Group Coaching: Because No Insight Survives Contact with Reality

Some of the most effective leadership development interventions I’ve delivered have not been the so-called core sessions, but the group coaching that follows. It’s not hard to see why.

The effectiveness of leadership development increases significantly when that development includes real-world practice, live and constructive feedback, group-based reflection and learning spaced over time.

Of course! Because understanding something intellectually and being able to apply it skilfully in the ambiguity, pressure and complexity of our day-to-day are two very different things.

Group coaching provides that bridge into practice.

For me, it’s not just about connecting the learning to the day-to-day work. It’s about the differentiating factors of personalisation, camaraderie and cohesion.

It’s also about creating a professionally coached space in which people can slow down, think deeply, challenge assumptions and learn from one another. You’ve heard the phrase: “No plan survives contact with the enemy.” Well, too often “No insight survives contact with reality.” That’s where group coaching comes in.

Group coaching doesn’t simply extend the learning. It creates CHANGE.

Think about any change initiative on your books. Notice the significant opportunities to amplify the impact of that work.

Organisational change, a growth programme, new operating models or performance initiatives create a succession of live developmental moments that include building new relationships, managing conflicting priorities, making high-stakes decisions and having difficult conversations.

Those situations can be treated simply as problems to get through. Or they can be capitalised on as opportunities through which leaders develop, teams strengthen how they work together and organisations build new and durable capability.

Organisations engage me in broadly one of two ways: to design and run the programme itself, or as the “secret sauce” (admittedly my word, not theirs!) atop an existing, often significantly larger, initiative.

That secret sauce is group coaching.

Learning is not to be treated as something separate from work. Development succeeds when people learn through the challenges and situations they encounter.

If you’re interested in amplifying the impact of your organisational initiatives through learning in the flow of work, you can find out more about my performance coaching for organisations.

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