8 Cornerstones of Leadership 4

The 4th cornerstone of Leadership is Collaboration 

Many of us carry the image of leaders as the all-knowing superhero archetype. This notion of a leader who stands,commands and protects his or her followers; tells them what to do,how to do it and has all of the answers, all of the time - is unrealistic.

I don't know about you,but i feel exhausted and intimidated  just reading that description of  leadership,let alone trying to emulate it!

This superhero archetype just won't cut it in the world we lead. Command  and control approaches place too much responsibility on too few leaders.

Sure,there are times when "you have to decide" it's appropriate, but it should be less often.

In today's volatile and uncertain world, adopting a collaborative leadership style the majority of the time is crucial to leadership success.

4 Ways to develop a collaborative leadership approach

 Beware of (and subjugate) your ego

Almost always go last with your idea with those you lead. Or at the very least, rarely go first. Have regular ''WHAT IF'' creative brainstorming sessions. Scenario planning without boundaries is a great collaborative approach. 

Cultivate diversity:in gender ,age,perspective and  in every other way. Dont let your process kill diversity

Be as transparent as possible to the team you lead.

Share information and implementation such as crowd-sourcing.

Ask, what information am i currently holding to myself,that if i was to share with my team, could unleash innovation,creative problem solving or increase productivity.

Ensure that your approaches help, and not hinder collaboration

Be  a great coach. Ask powerful questions more often than you tell people what to do, in other words, listen more than you speak.

Get skilled and comfortable at giving and receiving feedback. Do it every day and avoid the annual 'dump truck' appraisal

Ensure team leaders(especially at the top) are rewarded for collaborating rather than promoting their individual agendas.

A collaborative mind-set  at the top table will cascade down to the rest of the team . So encourage your leaders/managers as the case maybe to embrace collaborative spirit and reward them whenever they practice it until it becomes a norm.