283 - Robert Digings: Fostering Highly Relational Teams

In this episode of Coaches Rising, host Joel engages in a profound conversation with Robert Diggings, a seasoned team development consultant and executive coach. Robert challenges the traditional notion of 'high-performing teams,' arguing that in today’s complex and uncertain world, the true goal should be fostering 'highly relational' teams. He emphasizes that relational quality—not performance metrics—is the foundation for innovation, resilience, and sustainable success. Drawing from integrative frameworks like Gestalt, systems coaching, and the Enneagram, Robert shares his practice of creating safe, embodied spaces where teams can slow down, share vulnerably, and deepen interpersonal connections over time. He highlights that meaningful relationships require ongoing effort, emotional courage, and a willingness to be seen—especially in moments of grief, fear, anger, and joy. Robert stresses that the team is not just the individuals present, but the entire relational web, and that improving the weakest relationships can dramatically uplift the whole system. His work is not about quick fixes but a 12-month or longer journey of embodied presence, where check-ins become the work, not just a formality. The episode also explores the deeper role of the coach as a facilitator who doesn’t impose solutions but holds space with humility and presence. Robert reflects on the importance of not knowing, of being responsive rather than directive, and of honoring the natural pace of relational evolution. He acknowledges that not every team is ready for this work—some may find it slow or uncomfortable—but when teams commit to it, the transformation is profound. The conversation concludes with a powerful reminder: we are social mammals, wired for connection, and the most sustainable performance emerges not from pressure, but from belonging. The episode closes with a call to action for coaches to deepen their own embodied practice through the Power of Embodied Transformation training program.