Once upon a time there was a manager who was trying her hardest. Let’s call her Michelle. Overall, Michelle was a good manager because she really cared about her team, doing everything she could to support them and to give them a good working environment. But somehow it was never enough.
The Ask
The team was assigned a project that was critical to the business, and they all really wanted to do well! Yet somehow, it just wasn’t working. They were a great team, but they were stuck and making no progress. This led to everybody feeling frustrated. They had been trying to work through it, adjusting this and that as they went along, but pressure was mounting, and they needed to start delivering results. They were hopeful that some external support could help them get unstuck. It just so happens that figuring out team blockages is one of our specialties!
During our scoping call, the team leader presented the challenge as 'needing a little push' and felt that three half-day sessions would be more than enough! Halfway through the first session, the coach was scratching her head - it was going terribly! The conversations were going nowhere. Every time the coach would ask the team a difficult question, she noticed that Michelle would answer.
Was this typical of their team meetings?
The team was clearly experienced, bringing expertise and value to the team, so why did Michelle feel she needed to speak for them? What impact was this having on their performance?
The Answer
After that first session, we spoke with Michelle privately to discuss what we noticed, without judgment. During the call, Michelle reflected on her interactions with the team and realised that her style of leadership was unconsciously stifling progress.
When we coach the team, it's important to support the team leader through their development in a safe way. This often looks like a mini coaching session.
It emerged that whenever conversations veered into uncomfortable territory, such as colleagues expressing stress or frustrations, Michelle would shut it down or implement quick fixes without explaining things to the rest of the team. This approach left team members unclear about their roles, responsibilities and expectations, which diluted their sense of commitment and accountability.
Michelle's intention was positive - to protect the team from the pressure and stresses - but this was leaving problems to fester silently, as the core issues were not being addressed. It became 'normal' to miss deadlines and people had stopped trying to offer solutions.
The impact of Michelle's well-meaning attempts to support and protect her team was blocking team progress. More worrying was that trust had eroded and psychological safety had tanked. Without transparency, misunderstandings and miscommunications ate away at peoples' confidence and a fractured and unproductive team dynamic. Michelle’s attempts to avoid conflict merely hid it.
When we come across teams where psychological safety is low, especially when it comes as a surprise as it did in this case, we find that one of the most beneficial things a coach can do is to hold the space so that people feel ok expressing their pent-up feelings and concerns. As we listen, we are looking for patterns in thinking and behaviour that create blockages. This helps us ask the right questions.
The Shift
It was difficult for Michelle to realise that she, as team leader, was the blocker. However, this also came with the realisation that it was within her power to help the team. She recognised the need to change and was committed to breaking the cycle. At the next session, we tabled the challenge, and the team agreed that more honesty was essential to their progress.
The remaining sessions focused on rebuilding trust and defining team behaviours to reflect a culture of greater transparency and open communication. They also decided that each team member would have a one-on-one conversation with Michelle to talk about anything more personal that might be getting in the way of their development. Owning it, sharing it, and working together to resolve it.
The shift was transformative! As the leader and team members began to have more open and honest exchanges, a sense of trust began to rebuild. Team members were finally able to voice their frustrations, clarify their confusion, and genuinely contribute to the project. By identifying and naming the issues that were causing friction, the team started the process of healing and building a more resilient, effective team culture. They moved from stagnation to progress, becoming more aligned, committed, and effective in achieving their goals.
Michelle still struggles with conflict-avoidance, but she is getting better at not letting it hold her and her team back the way it used to. Further development support for her as a leader was offered to help her address her impulse to shield the team from uncomfortable realities and to actively foster a culture of psychological safety and transparency.
So What?
If you’ve read this far you might have noticed that none of what we did was about the critical project. The team already had the solution to that within their power, they just needed help to address the underlying dynamics and team culture that were unintentionally blocking their ability to deliver results.
In this case, it was the team leader’s behaviour but there are a range of reasons why a team might be blocked from delivering results for the business. So, if your team feels stuck or your project is losing momentum, remember:
Lean into the difficult conversations. Transparency is your friend. The breakthrough you're looking for might just be on the other side of an honest dialogue.
We’re here to help.