Support Training and Development: Coaching, Mentoring and Growth in the Team
Strong teams keep learning. A capable leader identifies development needs early, creates a practical plan, supports training and uses coaching or mentoring to help people grow with confidence.
Mark each section as refreshed
The “M” in the TEAM LEAD Cycle
Part 5 focuses on the “M” in the TEAM LEAD Cycle: Mentoring, training and capability. PUATEA003 expects leaders to identify training needs, create agreed action plans, provide training that matches organisational requirements, support team members to attend development opportunities, and use coaching and mentoring as team and individual development tools.
Training should never feel random. Instead, it should help people perform their role with stronger knowledge, better confidence and clearer alignment to work standards. When leaders guide development properly, the team becomes more capable and more prepared for future work.
Identify training needs before choosing the solution
A good leader first asks what the person or team needs to learn, improve or practise.
Start with the work requirement
PUATEA003 requires leaders to identify and assess the training needs of individuals and teams in line with organisational policies and procedures. Therefore, the first step is not selecting a course. The first step is understanding the work requirement. A leader needs to know what the team must do, what standard applies and where capability may need support.
For example, a team may need help with a changed reporting process, a new communication routine or a task that now requires greater consistency. In another case, one individual may need extra guidance while the wider team performs well. By separating team needs from individual needs, the leader can choose a more useful response.
Use evidence, not guesswork
Training needs should come from fair observation, feedback, task results, workplace discussion and organisational expectations. As a result, the leader avoids making assumptions. A person may appear hesitant because they lack confidence, because a process changed, or because the instruction was unclear. The support plan will be stronger when the leader understands the real cause.
At the same time, leaders should follow the organisation’s normal process for identifying and recording development needs. This keeps the approach consistent. It also helps the organisation track training needs across the team.
Before selecting training, ask: What capability is needed, what gap exists and what evidence supports that view?
Create action plans that turn needs into progress
A development need becomes useful only when the leader helps turn it into a clear and agreed pathway.
Make the plan specific
Once a training or development need becomes clear, PUATEA003 expects leaders to create action plans. These plans should meet individual and team development needs, be agreed with relevant personnel and then be implemented. In practical terms, an action plan should show what needs to improve, what support will happen, who is involved and how progress will be reviewed.
A strong plan gives direction. For example, instead of saying “improve handover skills,” the plan might say “complete guided practice using the current handover checklist, receive coaching during two shift handovers and review progress with the team leader at the end of the month.” This wording is clearer. It also makes progress easier to check.
Agree the next steps
Development plans work better when the right people understand them. Therefore, leaders should discuss the plan with the team member and consult relevant personnel where required. This may include a supervisor, training officer or another person recognised by organisational procedure.
Agreement does not mean every plan becomes optional. However, it does mean the leader explains the need, listens to practical concerns and confirms how the plan will move forward. That approach supports fairness and commitment.
Need
What capability, skill or knowledge needs support.
Action
What training, practice, coaching or development activity will occur.
Review
When progress will be checked and what improvement should look like.
Provide training that matches organisational requirements
Training must meet the identified need and remain consistent with the organisation’s standards.
Match training to the gap
PUATEA003 states that training is provided to individuals and teams in line with organisational requirements and standards. Because of this, training should directly support the identified need. If the gap involves applying a workplace process, the training should help people use that process correctly. If the gap involves team coordination, the training should strengthen shared understanding and consistent practice.
Leaders should also avoid using one training method for every problem. Sometimes formal training is the right choice. At other times, workplace coaching, a short practice session or a guided review may suit the need better. The organisation’s rules and standards will shape what is appropriate.
Keep the standard visible
Training should always point back to the required work standard. Therefore, leaders need to explain not only what people are learning, but also why it matters. A team member who understands the purpose of the learning is more likely to apply it well.
For example, training on a new checklist is not just about completing another form. It may improve accuracy, create more consistent handovers or support stronger team readiness. When leaders connect training to real work outcomes, the team sees its value more clearly.
“This training is here to build consistency. Once we all use the current process the same way, our handovers will be clearer and our work will be easier to review.”
Encourage attendance and support development opportunities
Leaders help development succeed when they treat learning as valuable, practical and worth supporting.
Make learning part of team culture
The unit requires leaders to encourage and support team members to attend training and undertake other development opportunities. This matters because development often competes with busy work routines. A leader who talks positively about training, gives clear reasons for attendance and helps people understand its value strengthens the learning culture of the team.
Support can take several forms. For example, a leader may explain why a course matters, help a team member prepare, remind people of development pathways or support fair access to opportunities within organisational rules. These actions show that growth is part of professional practice, not an afterthought.
Remove avoidable barriers where possible
Sometimes people miss development because they feel unsure, do not understand the relevance or cannot see how it fits their work. Therefore, leaders should ask practical questions. Is the purpose clear? Does the person know what to expect? Does the team understand how the learning supports the work?
Leaders may not control every barrier. However, they can still communicate clearly, raise issues through the right channel and encourage people to take development seriously. That approach supports both the individual and the wider team.
Treating training as a box-ticking task
If leaders show little interest in learning, team members may also see development as low value.
Explain the purpose and workplace benefit
People engage more strongly when they understand how training improves confidence, consistency and team readiness.
Use coaching and mentoring as development tools
Coaching and mentoring help turn learning into practical confidence and stronger workplace habits.
Coaching supports task improvement
PUATEA003 specifically identifies coaching and mentoring as tools for team and individual development. Coaching usually focuses on a skill, task or behaviour that needs improvement. It is practical and often close to the work itself. A leader may coach someone through a process, observe their attempt, give feedback and help them try again with greater confidence.
Because coaching links directly to performance, it works well when a person needs guided practice. For example, a team member may understand a reporting procedure in theory but need support applying it accurately during normal work. A short coaching cycle can help bridge that gap.
Mentoring supports broader growth
Mentoring often takes a wider view. It may help someone build judgement, confidence, role awareness or professional growth over time. A mentor can share experience, ask thoughtful questions and help the person reflect on their development. This approach can support future leaders, newer team members or people taking on expanded responsibility.
Both tools matter. Coaching may help someone improve a task this week. Mentoring may help them grow into stronger responsibility over several months. Therefore, leaders should choose the tool that best fits the identified need.
Coach
Support skill improvement through practice, guidance and feedback.
Mentor
Support wider growth through experience, reflection and steady encouragement.
Develop
Use the right tool to strengthen both the person and the team.
Training builds knowledge. Coaching strengthens practice. Mentoring supports growth.
Scenario drill: turning a training need into a development plan
Use this scenario to apply training needs, action plans, support and coaching together.
The team member who understands the task but lacks confidence
A team member has recently started using a revised workplace documentation process. They understand the basic steps, yet their completed records show repeated small errors. During a quiet discussion, they say they are worried about getting it wrong. The wider team also asks for a short refresher because the process is still new.
Which response best reflects Element 4 of PUATEA003?
The strongest response supports both the person and the team. It identifies the real development need, creates a plan, offers training and uses coaching to build confidence. As a result, the leader improves capability instead of simply reacting to the error.
Check your understanding
1. Training needs should be identified and assessed:
2. A development action plan should:
3. Training should be provided:
4. Coaching and mentoring are useful because they:
Say it in one minute
Use this quick drill to summarise Part 5 aloud or in your own notes:
- Leaders identify and assess training needs before choosing the solution.
- Action plans should be practical, agreed with relevant personnel and then implemented.
- Training must match the identified need and organisational standards.
- Leaders should encourage attendance and support development opportunities.
- Coaching builds task confidence, while mentoring supports wider growth.
