Team workshop – with or without a coach?

Last week, we swapped our office for fresh mountain air, good conversations and a bit of brainstorming – in short: it was team workshop time!

At this point, many teams ask themselves whether the workshop should be facilitated by a coach – to prevent the workshop from ending up as an unstructured discussion dominated by the loudest voices, where old patterns remain and the really important issues are elegantly sidestepped.

When planning our team workshop in Garmisch, we didn’t ask ourselves whether we needed a coach. Not because we weren’t aware of the added value a coach could bring, but because we felt that our team was so harmonious and appreciative of each other that external coaching wasn’t a top priority. Our assessment was confirmed – we are in agreement when it comes to our understanding of values, cooperation and corporate philosophy. We also worked openly and constructively on the topic of ‘processes’.

For our next workshop in the spring, however, we could well imagine bringing in a coach to take a deeper look at our organisation, structures, processes and roles. Because we know how valuable an external perspective can be – with a particular focus on:

🔹Clarity of goals
🔹Structure in the process
🔹A neutral perspective
🔹The courage to address uncomfortable topics
🔹Sustainable impact
 
Our takeaway from the recent team workshop: those who know and live their values not only have a strong corporate culture, but also a team that really hits the ground running together – whether in a conference, at dinner or in the casino!