Joan Deal, DNP, MBA, ACC | Executive Coach & Organizational Consultant, SixSEED Partners
Background
Dr. Deal was invited to work with a team of nurse managers at a large rural academic health system in the Mid-Atlantic region who wanted to strengthen their ability to work together as a high-performing team. The group had recently experienced the “storming” phase of team development. While each manager was highly skilled and dedicated, they tended to stay within their own silos rather than collaborating as one cohesive unit.
Recent role redesigns and staff changes had disrupted team trust and communication. Members hesitated to share openly or engage in constructive conflict, which made it hard to align on priorities or solve problems together. A new Nursing Director, in her first six months with the organization, recognized these challenges and partnered with the Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) to help the team rebuild connection and effectiveness.
Client Results
The Strategy:
After consultation with the CNO and Nursing Director, Dr, Deal designed a one-day retreat focused on improving trust, communication, and teamwork. The goal was to help the group understand their current dynamics, appreciate individual communication styles, and develop shared commitments for how they would work together moving forward.
To guide this process, the team completed The Five Behaviors of a Cohesive Team assessment – a tool that evaluates how teams build trust, manage conflict, commit to decisions, hold one another accountable, and achieve results. Leaders also agreed to create a “Team Covenant,” a code of shared behaviors describing how they wanted to show up and collaborate as colleagues.
The Solution:
Before the retreat, each nurse leader participated in a one-hour conversation with Dr. Deal to share their perspective on the team’s current state and challenges. Across the interviews, several common themes emerged: the need for greater trust, clearer roles, improved communication, and stronger follow-through on commitments. These insights were summarized and shared with the team at the start of the retreat.
During the session, the group reviewed their Five Behaviors results and explored how their individual DiSC communication styles affected their comfort with conflict and collaboration. Through guided discussion and coaching, the team identified specific actions to strengthen relationships and created a shared “Team Covenant” outlining the behaviors they would practice to maintain a healthy, effective culture.
The Impact:
By the end of the retreat, the team had:
- Identified strengths and key challenges.
- Developed clear operational priorities for the coming year.
- Established a shared set of agreements for teamwork and communication.
- Made personal commitments to practice new, more collaborative behaviors.
In post-workshop feedback, participants shared their appreciation for the opportunity to connect and learn more about one another. The team left with renewed trust, greater awareness of one another’s strengths, and a stronger foundation for collaboration and communication.
As one manager reflected, “The best part of the day was learning more about my colleagues and their leadership styles.”
To learn more about doing this kind of work to support and elevate your team to the next level, contact SixSEED Partners today.
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