405: The Power of "Team Being": Beyond Activities to Authentic Connection
Jun 15, 2025
Explore the crucial difference between team being and team building, where authentic connections reign supreme. Delve into insights from a transformative leadership retreat, highlighting how shared experiences can enhance team dynamics. Discover the power of presence and mindfulness, and how vulnerability fosters deeper relationships. A lighthearted airport story brings home the importance of everyday interactions, reminding us that true connection happens in the simplest moments.
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insights INSIGHT
Team Being vs. Team Building
Successful teams connect through being together, not just activities or events.
True team connection arises from intentionally creating time and space to slow down and be present.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Tuscany Retreat Inspiration
J.P. Nerbun shared how his experience at a Tuscany retreat inspired him to focus on creating space where time seems to stop.
This approach led to a deeply restorative and transformative TOC retreat for coaches and leaders.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Create Time and Space
Intentionally slow down and create space for deep listening in your team interactions.
Foster an environment where people feel safe to simply be present with one another.
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In 'The Culture Code', Daniel Coyle delves into the secrets of highly successful groups by examining some of the world’s most effective organizations, such as the U.S. Navy’s SEAL Team Six, Pixar, and the San Antonio Spurs. Coyle identifies three universal skills that generate cohesion and cooperation: building safety through belonging cues, sharing vulnerability to foster trust, and establishing purpose through clear narratives. The book combines leading-edge science, real-world examples, and practical strategies to help leaders and teams create an environment where innovation thrives, problems are solved, and expectations are exceeded.
The Inner Game of Tennis
Timothy Gallwey
This book, first published in 1974, focuses on the 'Inner Game' played within the mind of the player, against obstacles such as self-doubt, nervousness, and lapses in concentration. Gallwey introduces the concept of two selves: Self 1, the thinking brain that analyzes and judges, and Self 2, the 'feeling and doing' brain that can master skills naturally if not interfered with by Self 1. The book provides strategies for achieving 'relaxed concentration' and overcoming internal mental and emotional obstacles, making it relevant not only to tennis but also to other areas of life such as music, writing, work, and personal relationships.
This episode of the Coaching Culture podcast, hosted by JP Nerbun, Nate Sanderson, and Betsy Butterrick, delves into a profound distinction: team being vs. team building. Inspired by their recent transformative TOC retreat, the hosts argue that true team connection and growth emerge not from elaborate team-building activities, but from intentionally created time and space for individuals to simply be together.
The common misconception is that "team building" requires specific, often activity-focused events like paintball or bowling. However, the hosts emphasize that it's less about what people do together and more about the simple act of being together, allowing time to slow down, fostering deep listening, and creating an environment where individuals feel truly seen.
Coaching Culture 
