Many leaders are brilliant at getting results through their teams. With a clear strategy, operational excellence and a shared will to deliver, you should be set up for success.

But sometimes, this isn’t enough. Something else is needed, that is out of the skill set of most leaders.

This is the first of a series of posts exploring how Executive Facilitation can help you take your team to the next level of performance.

We want to talk to you about a distinctive and powerful kind of facilitation. A style that builds the individual and the team in parallel.

‘Development Facilitation’ keeps your eye on the ‘tasks’ of the team while simultaneously focusing on the personalities and relationships in the team – the foundation of sustainable team performance.

Some leaders shy away from getting support in these areas. It can feel like awkward territory or they feel they should be able to handle it on their own.  It can get to crisis point before they ask for help.

What are the early signs that Executive Facilitation could help your team?

• Difficult, disruptive dynamics or personalities
• Excessive challenge that hinders progress or decision making
• An inability to resolve or move beyond differences of opinion
• Functions or divisions failing to work together, missing interdependencies and opportunities

Ultimately, whatever the symptom, the outcome is limited performance and a team not reaching its collective potential.

So how can Executive Facilitation help?

As one of our clients said “A high-performance company starts with a high-performance team.”

How?

A great facilitator creates an environment in which the team can have conversations that are difficult or impossible alone. They invite increased clarity, cohesion, understanding  and more participative decision making.

This is possible because they care about the team and each member of it. They come to know the personalities and, more importantly, the context and history of the group. This quickly builds the trust that is necessary for the team to address the difficult issues they need to discuss.

So, the facilitator is an ally, not only to the team leader but to every team member and the team as a whole.  Crucially, they are not the CEO’s puppet, but an independent, objective voice who supports and challenges each individual and the group.

To do this well requires a specific blend of skill, knowledge and experience, business-mindedness, psychology, group dynamics, systems-thinking and performance coaching.

As one of our clients commented, “It’s part art, part science. You excel at both...”

This is NOT an approach for the faint hearted. But if you’re ready to take a bold step towards a new level of performance, perhaps it’s time to find out more.

To explore how ndc could help you, contact us here.

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