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Fátima Ribeiro and Susana Azevedo, co-authors of articles on leadership and team coaching

Leading through Uncertainty: The Path to Agility and Resilience

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This article was originally published in Portuguese in Líder Magazine, in the fall 2025 issue.

The online version was later published on the magazine’s website. The original article can be consulted here link.

Geopolitical and global trade tensions, technological disruption with the advancement of artificial intelligence and climate change are among the main risks identified by organisations in 2025.

These factors have a direct impact on leadership, business models and organisational structures. Leaders seek to develop organisations that are more agile and resilient to change.

But how to sustain a strategic advantage of the organisation in the long term? How to face the uncertainty and discomfort of change? And, in this process, how to transform resistance into experimentation, internal competition and silos into recognition of interdependencies, taking advantage of synergies between areas and turning disconnection into authentic collaboration?

There is no immediate answer or single model or solution.

After participating as research partners in the book Team of Teams Coaching: Using a teaming approach to increase business impact, by Professor Peter Hawkins and Dr Catherine Carr, published July 2025, we have developed learning and practices in leadership and organisational development projects. We seek to develop a “team of teams”: a fluid, networked, collaborative organisation with shared responsibility, prepared to face complexity and provide greater agility to organisations.

To achieve this agility, a clear and inspiring purpose is crucial. Values that translate into actions. Goals that align everyone, both on paper and in practice. It is important to prioritise the experience and well-being of employees, because motivated and empowered teams generate stronger connections between areas.
It is also essential to develop systemic awareness, continually identifying stakeholders and systems, to create alliances and collaborations that provide real value to everyone.

The coaching process usually begins with coaching the leadership team and a joint review of the purpose, vision and strategy from the perspective of the various stakeholders and systems. A prior systemic diagnosis identifies strengths, critical areas and opportunities.

We work on the “why” of the organisation, the coherence of the strategy, the clarity of processes and responsibilities, the quality of internal relationships between areas and the opportunities to develop relationships with the different stakeholders.

Subsequently, the coaching process expands its support to the different functional teams, focusing on interdependencies and mutual responsibility. It takes into account the transformation and transition challenges typical of the different life cycles of organisations and their connection with the challenges of the ecosystem.

This intentional approach supports a culture, language, communication and internal dynamics that leverage collective intelligence, along with a strategy that flows and evolves in search of creative responses to change, in a continuous learning process.

Systemic team coaching requires constant experimentation. In the course of work, each team and organisation discovers what works and shapes its collective authenticity, learning, adapting and creating new ways to generate value.

Authors: Fátima Ribeiro and Susana Azevedo

Fátima Ribeiro and Susana Azevedo, co-authors of articles on leadership and team coaching

Leadership in Challenging Times: Between Uncertainty and Inspiration

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This article was originally published in Portuguese in Líder Magazine, in the fall 2024 issue.

The online version was later published on the magazine’s website. The original article can be consulted here link.

In our work as executive and team coaches, and as leadership trainers, we recognise the difficulty leaders have in do more with less and keep their teams motivated in a context of continuous changes, in which commitment decreases and levels of satisfaction increase. burnout.

Leaders suffer tensions at different levels, coming from internal and external stakeholders. They feel pressured to react, to focus on short-term results and to choose the least bad option, instead of acting proactively and working towards the vision of the desired future, developing organisations more focused on human and ecosystem sustainability.

We hear the feeling of disconnection with current leadership, due to the perceived distance between the values communicated and the values present in the daily actions and practices of the organisation.

How to navigate ambiguity, as our caravels navigated previously unknown oceans, and build teams and organisations capable of facing challenges?

Through coaching we work with leaders and teams to identify what they need to change in themselves to promote the transformation of their teams and organisations.

We help them identify the internal and external resources they already have and those they need to develop, to increase their ability to influence and act proactively in creating their vision of the future.

We work on beliefs, emotions, mentalities and relationships, considering a purpose that creates value for both the business and all interested parties.

We create intentional spaces of learning and celebration throughout the development journey, to evaluate progress and recharge the energy that drives change.

We address horizontal development—knowledge and competencies—but also vertical development—being and mental models—considering evolution:

  • of the «yo» al “us”,
  • of opportunistic value creation a the creation of value with and for a broad base of stakeholders,
  • of the time as a “scarce” resource al time as an “opportunity” to do better every day,
  • of the thinking focused on current performance al strategic thinking in three horizons: the present, the future and what we can start doing tomorrow.

In this development journey, which includes doing, but also thinking and being, we work on skills such as communication, with special attention to active listening, which enhances the commitment and impact of leaders and teams.

We promote psychological safety, trust and the construction of inclusive teams, in which creativity and the implementation of more agile processes and structures are encouraged, and where the whole is more than the sum of the parts.

There is hope and each of us can make a difference in building a promising future for ourselves and for generations to come!

Authors: Fátima Ribeiro and Susana Azevedo

Fátima Ribeiro and Susana Azevedo, co-authors of articles on leadership and team coaching

Leadership Teams Ready for the Future

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This article was originally published in Portuguese in Líder Magazine, in the spring 2024 issue.

The online version was later published on the magazine’s website. The original article can be consulted here link.

According to Michael Porter, strategy is what will differentiate an organisation: it will provide it with a competitive advantage, create distinct value for the consumer, and allow the company to prosper and achieve superior profitability.

In the current context, strategy is increasingly a dynamic process that involves permanent interaction with a complex and ambiguous environment, evaluating threats, trends and opportunities. To drive this process, the organisation needs teams with the ability to anticipate the future and lead change.

The effectiveness of teams as a whole is, more than ever, essential for the success and sustainability of organisations. These cannot depend solely on the talent of a leader who has all the solutions and controls that others execute their decisions. It is necessary to invest in shared leadership teams because of their potential to achieve higher performance than teams with vertical leadership.

The development of teams with collective leadership skills is crucial for organisations to consistently and lastingly achieve a high level of performance and innovation. These skills allow the whole to create more value than the sum of the parts and for each member to assume responsibility for their contribution (individual leadership) and for the functioning of the entire team (collective leadership).

An effective team needs clarity and alignment around its purpose and vision for the future. Based on this clarity, work together to define the strategic axes that will allow you to achieve results and reflect on the culture, governance, processes and leadership necessary to support the execution of the strategy. The team reviews the best ways of working, the technical and behavioural competencies and the internal dynamics necessary to fulfill its purpose.

Leadership Teams Ready for the Future
  1. Clarity of purpose
  2. Future vision
  3. Shared leadership
  4. Learning culture
  5. Strategy Sustainability

Creation of value with and for all stakeholders.

The internal environment of the team includes: a) a shared purpose, b) support among its members and c) voice—psychological safety and willingness to express oneself—elements that precede shared leadership. Trust is another vital element: it is built on integrity and credibility, and is developed through direct communication, clarification of expectations, keeping commitments and an environment of continuous learning. Coaching support is especially important when the team’s internal environment is less favourable.

We work in alliance with leadership teams, in a process that stimulates reflection and creativity from a systemic perspective. We help them clarify the purpose, vision and strategy, and lead the change towards a sustainable transformation of organisations, creating value for all stakeholders.

Authors: Fátima Ribeiro and Susana Azevedo

Fátima Ribeiro and Susana Azevedo, co-authors of articles on leadership and team coaching

Essential Skills for Thriving Organisations

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This article was originally published in Portuguese in Líder Magazine, in the fall 2023 issue.

The online version was later published on the magazine’s website. The original article can be consulted here link.

Did you know that companies that moved from a purely individual view of “I” to a collective view of “we” show a higher return on investment than the average of companies that are part of the S&P 500?

Various authors, such as Jim Collins and Richard Barrett, point out that the sustainable performance of an organisation is only possible when its leaders put the interests of the organisation as a whole before their own interests and ego. This approach allows us to build a sustainable future for everyone and also constitutes the best business strategy for the success of the organisation.

In this article we address crucial competencies for organisations and how they can be developed through coaching. This contributes to increasing awareness and evolving mental models, and enhances leadership development, the transformation of organisations and the creation of a better future.

Barrett points out the need for an organisational purpose and a systemic vision of the business that includes the different stakeholders of the company and aligns the interests of the organisation with the long-term interests of society. The most resilient organisations have strong alignment of values, a high shared commitment to the organisation’s vision and mission, and a deep sense of personal responsibility, which enhances collaboration, commitment, and performance.

The work we develop with leaders and teams invites them to clearly understand their current reality, to discover their purpose and vision, as well as the value they contribute with and for all stakeholders. Through coaching we enhance the evolution towards new levels of consciousness, the basis for the transformation of leaders, teams and organisations.

Barrett identifies five essential characteristics that have driven the evolution of human beings since their origins and that continue to be fundamental in the current VUCA context: adaptability, continuous learning, the ability to connect, the ability to cooperate and the ability to cope with complexity.

Five essential competencies
  1. Adaptability
    Speed and resilience.
  2. Continuous learning
    Memory and logic.
  3. Ability to connect
    Compatibility and trust.
  4. Ability to cooperate
    Alignment and empathy.
  5. Ability to manage complexity
    Internal and external.

Fuente: Barrett, R. (2011), The New Leadership Paradigm, Lulu.com.

With our clients we work on these competencies to develop more adaptable leaders and organisations, capable of managing complexity and uncertainty and establishing internal and external alliances. This is how we promote long-term sustainable organisations, with a positive impact on society and the world.

Our coaching process, systemic in nature and intrinsically creative and thought-provoking, unlocks hitherto unexplored sources of imagination, productivity and leadership. It is a simultaneous exercise of clarification and motivation for the sustainable and integrated transformation of leaders with their teams and organisations.

We invite you to explore and integrate coaching into your organisations.

Authors: Fátima Ribeiro and Susana Azevedo

Fátima Ribeiro and Susana Azevedo, co-authors of articles on leadership and team coaching

Developing a Leadership Team: A Business Case Study

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This article was originally published in Portuguese in Líder Magazine, in the June 2023 issue.

The online version was later published on the magazine’s website. The original article can be consulted here link.

Currently, organisations perceive the need to develop shared and more humanized leadership that, at the same time, reinforces trust, collaborative work and mutual responsibility for performance, well-being and learning. Team coaching has emerged as one of the best ways to drive this transformation. But how does it happen?

As an example of the value that team coaching can create in the context of new leadership trends, we share a project developed with a management team.

The leadership team, made up of the CEO and five managers, faced several starting challenges:

· Those of the general context, such as the economic slowdown and changes in business and work models associated with the pandemic and the global crisis.

· Those of the team and organisational dynamics, since three of its six members had been on the team and in the organisation for less than a year, including the CEO himself.

During the process, the team faced other challenges, such as the departure of the CEO, changes in internal teams, and the need to restructure processes to respond to changes in the internal and business environment.

Development work with the leadership team was conducted virtually between March and November 2021, in five main phases:

Five Phases of Leadership Team Development
  1. 1. Scope and initial agreement
    Meetings with sponsor and team leader (CEO), and kick-off meeting: March 19.
  2. 2. Interviews with the team and stakeholders
    360° interviews, identification of strengths, shortcomings and opportunities, and presentation of results: March and April.
  3. 3. Team coaching agenda
    Joint creation of work agreements, desired future and objectives: May 14.
  4. 4. Execution
    6 coaching workshops; 5 management team meetings; leader coaching; 3–4 meetings with leaders; 3–4 follow-ups with team members and 2–3 with sponsor: June to October.
  5. 5. Review, evaluation and learning
    November 17.

1. Scope and agreement;

2. Research on the team and its context through 360° interviews with the team and identified internal and external stakeholders;

3. Joint creation of the team development agenda, based on the desired future and taking into account the results of the 360° interviews;

4. Execution of the team’s agenda through coaching meetings, participation in its work meetings and a continuous monitoring structure with its members, its leader and the sponsor (shareholder and administrator); and finally,

5. Review of the process and integration of learning.

The team exceeded the performance objectives for the year, despite facing challenges derived from changes in the team itself, in the organisation and in the context.

In the transfer of the coaching process to the team, some of the main results identified were:

· Improving team performance;

· The increase in individual and collective self-knowledge;

· Greater awareness of the impact of their actions and behaviours on other stakeholders, both internal and external; and

· Greater team alignment.

The team itself also identified opportunities to continue its development, maintain co-responsibility and alignment, and be more connected to creating value with and for other stakeholders.

In April 2022, almost six months after completing the team’s systemic coaching process, the sponsor and team members were asked to submit a testimonial. The testimonies collected remained consistent with the main results identified during the transfer of the coaching process to the team, demonstrating the sustainability of the benefits of the developed process.

We invite you to explore this methodology in your organisations.

Authors: Fátima Ribeiro and Susana Azevedo