BOOK REVIEW
LEADING & COACHING TEAMS TO SUCCESS- The Secret Life Of
Teams
Phil Hayes (2011) Open University Press, McGraw Hill
Education
The rear of the cover states “if you
are a manager, coach or team leader and want to build a strong performing team
of your own, then this book is for you!” I was pleasantly surprised to discover
that these claims were borne out when the contents were explored. I think that
this book can be used by a manager, a coach, a team leader, a trainer, a
consultant or a facilitator, despite appealing to such a broad audience I found
it accessible and contained aspects which I think could be used by all of the
above, with value being added by the topics that the author covers.
The book is very much written from a
practitioner’s perspective with the author drawing on over 20 years’
experience. What I particularly liked is the fact that as well as dealing with
areas that had been successful, the author is prepared to share examples where
things did not quite go according to plan, and explore reasons for those
experiences and suggest how to avoid similar pitfalls in the future. I also
found it a pleasant change for an author to share “what I tried to do” as a
means of reviewing the exercises or approaches used.
The book consists of 160 pages and is
an accessible, “readable” publication with a good mixture of theory, case
studies, tools and suggested further resource sources. The eight chapters are
designed in such a way that they can be “dip sampled” at will, without
necessarily losing context or meaning. That being said, once the sampling
commences it will be difficult to resist the temptation to devour the rest of
the contents.
I found this book an excellent
introduction to team related issues- be that leading teams, coaching teams or
designing and delivering team training interventions. I particularly liked the
way it deals with essential themes and skills that will be needed, providing
excellent summaries of key principles, and providing additional resources for
further research should the reader so desire. For example this is a book that
covers coaching skills and theories with references to NLP and Gestalt models.
It also explores when NOT to use the coaching approach, rather than simply
reviewing the merits of a coaching approach.
Two chapters of interest deal with high
performing teams and poorly performing teams and sets out the different
approaches that can be used – with the author’s ability to draw on extensive
experience coming to the fore with the use of practical examples and shared
experience. I also found the chapter on further resources for team leaders and
coaches an excellent source of ideas and resource sources. The way the book
deals with diversity and cultural matters is also a welcome source for
contemplation.
My only niggle is the fact that in
Chapter 7,page 118, the author explains
a tool that he uses that involves ropes, belts and coloured links and states
“please see references and contact details in Chapter 8” – frustratingly I was
unable to locate the cross-reference!
In summary this is a book that I have
no hesitation in recommending to managers or team leaders as I think the topics
can be readily accessed and understood by all. I also found that it was a
useful source for coaches, trainers, consultants and facilitators- the use of
case studies, practical tools and exercises are excellent additional resources
to draw upon.
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