Coaching Team Leaders
Coaching the Team Leader
As a Coach, your primary “client” is the Team Leader. Your role is to help them navigate the dual responsibility of managing the 100-Day Plan (the actions) and the Team Agreement (the people). By coaching the leader effectively, you ensure the Team stays motivated, the data stays fresh, and the goal remains in sight.
The Team Leader’s Dual Role – The Team Leader isn’t just a project manager; they are the “Heart and Hub” of the 100-Day Team. They must balance two critical aspects:
- Managing the Plan: Ensuring every team member completes the actions they committed to in the “Swim Lanes.”
- Managing the Agreement: Keeping the team engaged, handling tensions, and ensuring everyone “plays well” according to the ground rules.
Deep Dive Video
The Mindset: The Curious Coach
Coaching comes in different forms. We will focus on a type of coaching best characterised by curiosity and humility.
The most effective coaching isn’t about having all the answers; it’s about curiosity and humility. Based on the framework by Michael Bungay Stanier, this approach aims to unlock a leader’s potential by helping them think for themselves.
The Coach’s Rule: Your job is not to fix the problem. Your job is to help the Team Leader fix the problem.
The Essential Tool: Asking, Not Telling
A “Curious Coach” leads with questions that inspire clear, creative thinking. Here is the sequence of questions to use in your one-on-one sessions:
A. The "Issues" Questions (Opening the Space)
These questions help the leader identify what is truly standing in the way of the 100-Day Goal.
“What’s on your mind?” (The Open-Ended Start)
“And what else?” (The “AWE” Question – Digging Deeper)
“What’s the real challenge here for you?” (The Personal Pivot)
Here is an example of a conversation
Coach: What’s on your mind?
Client (100-Day Team Leader): I am worried we are not making enough progress towards the 100-Day Goal. We seem to be trying hard, but the numbers are not moving.
Coach: And what else?
Client: I am not sure the team is coming up with really new ideas. It feels like we are simply doing the same things, just a little more efficiently.
Coach: What’s the real challenge for you here?
Client: I am not sure. I think I need to push the team a little more. To challenge them. But I do not want to come across like a dictator or someone who knows or cares about ending GBVF more than they do. So I feel a little stuck.
Note how, with each question, we are getting deeper and closer to an actionable solution.
B. The "Ideas" Questions (Moving to Action)
Questions that elicit ideas for action: Once the challenge is identified, shift to empowering the leader to find a solution.
“What can you do about this?”
“What do you want?”
“How can I help?”
The conversation continues…
Coach: What can you do about this?
Client (100-Day Team Leader): I can try to be more forceful. I can throw some new ideas in the mix and see how they react. I can talk with some of them one on one about this.
Coach: What do you want?
Client: I’d like to see the team come up with their own new ideas and try them out. And I’d like to do this in a way that does not come across as condescending or dictatorial. After all, we are all peers, and they elected me as a Team Leader.
Coach: How can I help?
Client: It’ll be really helpful if I practice with you first. Do a role play. As long as you give me honest feedback on how I come across.
Building Trust Through Dialogue
To make the leader feel safe enough to be honest, use these trust-building modes of conversation:
Reflecting Back: “So you’re worried that if you push the team on the dashboard data, they’ll think you’re being a dictator?”
Imagining the Future: “If the team became an engine of innovation by Day 50, what would that look like to you?”
Holding the Space: Use Silence. Give the leader 5–10 seconds to think. It shows respect and invites them to go deeper.
Exercise
Practise these conversational modes with some of your peer learning group members. Debrief about the feeling it inspires between the two of you.
Beware the Advice Monster!
Giving Advice – if you have no choice….
The biggest trap for a coach is the “Advice Monster”—the urge to jump in and solve the problem for the leader. Resist this! Giving unsolicited advice can create a power imbalance and make the Team Leader dependent on you.
If you must give advice, do it carefully:
Ask Permission: “I have some thoughts on how you handled the conflict in Pillar 4. Would you like to hear them now, or should we talk about it later?”
Share an Experience: Instead of prescribing what to do, share a story. “That reminds me of a time I tried to force a goal on a team, and they completely checked out. I learned that…”
Here’s an insightful LinkedIn article on the downside of giving advice: The Best Advice is Not to Give Advice
Exercises to practice your Curious Coach skills
Exercise 1: The “AWE” Practice With a peer or partner, practice asking “What’s on your mind?” followed by “And what else?” at least three times before offering any response. Notice how the “real” issue usually emerges on the third try.
Exercise 2: The 24-Hour Advice Fast Try to go an entire work day without giving a single piece of advice. If someone asks for your opinion, respond with a question: “What do you think is the best way forward?”
