What's Your Superpower as a Group and Team Coach? | by Jennifer Britton

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Jennifer Britton
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Coach doing Team Coaching in office with team members sat around desk

You probably already know how valuable group and team coaching can be in terms of scaling your impact and results. Whether you want to boost your earnings per hour or work with more clients, group and team coaching are often part of the trajectory of the growth of a coach.

I've been training group coaches since 2006 through the Group Coaching Essentials program, and team coaches since 2010 in our Group and Team Coaching Intensive. I've also had the privilege to connect with thousands of coaches, both through our programs at Potentials Realized and in speaking to groups as part of ICF Chapters or Coaching organizations. And in working with so many coaches, I've seen the varied ways they embody the ICF Core Coaching Competencies: our styles influence the many ways we show up to support our clients, including activating our own coaching strengths.

Uncover Your Superpowers

As many coaches appreciate, our strengths are our go-tos in any conversation, magnified in times of pressure, stress and urgency.

So it's valuable to explore your natural superpowers as a group and team coach.

With that in mind, I created the Team and Group Coaching Superpower Quiz 1 in the summer of 2022. My goal is to have 25,000 coaches participate in this quiz during 2023, so please share with your colleagues and friends who are coaches.

Let's take a look at the five main superpowers that group and team coaches may lean into. These are:

  1. The Spiral Lighthouse™ coach
  2. The Grounded Labyrinth™ coach
  3. The Catalytic Firecracker™ coach
  4. The Ecosystem Connector™ coach
  5. The Creative Toolmaster™ coach

The innate strengths of each of these approaches will influence the way we coach—how we show up, our presence, the tools and approaches we may gravitate to and the different types of the questions we may ask. In the ACTIVATE Your Superpowers Program, we explore these in much greater depth.

While most coaches have a primary superpower, they are also likely to have a close secondary, and even tertiary, approach. And part of the growth of the coach is in expanding our range. So at some point we may become well versed in all five of these approaches.

A Closer Look at the 5 Superpowers

1) The Spiral Lighthouse

The Spiral Lighthouse coach’s strength is building trust, safety and connection.

This coach is all about digging into different layers of the coaching terrain. Like a safe harbour, the Spiral Lighthouse coach may have a natural affinity for group coaching and exploring different perspectives.

From their superpower perspective, the Spiral Lighthouse coach may ask questions such as:

  • What are different ways of looking at that?
  • What do you notice about different perspectives around that issue?

2) The Grounded Labyrinth

The Grounded Labyrinth coach has a super-strength around mindfulness and groundedness.

They create a "pause" for coaching clients to notice layers by incorporating techniques like meditations, somatic approaches including embodiment, mindfulness techniques and other body-centred approaches.

Some of the questions they may ask are:

  • What's going to get you grounded?
  • What's going to create a pause around this?
  • What can we do to slow things down so we can speed it up?

3) The Catalytic Firecracker

The Catalytic Firecracker coach is all about action and being bold.

Their natural affinity may be to spark people into action and insight. As a catalyst, they want to get things moving.

From their superpower perspective, the Catalytic Firecracker may ask questions such as:

  • What's going to get you started?
  • What's bold?
  • What will help to accelerate your work?

4) The Ecosystem Connector

The Ecosystem Connector coach is all about connections.

They are attuned to and curious about the context in which they are coaching, as well as eager to build networks and connections across people, information and resources.

The Ecosystem Connector may ask questions like:

  • How are these topics connected?
  • What's the connection with others? With resources? With approaches?
  • Who can help you be successful with your goals?
  • What else do you need?

5) The Creative Toolmaster

The Creative Toolmaster coach is all about injecting creative approaches into the coaching conversation to boost interaction with teams and groups, while supporting enhanced awareness and forward action.

They are also keen on supporting both results and relationships through the varied coaching tools they bring.

From their superpower perspective, some of the questions the Creative Toolmaster might ask are:

  • What's going to support you with flow?
  • What are the belief systems that are shaping your actions?
  • What's another perspective?

Wrap-up

The journey of development as coaches invites us to not only activate our superpowers but also grow in related areas.

What is your group and team superpower? What's next for your growth?

© Copyright 2023 Jennifer Britton

Did you enjoy this? Check out these resources:

1 Wondering what your group and team coaching superpower is? Try out the Team and Group Coaching Superpower Quiz here ™ >>

Consider joining Jennifer and her team for one or more of their upcoming ICF CCEU approved programs, including ACTIVATE Your Group and Team Coaching Superpowers (14 CCEs), which takes you into a deep dive around the five superpowers.

If you liked this about team and group coaching, you may also like these articles also by Jennifer:

 

Jennifer Britton

Contributing Author:

Jennifer Britton, MES, CHRP, CPT, PCC, is the author of seven books and has influenced a generation of coaches in the realms of team and group coaching. You may have read her writing, including Effective Group Coaching (Wiley, 2010), the first book in the world to be published on the topic of group coaching; From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching; or her latest, Reconnecting Workspaces: Pathways to Thrive in the Virtual, Remote and Hybrid World (2021).

Since 2006, Jennifer's Group Coaching Essentials and Advanced Group and Team Coaching Practicum programs have become known as the must-do training in the area of group coaching. Focused on providing coaches with best practices in designing, marketing and implementing group coaching, these programs have helped thousands of coaches launch their own group and team coaching programs in a wide variety of settings (public, corporate, non-profit). Together both courses are approved for 18.75 ICF CCEUs. These are the first two of 10 course pathways leading to certificates in Group and Team Coaching.

Potentials Realized's ICF-CCE programs are geared for aspiring group and team coaches, especially those wanting to work toward the New Advanced Credential in Team Coaching (ACTC) with the ICF.

Also check out our neuroscience course for group and team coaches (NLE-A), Team Coaching Essentials  and ACTIVATE Your Team and Group Coaching Superpowers. Prefer podcasts? Listen in to the Remote Pathways podcast, which explores the many different pathways to remote work, business and leadership.

Learn more about Jennifer & see all their articles here >>

Categories: Coaching Ideas & Inspiration, Group Coaching, Guest Author, Personal Growth for Coaches, Professional Development, Team Coaching

Image of Coach coaching team sat around desk in office by Monkey Business Images via Shutterstock

21 Comments

  1. Ketsia

    I think I'm the Spiral Lighthouse 🙂 I'm definitely focused on building trust, safety, and connection with my clients

    Reply
  2. Julia

    Great article. No one teaches about group coaching during coach training and it should be part of the curriculum.

    Reply
  3. Lesley O’Donoghue

    Great article, thanks Jennifer. You’ve given me a bunch of ideas on reframing and restructuring my group sessions. Perfect timing for me also as I’m about to start a new group program.
    Much gratitude and appreciation.

    Reply
  4. Dan

    These are really thought provoking. I see my style and superpower having elements of all of them but most likely the catalytic firecracker. As a new coach I need to ensure I am fully present with my client and ensuring I am meeting them where they are

    Reply
  5. Jami Covone

    Love learning more fromJennifer Britton! I took a Group Coaching class at a virtual institute for coach training, and Jennifer’s Group Coaching book was our textbook. Now, I’m looking to read more of her books.

    Reply
  6. Clair

    Really interesting article. I see myself in all five different coach types. I think it’s important for me to be as well rounded as possible in terms of my group coaching.
    Each type has its own positive points, so to be able to bring all these amazing questions together would no doubt allow the clients a better chance at developing and heading towards their goals.

    Reply
    • Eva Guerra

      Thank you very much for this extremely valuable blog. I believe also that building trust, connection and for me is important to be authentic in every way. I believe that we need to connect with the team in a deep level. Finding the why because we're part of this team and what we like to achieve with it. And which qualities and values are fitting the most in it.

      Reply
  7. Dora Rabb

    I think I am the Ecosystem Connector because I focus on connections that bring together people, resources and information. I typically want to know how someone is connector to others and how those connections cause one to become successful in reaching goals.

    Reply
  9. Emily

    This is fascinating! I’ve done a bit of a group coaching, guided by your group coaching books Jennifer - thank you!!! I think I’m a spiral lighthouse but would love to explore this more

    Reply
  10. Jo

    I think I'm a little bit of all depending on the client but closer to a Catalytic Firecracker coach. I always ask what do you want to do now and how?

    Reply
  11. Steve Powell

    Jennifer, great article! I like to think I use these questions listed under each Superpower, but I've had several call me the Lighthouse over the years, so maybe that's my go-to! I really enjoy groups / teams, with all of the collaboration and accountability that can come out of it.

    Reply
  12. salvador

    I really like the 5 super powers, but I feel that if we do a good job with the spyral one will position ourselves for success! thanks a lot for sharing.

    Reply
  14. Bethuel Masimane

    I need all the five approaches because they are embodied in the acronym TOMS, which stands for Topic, Outcome, Measure, and Success. I help the client to establish the area of focus, to see the outcome, to measure the outcome and also to confirm success.

    Reply
  15. Dawne Mark

    Interesting article, I am more of a spiral lighthouse with a bit creative toolmaster. I will definitely save this article.

    Reply
  16. Jane

    Thank you for publishing this post! As a coach slowing getting my feet wet in the group/team coaching arena, the information contained is so insightful - I will definitely do the quiz to find out my superpower.

    Reply
  17. Mary Covington

    Thanks to this article I have become aware that I have more of a Creative Toolmaster group coaching style.

    Reply
  18. Brandy

    I am a cross between the Catalytic Firecracker and the Grounded Labyrinth. I suppose it depends on the topic and the group I am speaking to. I appreciate having a clear focus on my group coaching style. I would like to know more about these styles to hone my approaches.

    Reply

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