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While a plan can galvanize people around a single set of goals and outcomes, the reality is there will always be resistance, which can derail even the best efforts. The key lies in gaining traction toward the new desired future state by engaging planners and implementers from the start.

Every client appreciates the value of investing time to learn what people can get excited about and where the resistance is likely to come – and why. Most people do not intentionally resist change, but when there is uncertainty, ambiguity, lack of confidence and/or inadequate resourcing (including ineffective communications), there will likely be trouble! It’s human nature to resist unless the case for change is sufficiently compelling, motivating and seen as attainable.

Like much of my work, strategic planning starts with building relationships and having honest conversations about what matters to the client. Then:

• I learn what is perceived to work well (appreciative)
• I learn what is lacking (gripes, frustrations, harbored resentments)
• I collect ideas from everyone, not just the top team
• Together, we identify the barriers and facilitators to achieving change
• Together, we identify clarity and metrics on how you will know your goals are achieved

Creating a feedback system with good communications channels helps to ensure early signs of resistance can be addressed candidly and directly without blame.

The results of this approach is not a pretty document but a work in progress that genuinely embraces the hopes, obstacles, talent and shared awareness for who will assume responsibility for achieving the work without the sabotage of resistance.

As an experienced, trained facilitator, I maximize engagement with clear purpose and attention to desired outcomes. Sometimes the meetings are focused on gaining buy in on a strategy, planning implementation, or improving communication and trust levels.  Sometimes I help groups to be more candid about what is going well and what is jeopardizing performance and morale.

At other times, I provide help designing large meetings with global stakeholders trying to resolve complex challenges impacting thousands of lives.

With each meeting I facilitate, the principles are similar:

• attention to detail
• clear focus
• balance between task (the work) and process (how the work is accomplished)

My role includes:

• discovery leading up to the meeting
• meeting design with regards to flow, pace, and content
• keeping momentum and engagement high
• ensuring tangible outcomes to everyone involved

It might look simple, but facilitation is an art that calls for strong listening and observation skills, presence, and leadership that maintains control in service to the group as a whole and to the meeting goals.

Teams may:

• have a clear mission and ample resources, yet underperform
• be performing extraordinarily well but have an environment which is toxic with unresolved conflict resulting in stress, burn out and distrust

Team coaching is a relatively new phenomenon in organizations: with the coach using team diagnostics, interviews or surveys, teams receive actionable feedback and tangible tools to address productivity and morale issues effectively and rapidly.

The results can be phenomenal:

• A sales team operating in a publicly traded company, suffering from high sickness rates and morale problems, transitioned from being rated 137^th  (out of 180 teams across the US) to 42^nd after 10 months of my coaching. Team members reported that ‘turf’ wars ceased and collaboration helped to accelerate the achievement of audacious revenue goals.
• A Development Team with a multi million dollar goal in a nonprofit organization suffered from high staff turnover and conflicts about its priorities. Team coaching helped to surface communication and leadership issues which were quickly addressed by engaging the entire Team in a series of candid conversations. Team members learned how to give and receive effective feedback to each other, maintain a formal system of accountability while challenging traditional assumptions about roles and responsibilities, and the importance of constant reviews to learn what was effective vs. ineffective.

Coaching provides a safe container for

• honest self-assessment
• deep exploration of goals
• a framework for self-development
• learning critical skills for the development of the business and others

The power of coaching lies in the confidential relationship between the leader and coach. Coaching offers the leader candid feedback on competencies and shortcomings, provides support and acts as a provocateur, and is always oriented to building a leader’s confidence and courage.

Coaching leads to insights and informed action based on a different knowledge and awareness.