Category Archives: Teamwork

Collaboration at Work

What’s An Elephant Between Coworkers?

By Daniel Robin

Have you ever noticed how your perceptions and those of others often don’t match?

It is said that we all hold “a piece of the elephant” (and the elephant likes it). This is why collaboration is necessary and usually advantageous at work: to gain access to unfamiliar territory and the new resources that live in other people. Indeed, to get things done, learn, and improve, your colleagues – yes, even your boss – could actually come in handy from time to time.

Collaboration is more than just working together cooperatively (“teamwork”), more than going along (accommodating) or getting along … it is that remarkable and unpredictable chaos, complexity and creative stuff that makes life interesting. Admittedly, sometimes too interesting..

Look Within, or Look Out!

Reflect for a moment on your own workplace . when was the last time you had a conversation that didn’t go well? Do you normally come back to those less-than-delightful moments to gain a sense of resolution?  How, usually? Do you resolve it inside your own head or do you get in their face? Where there’s been some interpersonal friction, most of us tend toward one extreme or the other to cover up the fact that we feel either threatened or embarrassed.

Even if you attempt resolution inside your own head (“Oh, he’s just a jerk!”), or through a third party (“Can you believe what a jerk he is?!”), or with the person directly (“I’m sorry, but I don’t feel complete about X; perhaps there’s been a misunderstanding…”), you aren’t necessarily collaborating.

So, what is collaboration, and when does it make sense to collaborate?  There are at least four situations where a collaborative approach is essential:

  • When you need to increase cooperation – collaboration helps deal with differences before they lead to resistance or begin to prevent understanding.

Skills: handling resistance, empathic listening and verifying understanding.

  • When you want stewardship (not micro-delegation or micro-management) – whether kicking off an important project or change initiative, stewards “go slow to go fast” with the right input from all the right players up front. [ “Stewardship” just means fully delegating so they truly own and commit to carrying out the action, and getting the desired results. ]

Skills: asking goal-oriented questions, forming clear & complete agreements, rapport.

  • When you need a more complete perspective – collaboration allows for useful reflection and feedback, so rather than hallucinating (filling in blind spots from your own perceptions), you can push back on limited assumptions and gain new awareness.

Skills: distinguishing observation from interpretation, giving feedback and recognition, rapport.

  • When there has been a breakdown or problem with another person – collaboration provides the most tactful way of building accountability, trust and safety, while bringing about lasting change.

Skills: Dealing with negativity and blame, establishing accountability, and using the “gentle art of confrontation.”

Work with me here 

[Can you think of any more “collaborate or else” situations? If so, send us E-mail at daniel@abetterworkplace.com.  These four instances have withstood the test of reader scrutiny since Feb., 1999.]

For each of these scenarios, there would typically be a consequence to not collaborating. For example, when there’s a breakdown and the pathway starts getting cluttered by the debris of stormy interpersonal weather, take time out to clear it. A cooling off period is wise, but don’t postpone collaboration indefinitely or what was once merely cool will soon turn frozen and immovable as a “hardening of the attitudes” sets in. Then you’ll need that elephant or other power tools to drag away the heavy interpersonal roadblocks.

And if you still have strong feelings, it may be helpful to work it out human to human rather than through electronic (or animal) means. Email and voicemail have their place, but it is too easy to misunderstand intent without a “live,” interactive conversation.  It is nearly impossible for others to accurately “read” your voicetone and body language in email or voicemail.

Keeping “current” in relationship – no accumulation of serious withholds or violations of trust – and skillful communication happen to be a key to effective, high-quality collaboration and teamwork.

With all these liabilities, why collaborate in the first place?  See the next article.

Collaboration

Collaboration can become “coliberation” when done right.

When, exactly, are “two heads better than one”?  When the overall goal and task at hand deserve this form of closely aligned partnering.  Of course, not every type of work, every goal or every task deserves it, and when collaboration is warranted, success depends on the willingness and skill-sets of collaboration partners.  Key is to neither over- nor under-utilize collaboration, saving it for situations that will benefit from its advantages, avoiding auto-pilot limitations due to habitual responses to diversity, stretching toward greater and greater effectiveness.  

Check out our collaboration skills program course description, or contact us to schedule a delivery or discuss a tailored version of this course.

If you are an individual looking for self-study materials, consider downloading our 90-minute audio conference (offered through Lorman Education, with Continuing Education Unit credits available*) entitled Breaking Down Silos to Effective Collaboration (original Flyer PDF | Purchase program for $99 “on demand” at lorman.com/training/management/breaking-down-the-silos-for-effective-collaboration).

Related articles:

Why bother gaining greater awareness and skill with these tools for collaboration?  Because insanity is defined as doing what you’ve always done but expecting a different result. It takes a highly disciplined or slightly crazy (in a good way) person to choose what is less familiar and possibly uncomfortable, but such is the way of “style stretching” for those who normally over-use or under-use collaboration as their “go to” mode of interacting.  Professionals these days let the discomfort be their guide — getting comfortable with the discomfort — of trying new things, until that greater flexibility has been added to their repertoire.

How flexible are you when it comes to working with others, especially those who are unlike you?  At times a passenger, at others strongly “in charge” as topic leader, modern workplaces are most productive when experienced as a daily “flexibility drill” when collaborating with diverse others. Bending and stretching without get bent out of shape — skills worth honing over a lifetime!

Not seeing what you’re looking for?  Browse our other presentation topics for ideas.

* This course has been reviewed and approved for inclusion in the Human Resource Professional Development (HRPD) Certificate Program and qualifies for 0.5 credit. Please visit www.lorman.com/certification/hrpd for more information.

Workplace Power Dynamics: Part 4

Practical Power

By Daniel Robin

The previous article made a distinction between giving power away (never to be seen again) and sharing what power you have. Sharing power inevitably keeps the situation in your sphere of influence – it also provides a lot more fun and satisfaction. This article we’ll get into practical applications of shared power and focus on situations where you’d want to resolve a conflict, influence an outcome, or shift a power dynamic.

Which of these three scenarios sound most familiar to you?

  1. Shared power is most often exercised in joint decision making; however, people with positional power sometimes decide without adequately including input from others.
  2. Although there are times when we underestimate how much decision-making power (authority) we have, often we are given responsibility without authority. I call this “false responsibility.”
  3. A colleague does a covert power move – that is, they act in a way that seems to be more about trying to get their way than about working with the substance of an issue.

1. Decision making Dynamics

Have you ever been in a meeting that was supposedly designed for open discussion and full consideration of the group’s input, but then somebody (usually a manager) makes a quick decision? If that drives you crazy, try asking some of the following questions:

“Are you making a decision or recommending something?”

If they admit to deciding on the group’s behalf, and you’re not sure you can live with either the process or the decision itself, you can inquire “On what [criteria, conditions, rationale] is that decision based?”

Voice tone and body language are everything here. If you can ask calmly, with a come-from of curiosity and interest, it will be disarming, not threatening. Be prepared to listen and verify what you hear. You may want to open it up to others in the group by asking: “What’s your basis for deciding?” And people will explain what their criteria, conditions, or rationale would be for a wise decision. Comparing each other’s “How we will know if the right decision has been made” is a lot easier than debating (or having to swallow) the relative merits of the decision itself.

2. False Responsibility

You’ve been asked to handle a project for your boss, but nobody seems willing to cooperate or help you complete it. This could be a problem, what I would call “false responsibility” . unless . the boss is willing to step in and visibly lend some support. You may need more information, resource assigned, or management backing. If you’ve been feeling like the lone ranger, it may be time to lasso some self-confidence and ask that boss to “clear the path” so you can do your best work.

3. Indirect (covert) Power Plays

A colleague stops including you in meetings. You get shut down at a critical moment during team-building. The parking spots get shuffled around and yours gets painted “Visitor.” Not a good sign.

A covert, positional power grab can be just as counterproductive as a full frontal assault. Usually the person doing the grabbing, however, is actually giving away their own power in the form of negativity or blame. Not only does this make this person look foolish and unprofessional, but it also wastes precious time and energy that could be used to deal with the situation.

What can be done? First off, check your assumptions. Is this person actually trying to undermine you, or are they just being . less than considerate. If you really think they have destructive tendencies, your best offense would be to encourage this person to “tell it you straight.” Then listen with the intent to understand, nothing more. Disarm . then walk away.

The Power of Balance is Impossible to Deter

It is easier to maintain your center than to find it. Without taking another person’s issue personally, what would be the kind of power move that you would want to teach? How can your actions show your true character, not just your reflex?

The Eight Essential Skills Of Coaching

How to bring out the best in others

By Daniel Robin

Previous article talked about the cultural revolution taking place in most work environments. Hierarchical “command and control” management practices are giving way to more collaborative, fluid and dynamic structures. Why? People naturally perform better when their work environment matches how they like being treated.

The challenge of letting go of control and authoritative practices is that few people know how to manage the transition. There’s fear and skepticism around change anyway, so this just adds to the confusion.

The management task is to let go of control in favor of new structures and accountability agreements. To assist people in using structures and forming clear and complete agreements, many organizations are using cross-functional teams and providing training in coaching skills.

The eight essential elements described below comprise a short-course on how to bring out the best in others. As you practice and apply these coaching skills, they become a part of your natural communication style. Employees and co-workers feel more intrinsically motivated and in charge, have increased commitment to upholding agreements and to doing their best.

The result is increased self esteem and confidence for them, with less effort for you. As coach, you’ll get more done through cooperating with others and you won’t have to come up with all the answers yourself!

Note that these essentials are listed in order of necessity; each skill builds on the previous. You probably do most of these skills most of the time. To help you recognize which of them are your strengths, and where you might be able to improve, I’ve also included how not to do the skill.

Be present: Before coaching someone, pay careful attention to the signals that indicate rapport. The more you can be present, the better you will be as a coach. It would be a mistake to push through resistance or to coach when you are distracted. Instead, being present means being on their agenda, available to what they’re up to, able to let them know you understand their situation, challenges, resistance, fears, etc. Like rapport, this element is foundational to all others.

Clear Goals: Assuming that you and the client are clear on what’s wanted would be a mistake. Set clear immediate goals and long-term direction with “What do you want?” and “How will you know when you’ve got that?”

Ask vs. Tell: Giving unsolicited advice is not only disempowering, it’s unnecessary. Resist the temptation to “give them a fish;” instead, teach them how to fish for their own answers. If you feel compelled to offer advice, it can be packaged in a way that puts the person fully at choice and in charge. For example, try “I have an idea that you might find useful; mind if I check it out with you?”

Agreements: Unclear or incomplete agreements produce misery and suffering. “Oh, you thought I meant this Thursday!?” This also includes effective agreements for how they want to be coached. Clear agreements can contribute to setting an atmosphere of mutual respect and shared power. Effective coaching turns up the volume on accountability to agreements, replacing the need for “command and control.”

Recognition: Mistake: Fake praise or no praise Skill: look for what it is about this person and their performance that’s praise-worthy; be sincere and generously encourage what’s wanted.

Feedback: Let their mistakes be their best teacher. Live by “no failure; only feedback” and only give constructive suggestions for improvement. Learn to gently confront areas that need attention. Separate the person from the issue. Provide both observation and interpretation so you can openly discuss differing perceptions.

Structure: Instead of allowing fire-drills and chaos to rule the day, design reasonable action steps to reach achievable goals. Structures are for supporting, not burdening, the client. They assist the client to remember their commitments, to systematically assess and adjust priorities, to increase their capacity to focus, and to track progress for on-going learning and process improvement.

Intuiting: The opposite of structure. Intuition is different from opinion or interpretation. Intuition usually comes from a “gut feel” or other body signals. An effective coach knows when to throw away the plan, be pragmatic, and how to politely invade or challenge the client’s assumptions to prevent catastrophe.

Most professionals already possess skill at coaching — they just need to understand how and when to use those skills to build trust with others. Managers, executives and team members that gradually add new coaching skills and distinctions to their interpersonal repertoire can get long-lasting, life-transforming results with anyone.

The ultimate goal is to condition the client to use their own resources when you’re not around. And if you think being coached feels good, check out being one.

Helping the Emergence of Co-operative Work

By Daniel Robin

Whether you’re a group manager or executive, member of a dedicated work team, or an entrepreneur out on your own, you’ve probably noticed an increased reliance on collaboration and co-operation to get things done. The days of the lone wolf or the aggressive, cut-throat bully are over. Effective managers have realized that treating people as mere factors of production isn’t very productive.

Yet, despite the importance of having whole human beings showing up for work, most organizations still talk of empowerment but struggle to achieve it. Step one: commit to building a culture where people at every level are given the tools and training, the skills and strategies, the authority and responsibility needed to share power, build trust, and get recognized. Once the commitment has been made, don’t say much about it, just make it happen collaboratively and highlight the results as evidence of the commitment.

Letting Go of Control

Leaders of hierarchical organizations have resisted “handing over the keys to the car” because they’re not sure if we can drive. The task is to let go of control in favor of new structures and agreements. Be gone layered hierarchies built on information, bureaucracy, and power over others; welcome instead structures that help transfer knowledge and pertinent performance data to those who need it. Letting go is perhaps the hardest change there is, one that often elicits fear, anger, and ambiguity. That may explain some of the chaos and uncertainty of late.

The problem with upper management’s ambiguity is that it can look and smell like a trick, like yet another power trip — and people can mistake it for insincerity and claim to “smell a rat.” Fear and incongruence ain’t pretty. If people pick up a message of false empowerment (“You are now empowered. Trust me on this. Now get back to work.”), when the laughter subsides, cynicism remains to fill the gap left by the empty promise.

Building a Trust Culture

Even when employees are given all the power and responsibility they can handle, management’s motive is suspect: the “gift” seems conditioned on improved performance (guess what: it is!). This equal treatment must be acknowledged as a right, not a privilege, not something with strings attached, as if the cars keys can be yanked back for the slightest infraction.

At the core of this changing employment contract is an unspoken promise: “You handed us the new gameplan, now coach us to play the game.” This means that new skills and structures must displace the old autocracy. The role of management is changing from managing others to providing an environment where people can self-manage.

To make the shift as smooth as possible, people in team-based organizations are learning how to provide such an environment with coaching.

The Art and Practice of Coaching

Similar to a sports coach who aims to bring out an athlete’s best performance, coaching in a workplace setting helps guide people to their own answers, making “empowerment” a reality.

We’re often asked what constitutes coaching versus other styles or approaches. From the viewpoint of the person doing the coaching, there are eight essential elements that, taken together, differentiate coaching from other methods, like teaching, consulting, or counseling. The elements are shown in the wheel below:

1. Be present: Before coaching someone, pay careful attention to the signals that indicate rapport. The more you can be present, the better you will be as a coach. It would be a mistake to push through resistance or to coach when you are distracted. Instead, being present means being on their agenda, available to what they’re up to, able to let them know you understand their situation, challenges, resistance, fears, etc. Like rapport, this element is foundational to all others.

2. Clear Goals: Assuming that you and the client are clear on what’s wanted would be a mistake. Set clear immediate goals and long-term direction with “What do you want?” and “How will you know when you’ve got that?”

3. Ask vs. Tell: Giving unsolicited advice is not only disempowering, it’s unnecessary. Resist the temptation to “give them a fish;” instead, teach them how to fish for their own answers. If you feel compelled to offer advice, it can be packaged in a way that puts the person fully at choice and in charge. For example, try “I have an idea that you might find useful; mind if I check it out with you?”

4. Agreements: Unclear or incomplete agreements produce misery and suffering. “Oh, you thought I meant this Thursday!?” This also includes effective agreements for how they want to be coached. Clear agreements can contribute to setting an atmosphere of mutual respect and shared power. Effective coaching turns up the volume on accountability to agreements, replacing the need for “command and control.”

5. Recognition: Being present provides some recognition, while verbal acknowledgement builds the client’s enthusiasm and positively reinforces what’s working. Warning: Do not fake praise. The skill is in finding out what it is about this person and their performance that’s praise-worthy; be sincere and generously encourage what’s wanted.

6. Feedback: Let their mistakes be their best teacher. Live by “no failure; only feedback” and only give constructive suggestions for improvement. Learn to gently confront areas that need attention. Separate the person from the issue. Provide both observation and interpretation so you can openly discuss differing perceptions.

7. Structure: Instead of allowing fire-drills and chaos to rule the day, design reasonable action steps to reach achievable goals. Structures are for supporting, not burdening, the client. They assist the client to remember their commitments, to systematically assess and adjust priorities, to increase their capacity to focus, and to track progress for on-going learning and process improvement.

8. Intuiting: The opposite of structure. Note that intuition is different from opinion or interpretation. Intuition usually comes from a “gut feel” or other body signals. An effective coach knows when to throw away the plan, be pragmatic, and how to politely invade or challenge the client’s assumptions to prevent catastrophe.

Most high-functioning people already possess skill at coaching — they just need to understand how and when to use those skills to build trust with the client. Managers and team members gradually add new coaching skills and distinctions to their interpersonal repertoire.

The ultimate goal is to condition the client to use their own resources when you’re not around. And if you think being coached feels good, check out being one.

Advantages of Coaching

For the Coach

× Better employee performance

× You don’t have to have all the answers

× Shared responsibility, which frees you up to innovate, focus on building relationships

× Unleashed creativity

× Agreements upheld more often

For the Client

× Better results with less effort and less stress

× Employee feels more intrinsically motivated and in charge

× Increased commitment to doing their best

× Increased self-esteem and confidence

× More creativity and support for innovative problem-solving.