Business is good, you’re growing, it’s time to push on to the next level – so how do you make sure you have the leadership skills within the business and the team you need to help you achieve your goals?
Mhairi Richardson of Tomrom Team Coaching specialises in developing the people structure to take a company forward allowing you to lead from the front. Creating a team who are ready and able to support you in taking your business to the next level.
Mhairi said:
“One of my previous roles was as an operations director of an SME that grew from three to 60-plus people generating a turnover of more than £19m. Within that role I developed many individuals and a leadership team and saw first-hand the value that brings. We made many mistakes and stumbled but ultimately I gained the understanding that while it is essential to have a focus on sales and marketing if the infrastructure is not in place to manage growth, the business will eventually stall.”
“We deliver a range of team coaching solutions, including the UpAGear programme which has been running for many years and highly effective and used by the likes of Zurich Insurance and Barclays. In addition, we have bespoke solutions, tailored to growing businesses to help them build the team needed for the future and understand the benefits of teamwork.”
There are key points where a team coach can have the most impact; scale-up, large scale change or when the team is failing but often consulting with a team coach earlier will mean a smoother transition.
“As a business grows, the owner, CEO or managing director, will reach a point where they simply can’t do everything, and shouldn’t. They have to let go and as they do so, they need to develop their team and trust them to lead, while making sure they are buying into the goals, aspirations and ethos of the business. That’s where we can help, either by working with the person at the top to support the development of leadership, or to work with the team to ensure they have the skills they need.
“For a start-up or a small business with a handful of employees, management and development are more straightforward. But as they grow, the need changes and many organisations find themselves with a disparate team that, as individuals, are of equal value to the business – the warehouse manager who has been there from the start, for instance, and a new sales manager who’s recently been taken on to help grow the business – but although their contribution to the smooth running of the firm is vital, how well do they work together? Are they pulling in the same direction and understanding each other’s challenges?
“A mix of new hires and long-standing employees is often beneficial, someone coming in with new ideas and experience elsewhere, working with long-term employees that have the loyalty and have grown with the company and are keen to see it succeed. Leadership coaching ensures that all those different experiences and values learn to work together into a strong team where everyone has the confidence to be heard, make decisions and speak up when they feel they need help and guidance.”
Working with a team coach is a commitment from both the team and the team leader and it follows a process to bring about an aligned team that achieves at a high level. Analysing successes, weaknesses, points of friction and what is blocking progress in order to come up with a focus on the ultimate goal. Ideally, Mhairi suggests this process should take at least a year to embed positive changes in behaviours, then follow up will be as required by the team to review and revise.
Mhairi added:
“If you are leading a team and you are engaged with them and the coaching process that will improve your relationship with the team and ultimately improve the outcomes and achievements.
In the words of Steve Jobs ‘Great things in business are not done by one person. They’re done by a team of people’ so why not see if Tomrom Team Coaching can help you get more from your teams?
Find out more at Tom Rom or call 07970 002129.
