Dont Leave Collaboration

for Leaders

to

Chance:

Strategies

Collaboration is a hit-or-miss proposition (and mostly a miss) in todays

organizations, according to Dr. Eunice Parisi-Carew, a teams expert with The
Ken Blanchard Companies. The result is a huge loss in productivity and
potential as pseudo-teams struggle with tasks that could have been
accomplished more successfully if the team members worked together more
effectively.
For leaders looking to improve their ability to bring people together to work
collaboratively, Parisi-Carew recommends focusing on three key areas.
1. Lay a strong foundation. Youve got to know where youre going. As
Parisi-Carew explains, Many teams are brought together with no more
thought than We need a team to do this. So teams get formed rather
sloppily many times, with only a vague charge. That typically translates into a
team that doesnt have a clear purpose or goal.
2. Deal with conflict effectively. Avoiding differences of opinion will
usually blow a team apart, or turn it into an apathetic group. When there is a
difference of opinion, the group has to have a plan for how to decide on a
course of action for moving forward. The good news is that when this is done
right, conflict can lead to higher levels of trust, creativity, and accountability.
3. See yourself as a servant. Being a team leader includes a willingness to
see yourself as a servant who guides the development of the team. This
means remembering that the team leaders role is to grow the team to selfsufficiencynot accomplish the task personally.
That is a huge attitude change and that is why a lot of people struggle. They
want to hold onto the power, but as long as they do, youll never have a high
performing team.
For example, if someone on the team is misbehaving, rather than allowing
the team deal with it, the leader feels compelled to go in, take that person
out, and deal with the disruptive behavior. And while that action may be
expedient, it deprives the team of the opportunity to work through that
experience, benefit from it, and move forward as a group.
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The most successful companies use teams effectively. Good teaming and
collaboration impacts productivity, morale, and creativity