#113 How to manage psychological distance in team coaching

The issue

You have been hired to coach a team within an organisational setting. The manager of the team is the sponsor of the coaching. The manager will not be taking part in team coaching sessions. You have agreed to have six team coaching sessions, and to check in with the manager after three of the sessions have been completed. In your contracting meeting with the manager, you agree to coach the team on their assertiveness.

“They always defer to me to tell them what to do, I want them to work things out for themselves and present their solutions to me.”

You commence coaching and feel like you are making progress. However, after two sessions, the team reports that their proposed solutions never seem to be good enough for the manager, who then disregards their suggestions and tells them what to do.

In your mid-point review session with the manager, you suggest to her you have helped the team discuss solutions to present them to her, however, they have noticed she did not like their solutions. She replies they don’t get what she’s wants. You and the team feel disempowered.

The ethical dilemma

You feel sympathy for the team and empathise with their view that the manager is overbearing. You notice you feel psychologically closer to the team than the manager.

Question

How will you re-contract the coaching relationship?