I believe this true story of a recent attempt to genuinely connect people who are originally from Asia, Europe & Africa(and that are now based in Europe & Australia) through playing a connection based game could serve as a good example of how I intend to be of service.
More specifically, I intend to serve with regard to the below:
- Building Resilient and Self-Organizing Teams – Equip teams to navigate pressure, challenges, and maintain long-term productivity by working with team members to harness their unique strengths and by encouraging autonomy and adaptability through different means.
- Cultivating a Feeling of Genuine Connection Among Team Members – Foster strong interpersonal relationships, enhancing collaboration and trust through meaningful conversations and periodical activities that genuinely increase bonding, leading to higher team performance and morale.
- Conflict Mediation – Guide teams through conflicts through customized ways that better work for the individuals involved, helping them resolve differences while maintaining harmony and boosting collaboration.
- Focusing on Shared (Human, Engineering) Values to Drive Behavior – Align team actions by working with its members to define their team specific values that eventually result increased engagement and a better sense of accountability towards a common goal/objective.
- Building a Culture of Belonging, Inclusion & Equity – Asking people what they value leads to increased awareness of what is important to them. Factoring those inputs into a work environment make every team member feel seen and valued, that way people feel more intrinsically motivated to do their best work each day
- Building Psychological Safety – Being vulnerable and asking right questions creates a safe space for other people to be vulnerable and more openly speak about their strengths & areas of improvement. As a result, build on each others strengths and looking out for one another in their areas of improvements, leads to a better sense of working as a team and it leads to increased performance both as a team and a company.
- Establishing Purpose & Mission (for Projects, Teams) – Clarity drives focus and involvement leads to committment. Provide clear direction and having people define and agree on a project mission drives focus and alignment which in turn leads to achieving more impactful results.
- Improving Feedback Culture (Giving & Receiving Feedback) Within Teams – We all have blindspots and that’s more of a reason why feedback is a gift. By surfacing this for their consideration, I intend to encourage them to be more receptive to building their feedback giving & sharing skills such that i leads to a culture of continuous improvement and also results in increased team & individual performance.
- Building Emotional Intelligence – Encourage team members to consider varying perspecives before they respond to a situation so that with a broader view of things and increased empathy they are able to make better decisions and more effectively navigate interpersonal dynamics
Why Team Coaching Matters to Me
In my 12+ years as a software developer, I initially thought success in Software development was about technology and communication. However, I’ve come to realize that building great software is really about people and about fostering empathy, relationships, and genuine connection with team members, towards a company mission/product and for one’s end customers.
Without these core human elements, neither technology nor communication can thrive. Working with diverse teams across the globe has taught me that shared human and engineering values are the glue that unites us, guides our behavior, and also shapes how we eventually feel about one another
These lessons became more dearer to me when I learnt some of them the hard way and after seeing the impact it had on me professionally and on my family personally. I want others to have more fulfilling work relationships, which lead to happier, more joyful lives for every individual & for each of their families.
Let’s Build Strong Teams Together
If you’re looking for someone to help elevate your team by aligning your team members towards a shared purpose and mission, fostering connection, building resilience, and cultivating a values-driven culture, I’d love to connect and see how I can be of service.