Can Coaching Help Our Toxic Team?
During my time as an internal coach, I’ve often been asked:
“Do you really think that team will get better? It’s too toxic. The issues are too deep. The challenges are too complex. Is it even possible? Maybe don’t bother.”
My answer is always the same: yes - but every team’s journey is different.
Humans are Complex Adaptive Systems
Teams are made up of humans, and humans are complex. You can’t apply the same coaching interventions in the same order that worked with a previous team and expect identical results. People change, circumstances shift, and everyone responds differently to each input. That’s why the journey of every team is emergent.
A good coach introduces an intervention, then sense-checks the results. Based on what emerges, the next step becomes clear.
When I say “every team’s journey is different,” what I mean is that countless variables influence a team’s evolution:
The people in the team right now
Any changes to the team during the coaching engagement
The team’s history
Personal relationships and histories between members
The coach’s style and experience
The length and time allocated to the coaching engagement
The external environment - what’s happening in their department, company, industry, even the world (remember how COVID changed everything?)
This is a systems view of a team, and it’s impossible to capture every factor. A team is a living, breathing organism with its own personality, needs, voice, and arc.
How Transformations Happen
With an experienced coach - one who has the tools, creativity, and dedication - a toxic team can indeed transform into a high-performing one. In fact, I’ve coached two such teams where the introduction went something like: “Other coaches have tried and failed. This is the worst team in the company.” And yet, both eventually became some of the highest performing. Don’t just take my word for it - check out the testimonial here.
Of course, every team’s journey is unique. Some transformations take longer than others; progress can be sudden or very gradual. But even when the challenges are deep, each step of improvement strengthens the team and brings valuable insights to its individuals. It creates lasting benefits for the organization and learnings that each individual can carry forward forever. With the right guidance and commitment, positive change is always possible.
One of the things I love about coaching teams is getting to know an entirely new team from scratch, with a blank slate. While I have an extensive toolbox of methods and techniques, every team I work with unlocks new inspiration. A fresh creative idea for a session, an intervention adapted in a unique way, or a completely unexpected breakthrough - these moments are what make coaching so rewarding. As a coach, I become part of that team’s system, and my approach in each case is also emergent. It’s why I love my work: it’s always different, every team is unique, and every journey is something else entirely.
So - Can Coaching Help Your Team?
The answer is yes… if you have a skilled, experienced coach, if the team members are willing to learn and change, if you give it the right amount of time and if the wider system around the team can also be coached to support their success.