Transforming relationships at work

Yael Leinman of Intentional Team Coaching is a Certified Organisational Relationship System Coach. She shares the invisible force behind team success

By creating a safe space for open dialogue, Yael enabled team members to be able to share their experiences and concerns, leading to a collective agreement to establish healthier communication and cultural team norms.

Yael Leinman recognises that a team is more than just a group of individuals – it is a living, breathing system with unique identity, characteristics, strengths and challenges.

With 20 years of experience as a mental health professional in the NHS, through Yael’s coaching, people no longer feel attacked or blamed, but instead are capable of having constructive, honest and open conversations, leading to more efficient ways of working.

She said: “People don’t have to live with bad relationships. I frequently see clients struggling with conflict management, toxic work culture, change management and general lack of team cohesion. Working with a team in which the culture is damaging the organisation, and seeing the transformation where team trust and performance is high is truly rewarding.”

A recent client was grappling with a toxic workplace culture across their 80-plus employees. The team had been stuck in a cycle of blame and mistrust towards the leadership team, with communication breakdowns undermining morale and productivity. Employees felt unheard, and conflict often escalated into personal grievances.

By creating a safe space for open dialogue, Yael enabled team members to be able to share their experiences and concerns, leading to a collective agreement to establish healthier communication and cultural team norms.

After a series of sessions with Yael, the organisation saw a significant reduction in conflict, increased collaboration and improved productivity. More importantly, the team’s morale and sense of purpose were restored, and their collective resilience and wellbeing could be rebuilt.

There is a significant financial benefit to systems coaching. A happier and functioning team means fewer absences, grievances, defensiveness, contempt and resistance to new ideas, which can increase HR costs.

Previous client Christi Byerly, CEO, said: “Working with Yael has been transformative for our team. When we came to her, we were uncertain about our long-term commitments and held some unspoken fears.

“Through her expert team coaching, Yael created a safe and compassionate space where we could express ourselves openly and reconnect with the quality of our relationship and how much we mean to one another in our shared purpose.

“Her calm and reassuring presence created a warm and inviting space for our team coaching. With her ability to hold space for big emotions while ensuring every perspective was equally valued, she allowed us to truly go deep. Her insight and gentle guidance brought a deeper connection to our partnership, leaving us with clarity and heartfelt appreciation.”

Yael added: “Many organisations are on the mental health wagon and invest in yoga, mindfulness, team days outs, etc. But people don’t always like it. In our core, we all want to feel valued and appreciated.

“Having a fun day out or an inspirational speaker is great, but if the working culture is unhealthy, it makes more economic sense to invest in improving working relationships than offering a gym membership to employees.

“Investing in better relationships isn’t just ‘nice to have’; it’s a strategic move that can transform your team’s culture, creativity and productivity with significant ROI.”

Member benefit: Scan the QR code to join Yael for a systems coaching taster session on 6th February.