You probably don't think your venture team needs coaching — which is why I know you do

"Teamwork makes the dream work" isn't just a snappy saying. It's the bedrock truth.

But, getting to flawless teamwork and top-notch performance isn't always a walk in the park. Especially when you're attempting to create something new, unusual, disruptive — such as a corporate venture.

Think you don't need a team coach? Stephen Burke MSc, PCC, ACTC, ORSCC, SEP has coached a myriad of venturing teams; smoothing over communication hiccups, sorting out personal conflicts, and unclogging productivity jams — and he still hears this All. The. Time.

The time to start is now. Enjoy.

By Elke Boogert , Mach49 Managing Editor

You probably don't think your venture team needs coaching – which is why I know you do

By Stephen Burke MSc, PCC, ACTC, ORSCC, SEP , Senior Director of Professional, Executive, and Leadership Development and Client Capability Building

The vast majority of startups fail not because of funding or market fit, but because of bad blood between the original team members. Here's my case for getting a team coach on board today – before the cracks start to show in your venture.

The adage "Teamwork makes the dream work" is more than a pithy saying; it's a foundational truth. Yet, the path to seamless collaboration and peak performance is often littered with hurdles such as communication breakdowns, interpersonal conflicts, and productivity bottlenecks. It's precisely these challenges where the transformative power of team coaching emerges.

As an experienced team coach who has guided numerous fast-growing startups and industry giants, I've encountered a prevailing sentiment:

This admission isn't exclusive to team members; leaders, too, frequently underestimate the value of investing in team coaching. However, an overwhelming body of research underscores its profound benefits, including fortified trust, enhanced working relationships, elevated teamwork, and reduced turnover rates.

Consider my recent experience with the leadership team of a venture in wholesale building materials. This is not a struggling team. They are a passionate, dedicated and high performing team. They have navigated their incubate cycle amazingly so far and their venture is shaping up with great promise. Yet, the outcome of this week’s 55-minute virtual coaching session was a revelation.?

The coaching helped this skilled team identify issues that were slowing them down, particularly around aligning on priorities and the emerging need to start dividing their roles and efforts to meet the needs of the next phase of their incubate. The team of capable generalists (who were loving being in every part of the team’s work together!), recognised that the team needed them to start to specialise. To mature their venture for their next funding pitch, they needed to divide and conquer the work in front of them.?

The safe container of the coaching session also allowed them to voice nagging thoughts some were already having about their own future roles and areas of accountability in the growing venture. Like: “What will my future role be?” and “Will I be able to stay in this venture or be sent back to my home organization?” or “Who will be the leader?”. The revealing in the session allowed the team to naturally and quickly move to alignment on a way forward and definition of the key action steps to get there. The session was not only eye-opening but also led to a commitment to more open and empathetic communication.

A poignant reflection from one participant encapsulated the essence of our session: "I didn't know we needed this." This observation sheds light on a prevalent misconception that coaching is either a luxury or a remedial measure reserved for underperforming teams.

Those are crucial elements for startups navigating the volatile waters of business. Moreover, it addresses the typical team issues that account for 65% of startup failures, as highlighted by 美国哈佛商学院 professor Noam Wasserman in his book “The Founder’s Dilemma”.?

In the pursuit of lofty, ambitious objectives requiring organization-wide paradigm shifts, team coaching is instrumental in cultivating the consensus, support, and resilience necessary to overcome inevitable hurdles. It serves as a beacon, unveiling the latent potential within teams, whether in nascent startups or established enterprises.

If you find yourself contemplating the need for team coaching within your ranks, remember "I didn't know we needed this."

Investing in team coaching promises substantial returns in the form of enhanced teamwork, communication, and overall performance.?

The true question isn't whether your team needs coaching, but rather, how swiftly you can embrace this game-changing resource to unlock your team's full potential.

STEPHEN BURKE is a highly experienced designer and facilitator of leadership development, and coaching skills programs. Using a comprehensive understanding of innovation tools, processes, and project playbooks, he has worked across the globe to develop efficient innovation teams, both at startups and in large corporations.?While serving as a project manager at Airbus for many years, Stephen also acted as an Airbus Internal Coach, providing one-on-one coaching with team members at all seniority levels. Later, as Venture Coach and Coaching Practice Leader for Airbus BizLab — the company’s global aerospace accelerator — he oversaw people development and executive training for budding startup teams.?Stephen holds a master’s degree in mindfulness studies from the University of Aberdeen, a degree in aerospace engineering from Glyndwr University, and certification in ORSC.?