The Challenge: Friction at the Top in a Fast-Moving Company
When Human Interfaces was brought in to coach the founding team of a high-growth
software services startup, it was clear that something vital was missing. This wasn’t a
company in freefall, but beneath the surface, the co-founders were struggling.
These were some of the brightest engineers in the business, building powerful solutions with
precision and speed. But as the business grew, so did the complexity of leading it. Revenue
had plateaued. Execution was bogged down in detail. Some team members felt stuck, while
others were quietly burning out. Everyone had a different interpretation of the problem—and
no one was saying it out loud.
The Coaching Approach: Listen Deeply, Then Rebuild Trust
We began our coaching engagement not by prescribing fixes, but by listening. Through a
series of one-on-one coaching sessions, we gave each founder space to explore their
challenges, frustrations, and unspoken assumptions.
Questions like:
What’s feeling hard right now?
What do you wish others on the team understood about your experience?
These conversations helped surface core patterns. The issue wasn’t just about business
strategy, it was also about emotional alignment and team cohesion. The coaching process
illuminated how tension and assumptions had quietly undermined connection at the top.
From Coaching Conversations to Team Transformation
With individual clarity taking shape, we gradually brought the team back together through
facilitated group coaching sessions. These weren’t just meetings, they were intentionally
structured experiences to foster psychological safety, emotional honesty, and collaborative
reflection.
Instead of rushing to solutions, we created space for vulnerability and curiosity. Guided
prompts, feedback boundaries, and a rhythm of reflection helped the team rediscover the
value of truly hearing each other.
In one powerful moment, a founder shared, “I didn’t know we were so far apart. This
experience really reminded us of what’s important.”
That moment marked a turning point.
The Strategic Reset: Coaching Catalyzes Action
The coaching engagement led to a long-postponed decision: a full offsite strategy retreat.
There, the team finally addressed the bigger questions:
What kind of company do we want to build?
What kind of leaders do we need to become to get there?
One breakthrough came when the founders recognized the need to step back from day-to-
day operations. By promoting trusted operators, they freed themselves to return to their
sweet spot, solving complex problems and imagining what’s next.
The Outcome: A Renewed Team Culture Built Through Coaching
The ripple effects of the coaching engagement were tangible and lasting:
Clearer communication: Honest conversations replaced silent frustration.
Faster, more confident decision-making: Misalignment no longer slowed the team
down.
A new coaching mindset: Asking open-ended, reflective questions became part of
their culture.
And perhaps most meaningfully, a few months later, one founder reached out just to say
thank you:
“I didn’t realize how much I’d missed feeling like we were on the same team.”
The Takeaway: Coaching That Reconnects People and Purpose
At Human Interfaces, coaching isn’t just about addressing surface-level challenges, it’s
about guiding teams back to alignment, purpose, and connection. When leaders show up
with curiosity and courage, they unlock not only better results, but a more human way of
working together.
Feeling the friction at the top?
Schedule a discovery session to reconnect your team and lead with clarity.