I help small to mid-size nonprofit leadership teams navigate strategic changes intentionally, effectively, and confidently through coaching engagements. My mission is to weave together the fabric of people for a stronger community.
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Intention & Exploration -- November/December from B3
Published 9 months ago • 3 min read
November/December 2025
Hi Reader,
As our calendars and workloads simultaneously speed up and slow down over November and December, I'm giving myself permission to mind my energy and write a single newsletter for these two months.
And also I anticipate an announcement in December accepting applications for teams to join a transformative team experience as part of the Agate Initiative, a project of the Social Good Fund. The website is a work in progress, as we partner with Brand Your Light, KC Copy, and others as and craft the meaningful words and images to fully launch and invite you in.
So a note about what's been percolating since mid October:
For the first time ever, I walked away from a conference recharged (rather than drained!).
Grateful to attend the ICF Converge conference last month, I returned with these ideas I can't stop thinking about:
Greeting each other with intention embraces connection. We've forgotten how to properly greet each other. Dumi Magadlela talked about how to take the time to greet someone well, so they have the chance to connect and settle. (I've heard he gives long, warm hugs!) I left rethinking my approach to greeting people in my life and avoiding the fly-by.
Playing with LEGO bricks is like pouring an accelerator into creative thinking. I always enjoy bringing alternative channels into team coaching, and am excited to explore with my clients how LEGO Serious Play unlocks new approaches to complex challenges.
Recognizing the difference between change and transformation supports a team crafting its journey in team coaching. My colleague Michelle Chambers presented on team coaching and asked the audience: are you trying to make a change or begin a transformation? Is it one-and-done or ongoing and systemic?
Folding origami is a great metaphor for a team.Angela Cusack gave a perspective on teams and team coaching. Like a piece of paper, every team has infinite possibilities, once it's folded, and the impressions remain even as the paper is unfolded and refolded again. Team coaching is about getting to know those impressions.
What is percolating for you these days?
Quick poll: make these newsletters useful!
Also in these quiet month, I'm taking time to ensure in 2026 I bring topics in these newsletters that excite and engage with you.
What team coaching topics should I explore with you next?
One of the biggest challenges I find as a team coach is making sure that a leader can bring their team into coaching -- and for so many, this modality is new or misunderstood.
And to make matters more complex, team coaches work across a broad spectrum of approaches in how they deliver team coaching. Some coaching journeys build on structured, spelled-out processes with a clear progression that teams can step into. Other journeys are centered on more adaptive and fluid approaches, following the client and the challenges as they emerge.
Both can sit well within the ICF's team coaching competencies, as both can meet the team and their needs.
As long as the client's agreed-upon agenda and emerging needs are the focus, the whole spectrum of coaching approaches can be effective.
When I begin with teams, I wonder how to engage with the whole team so they feel on solid footing, without over-prescribing the journey. And I'm thoughtful about what a journey can look like. I'll hope you'll watch this video where I talk about some common elements that show up in a team coaching journey, regardless of the coach's approach.
P.S. Interested in learning more about how to create the conditions to build trust on teams? Join me for two upcoming presentations of "Understand Trust on Teams: Psychology, Behaviors, and Building Sustainable Action Plans" for the Nonprofit Learning Lab coming up in January. Go to the Nonprofit Learning Lab site for details and to register for the January sessions.
Supervision
Why should you explore it? Ask Erin.
“Betsy is masterful, as a supervisor, as mentor, as a coach. She has a deep knowledge of the coaching craft, which she uses generously in service of me becoming a better coach myself. However, it is her humanity, her kindness, and her ability to form a deep connection with me that have me coming back again and again. Each of my sessions with her gave me deep insight and deeper conviction about my ability to serve clients and systems.”
Email me if you want to explore joining a cohort beginning in January/February - or explore 1:1 supervision.
On a Personal Note
Out over my skis.
My mantra from the LEGO Serious Play workshop.
The LEGO Serious Play session has me thinking about being "out over my skis" on a few fronts - and part of the reason this newsletter is shorter and curious.
Have other meaningful ideas or pressing topics you'd like to read about here? Hit reply and let me know - I'd love to focus on topics that matter to you.
I help small to mid-size nonprofit leadership teams navigate strategic changes intentionally, effectively, and confidently through coaching engagements. My mission is to weave together the fabric of people for a stronger community.
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