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A Boost When You Need It Most: How the PERMA Model Can Help Teams Tackle Tough Challenges

When teams face complex, high-stakes challenges, it’s easy to get stuck in survival mode—heads down, stress up, and joy long forgotten. But even in the thick of it, there are practical, science-backed ways to lift team wellbeing and reignite the spark that fuels creative problem-solving, collaboration, and resilience.

One of the most useful tools for this is the PERMA model developed by psychologist Martin Seligman. It identifies five key ingredients that support wellbeing and sustainable performance: Positive Emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishment.

The beauty of PERMA? You don’t need to overhaul your life or your team culture to use it. A few small shifts in attention, reflection, and conversation can make a real difference.

Here’s how your team can use it today—five simple prompts, one for each pillar.

1. POSITIVE EMOTION – “What’s one thing that has made you smile, laugh, or feel grateful in the last few days—and how can we bring more of that into our team space?”

Why it helps: Positive emotion doesn’t mean ignoring the hard stuff. It means making space for moments that lighten the load. Sharing small joys helps lift collective energy, build emotional resilience, and boost morale—essential ingredients when navigating challenges.

2. ENGAGEMENT – “When have you felt most absorbed or ‘in the zone’ at work recently—and what strengths were you using?”

Why it helps: When people are deeply engaged, they bring their best thinking and energy. Reflecting on flow moments helps individuals reconnect with their unique talents—and helps the team play to one another’s strengths when it matters most.

3. RELATIONSHIPS – “Who in this team (or beyond) helps you feel supported or inspired—and what’s one small way we could strengthen our connections this week?”

Why it helps: Strong relationships buffer stress and build trust. In tough times, leaning into connection instead of pulling away can make all the difference. A coffee chat, a check-in, or a shoutout can go a long way.

4. MEANING – “What part of our work right now feels most meaningful to you—and how can we keep sight of that as a team?”

Why it helps: A shared sense of purpose is a powerful motivator. Reconnecting with the “why” behind your work can create alignment, renew motivation, and help your team rise above the noise of day-to-day pressure.

5. ACCOMPLISHMENT – “What’s one thing we’ve achieved recently—big or small—that we should celebrate?”

Why it helps: Recognising progress fuels momentum. Even small wins deserve acknowledgement, especially during long, complex projects. Celebrating success reminds the team that they are capable and moving forward.

 

Putting It into Practice

Pick one or two of these questions to explore in your next team meeting, one-on-one, or even in a group chat. You don’t need to cover everything at once—start with what feels most useful.

And if your team’s energy is low or stress is high, consider this your invitation to pause and ask:

“What would PERMA look like for us right now?”

You might be surprised by what you find when you make space for wellbeing—not as an afterthought, but as fuel for getting through what’s hard, together.

To find out more about Soji Team Coaching, reach out to us via info@soji.com.au.

Photo by Christian Linnemann on Unsplash

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

learning & change

1 leaders/ 2 strategy/ 3 culture/

Extending Collaborative Partnership

Connecting with a broader system of interested parties is critical for navigating today’s complex challenges.

 

The challenges teams face today are increasingly complex. This complexity is not something that can be overcome with deep and narrow expertise. Instead, these uncertain, ever-changing and potentially volatile environments require diverse collaborative partnerships to form quickly, adopt a design mindset, and begin experimenting and iterating their practice based on what they learn.

 

Often, a team does not contain the requisite diversity of perspective, experience, capability, or agency. In these cases, extended partnerships are vital. If you take this idea a little further, one might say that for teams to increase the value they create in the world, they must always be building partnerships and collaborating in various ways beyond the traditional boundaries, whether they are team, divisional, organisational, or sector-based. This article shares a set of tactics a team can use to improve collaborative partnering for systemic impact.

 

Dr Peter Hawkins reminds us that teams exist to fulfil a specific purpose shaped by the stakeholders who define the team’s context. Hawkins’ approach of “outside-in” and “future-back” thinking emphasises that stakeholders—or “interested parties” or “partners”—must guide and inspire the team’s work, ensuring relevance and impact. Without these external connections, teams risk becoming insular and losing sight of their purpose.

 

How Might a Team Do This?

Achieving meaningful stakeholder engagement requires deliberate actions and strategies:

 

Map Interested Parties (System Players or Agents)

Using various stakeholder categories to prompt thinking, teams can map their stakeholders to understand who they are and their influence on the team’s purpose. This process might include:

  1. Gather team: Assemble a diverse team to ensure comprehensive perspectives. Equip the group with stakeholder category prompts: Investors and Funders, Customers, Suppliers and Providers, Employees and Contractors, Communities in which the organisation operates, The more-than-human world)
  2. List players: Invite the group to capture all potential stakeholders across the six categories on sticky notes.
  3. Consider the 13th Fairy and 7th Generation: Identify overlooked or underrepresented stakeholders who could disrupt plans if ignored. Reflect on the long-term impact of decisions, ensuring future generations’ interests are represented. See the end of this blog for more information on the 13th Fairy and 7th Generation.
  4. Prioritise players: Use criteria like influence, interest, and alignment with the team’s purpose to prioritise stakeholders.
  5. Create a visual: Create a stakeholder map or matrix to display relationships and levels of influence.

 

Design Engagement Practices

Teams can collaboratively design routines and practices tailored to different types of engagement.

Build a shared understanding of your ‘stakeholders’ perspectives.

  • Conduct stakeholder interviews to gather in-depth insights about their needs and priorities.
  • Facilitate workshops or focus groups to encourage open dialogue and exchange of ideas.
  • Use surveys or feedback forms to gather quantitative data on stakeholder attitudes and expectations.
  • Develop personas or stakeholder maps to visualise different perspectives and ensure all voices are represented.

 

Scout out ways to bring new insights and perspectives into the collective.

  • Research emerging trends or technologies that could offer fresh viewpoints relevant to stakeholders.
  • Invite external experts or thought leaders to present new ideas and stimulate thinking.
  • Set up cross-functional teams to foster diverse viewpoints and encourage innovation.
  • Leverage data analytics to uncover patterns or insights that may not be immediately obvious to stakeholders.

 

Practice ambassadorship when representing the collective in the broader system.

  • Regularly communicate the collective’s goals, values, and achievements to external stakeholders.
  • Maintain an active presence in relevant industry or community events to build visibility and credibility.
  • Develop clear and consistent messaging that aligns with the collective’s mission and engages external audiences.
  • Foster relationships with key influencers to strengthen support for the collective’s initiatives in the broader system.

 

Partner with stakeholders to create shared value.

  • Co-create initiatives or projects with stakeholders to ensure mutual benefit and alignment with their goals.
  • Identify and prioritise joint ventures or collaborations that leverage the strengths of each stakeholder.
  • Establish clear communication channels to monitor progress and address any challenges collaboratively.
  • Design performance metrics that measure success based on shared value creation and impact.

 

Establishing Cycles of Engagement and Review

To ensure stakeholder practices remain effective, teams should:

  1. Plan engagement Create a calendar of activities, ensuring regular stakeholder interaction. Define clear objectives for each engagement cycle, tied to team goals and stakeholder priorities.
  2. Review Process: Hold debrief sessions after each engagement activity to evaluate outcomes and gather feedback. Use stakeholder input to adjust practices and address any gaps or challenges. Maintain records of engagements, insights gained, and actions taken to ensure continuity and accountability.
  3. Continuously Improve: Schedule periodic “state of engagement” meetings to review progress. Incorporate feedback from these meetings into the next cycle of planning.

 

Engaging stakeholders is a dynamic process that underpins a team’s ability to remain purposeful and impactful. By embracing practices inspired by thinkers like Peter Hawkins, Adam Kahane, Peter Block, and Edgar Schein, teams can foster relationships rooted in shared understanding, collaboration, and long-term value creation. This not only ensures the team’s relevance but also strengthens their capacity to tackle the challenges of an ever-changing world.

 

13th Fairy

Peter Hawkins uses the 13th Fairy as a metaphor for overlooked or excluded stakeholders in organisations and systems. The term comes from Sleeping Beauty, where the 13th Fairy, not invited to the christening, curses the princess in response to her exclusion.

In this context, the 13th Fairy represents individuals, groups, or broader factors (like the environment) that aren’t given a voice in decision-making but can significantly disrupt outcomes if ignored. Examples include disgruntled employees, local communities affected by business operations, or future generations impacted by short-sighted decisions.

Hawkins highlights the need for systemic awareness—recognising and engaging all stakeholders, even those not immediately visible. Doing so prevents conflict, builds inclusivity, and ensures more sustainable outcomes. The 13th Fairy serves as a reminder of the risks of exclusion in leadership and decision-making.

 

7th Generation

The idea of the 7th Generation draws on Native American wisdom, which prompts us to consider stakeholders across time: the three generations before us, our own, and the three that follow. This perspective encourages systemic thinking, recognising the impact of decisions on past, present, and future stakeholders.

In practice, this means learning from and honouring the contributions of past generations, making responsible decisions that benefit current stakeholders, and ensuring sustainability and resilience for future generations. It’s about balancing the needs of the past, present, and future in every decision.

To find out more about Soji Team Coaching, reach out to us via info@soji.com.au.

Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

learning & change

1 leaders/ 2 strategy/ 3 culture/

Systemic Team Coaching Kickstart Guide

High-value teams drive organisational success, but working together effectively isn’t always straightforward. Shifting priorities, communication gaps, and different working styles can make collaboration challenging. Because of this, many leaders look for ways to build stronger, more engaged, and effective teams.

Team coaching can help. At its best, it enables teams to reflect more deeply, strengthen connections, and improve how they work together. In this post, we’ll explore team coaching, how Soji’s approach supports teams, and how you can kickstart your own team coaching journey using a video walkthrough and a team coaching canvas.

What is Team Coaching?

Team coaching is a structured approach to team development that focuses on collective growth rather than just individual skill-building. A team coach acts as a facilitator, helping teams engage in structured dialogue, reflection, and exercises that encourage shared discovery and problem-solving.

Unlike a consultant or trainer, a coach doesn’t provide solutions or tell the team what to do. Instead, they create space for teams to shape their own direction, build collaboration skills, and develop the ability to self-coach over time. The result? More adaptable, aligned, and high-performing teams that can sustain their progress independently.

Soji’s Approach

At Soji, we believe that effective teams are deliberate about how they work together. Our coaching helps teams gain clarity, build shared accountability, and strengthen their ability to navigate complexity.

To do this, we focus on five core team effectiveness disciplines:

  1. Commissioning a Compelling Purpose – Identifying the unique value a team is meant to create and capturing it as a shared purpose that individual members can’t achieve alone.
  2. Clarifying Shared Accountability – Translating purpose into tangible goals, priorities, and measures that help the team track progress and hold each other accountable.
  3. Co-Creating Value Through Shared Practices – Establishing effective ways of working, including rituals and routines that drive collaboration and results.
  4. Connecting to the Broader System – Developing relationships beyond the team to create value and expand impact across the organisation.
  5. Continuous Learning and Improvement – Embedding reflection, feedback, and iteration to keep improving over time.

Soji’s coaching places teams in the driver’s seat, guiding them to navigate complexity and shape their own development. The goal is for teams to emerge more connected, confident, and capable of achieving long-term success.

Want to Try Team Coaching? Start Here.

Even if you don’t have a coach yet, you can start exploring team coaching right away. Below are two practical resources to help you get started:

  • Watch the video – This walkthrough video introduces a simple team coaching process you can try.
  • Download the canvas – A structured tool to help your team clarify goals, reflect on challenges, and take action together.

These resources can help your team begin the journey of improving collaboration, strengthening trust, and driving better results—whether or not you’re currently working with a coach.

Why Invest in Team Coaching?

Teams that engage in coaching often experience the following:

  • Stronger collaboration – Teams gain a clearer understanding of how they work together and what they can do to improve.
  • Deeper systemic awareness – Teams learn to think beyond their immediate work and consider their broader impact.
  • Greater psychological safety – Coaching helps normalise complexity and create a culture where team members feel safe contributing, challenging, and learning.

Is Your Team Ready for Coaching?

Before diving in, consider whether your team meets these key conditions for effective team coaching:

✔️ A clear purpose – There is a strong reason for the team’s existence.
✔️ A manageable size – Ideally 8–12 members to ensure meaningful dialogue.
✔️ A genuine desire to improve – Team members want to work better together.
✔️ Informed consent – Everyone understands and agrees to the coaching process.
✔️ A culture of reflection & dialogue – The team is open to honest discussion.
✔️ No major interpersonal conflicts – Coaching is not a substitute for conflict resolution.

If these conditions are in place, your team is well-positioned to benefit from coaching.

Next Steps

Team coaching isn’t just about improving performance—it’s about helping teams become more intentional about how they work together. Soji’s approach provides teams with the structure, space, and support to develop their skills to succeed.

If you’re ready to explore team coaching, start with the video and coaching canvas linked above. And if you’re looking for deeper support, Soji is here to help.

 

To find out more about Soji Team Coaching, reach out to us via info@soji.com.au.

Team Coaching Canvas editable

Photo by Josh Calabrese on Unsplash