Published in Kingstown College Coaching Magazine 2019/2020
We found it difficult to find a tool which could snap shot, at that moment in time, how a team was performing, interacting and evolving. Through Brendan’s bestselling book ‘The 5 States of Success’ an evaluator and workshop were born.
As Team Coaching continues to increase in popularity, Sinéad Fitzgerald examines The 5 States as an evaluator, report and workshop to develop the individual and team, and ultimately the organisation.
With a background in Drama and Sociology, working with people, understanding people and further learning has always been a passion of mine. After 17 years teaching in schools, clubs and afterschools, I decided to change my career path. I retrained in an area that although was new still meant I would be working in the area of communication, groups and team effectiveness.
Working in Seachange Now in Dun Laoghaire afforded me just that opportunity. Each year I endeavoured to learn a new set of skills and so trained in the Insight psychometric, EQi (which focuses on emotional intelligence) and The 5 States model.
The one element that brought all these skills together was my coaching course with Kingstown College. The world of executive coaching opened my eyes to the benefits of 1-1 coaching. As part of this programme I gained a practical and hands on approach to coaching. In our first module we put our coaching theory into practice with peer coaching sessions. Peer coaching is a confidential process through which two peers, or classmates, work together to build new skills, teach one another and conduct practice coaching sessions. I can honestly say that every area of my life improved during this process. Within my professional life, I gained a new confidence, and within my personal life I became more focused an organised.
I was impressed by how well my peer coach listened and picked up on certain words that I used during the coaching session. I had said them without really considering them but they opened up so much discussion about how I felt and thought about certain areas of my life. It was very easy to talk to the coach and I did not feel judged. He was very respectful in how he asked questions so I didn’t mind expanding further on my answers. The gift of another person giving you time to listen, understand and explore is gold. However, it’s not just listening that enhanced each session; I always came away with a required action identified by the goals I set for myself during the session. The key to coaching is that the answers lie within, the coach simply facilitates and explores these answers with the client.
Continual professional development is a key criteria in working within the field of coaching. So when our Managing Director, Brendan Foley, introduced The 5 States to the Seachange Now team the timing couldn’t have been better!
The 5 States aims to unlock the potential of not only an individual but also a team. In Seachange Now we found our team effectiveness work was increasing year on year. However, we found it difficult to find a tool which could snap shot, at that moment in time, how a team was performing, interacting and evolving. Through Brendan’s bestselling book ‘The 5 States of Success’ an evaluator and workshop were born.
By answering questions around each state, an individual can look at the areas which they may need to strengthen or leverage in order to be part of a successful team.
The State of Clarity creates an insight which can manifest really good communication and build accuracy.
The State of Connection explores how empathy is not sympathy but it is beneficial to understand where someone is coming from, therefore building trust. This state also creates teamwork and relationships.
The State of Certainty creates belief. This state creates the qualities of confidence and tenacity.
The State of Vitality creates action. By examining our mental, emotional, physical and spiritual wellbeing we can create action and results.
The final State of Spirit creates purpose. This state also creates the qualities of leadership and possibility.
In our workshops the clients can identify the various strengths that exist among the members of their team and therefore assist each other in areas that may need work. Through discussion and facilitation the team can understand how to create and maintain wellness in times of transition, through various success strategies identified in their 5 States profiles.
One case in point was an aviation company we worked closely with. The 5 States Programme was introduced to help leaders within the organisation to become more self-aware and to develop their skill set to manage others. 57 Leaders and Managers had a 1:1 coaching session and a 5 States Personal Report.
During our work we found the State of Connection was really high among the team, which meant the key to their success was through personal engagement of the workforce. As such, showing the teams that they were truly valued, which mattered in this company.
The State of Vitality was really low and was becoming a barrier to success. People were emotionally and physically drained. However, this did not mean that everyone was working to their potential. In fact, the opposite was true. Work conditions and poor relationships between all levels of leadership were the biggest factors at play. A feeling of being underpaid and undervalued permeated the organisation.
- The Programme also identified the bright spots in the company. The organisation had really good people and talent. All that was needed was the right culture to channel this.
- We also identified strong leadership from the CEO. He displayed a hands-on and practical approach which was consistent with the vision and communication within the company.
- There was great talent at various levels within the company and this showed great signs for the future. We identified that these people must be retained, as they would build the culture of the future. To this point some of the long tenure people must change or move.
The three key areas our 5 States Programme identified:
- The Need for Retention – good staff were leaving to get better pay and conditions from other companies and then returning as contractors on a better rate – this made the existing staff feel undervalued and underpaid (state of connection).
- The Need for Focus and Wellness – Most of the senior leaders and managers were very stressed but did not have the tools to deal with it. Stress and time management skills needed to be addressed.
- The Culture – ‘them and us’; staff and management were starting to break down. The Senior Managements attendance at workshops helped to show the company was listening. WIIFM (what’s in it for me) needed to become clearer so that all staff had more a business- than union-style mindset. It was identified the need to share the rewards with the people making it happen.
In a nutshell we encouraged the company to engage their people emotionally and build their vitality in order to create team and in turn, company success.
By Sinéad Fitzgerald
Sinéad has worked in the areas of education, accountancy and office management – bringing clarity and under standing to the needs of her clients. With 17 years experience working in the teaching profession Sinéad has a practical approach that is tailored to the needs of the learner. This comes through in her training and interpretation sessions where clarity and understanding are paramount. Sinéad’s focused approach creates clarity and helps clients to connect with the reality of their challenge and in doing so plan a clear route forward. A master at handling priorities Sinéad guides people toward doing the right things at the right time. Her strong communication skills allow her to articulate concepts clearly and accurately, thereby building a strong skill-set and mindset for those she works with.
