by Noomi Melchior Natan (UK)

What is the one thing you should always have front of mind when you are coaching a team? For me, it’s remembering that even though everyone might show up in their suits, clean-shaven with their professional facial expressions that don’t give much away in terms of true feelings, everyone is first and foremost a human being. And that means that, even in a work scenario, even if it is the top team meeting in a conference room, everyone in the team has basic human needs that will play out.

In this article I will share with you how what I learned from training in Family and Organisational Constellations made me a much more efficient team coach and consultant. In fact, this knowledge, although it might seem basic, has helped me untie knots in relationship dynamics that normal talking therapy or conversations about “ground rules” could never have solved.

Let me start with a personal story. A few years ago, I found myself in an embarrassing situation. I was sitting in a grey metal conference chair when it dawned on me. I was one of those “difficult” participants I hated as a coach. I was reprimanding my fellow teammates for not doing things the “right way”, I had no patience for their questions and I kept trying to show everyone how much I knew. Although I really wanted the learning, it was like I had cotton wool in my ears. I could not hear a word of what the leader said.

Source: iCN Issue 19  (Group Dynamics: Team Coaching); pages 38-40

About Noomi Melchior Natan

Noomi Melchior Natan is an internationally experienced Executive Coach and Constellator. For the past decade she has coached leaders in more than 15 different countries on how to stop fire fighting and reduce overwhelm, so they can make better decisions that are good for both people and profits. She has facilitated large leadership development programs and worked with leaders across most sectors including organisations housing some of the world’s most loved brands. She is also the creator of the virtual training course Constellations for Organisational Change and Leadership