Coaching Teams — When the Zoo Gets Complicated and Loud
Team dynamics, friction patterns, communication agreements.
When you coach a team, you're not coaching individuals — you're coaching the system. And the system has its own animal.
An all-Lion team will move fast and burn out. An all-Lemur team will generate brilliant ideas and ship none of them. An all-Dolphin team will feel wonderful and avoid every hard decision. An all-Elephant team will produce flawless work that nobody else can read.
Most real teams are a mix. The mix is the point. The friction inside the mix is also the point — it's not a bug, it's the data telling you where your communication agreements are missing.
What you're listening for
Who interrupts whom. Who goes silent when someone else speaks. Who solves before listening. Who waters down what they really think to keep the peace. These are the micro-fractures. Name them — using Zoo language — and the team has a way to talk about themselves that doesn't blame anyone.