I am called in to assist you as a conflict resolution and negotiation specialist, but at other times I am called up to promote collaboration. When that is the case, it is important that I
- know your mission
- focus on your mission
- understand your unique niche
- find out how you interact with others
- figure out best ways to leverage with others
- understand how you serve your client or customer base
- find out how you partner with others
- find out how you connect what you have
- find out how you market with others
These are some of the ways we can help you harness the power of collaboration going forward. Check out this article from Forbes and pull out the ideas that work best for you.
Your mission and theirs
What is your mission? Who are your competitors? Who can you potentially partner with that have similar values and a mission that aligns with what you do? No one lines up 100%, but some may be pretty darn close. When you think you may have found someone that would be a good potential partner, go ahead and meet with them. Explore what you do and see if you have some synergies in common. This can be a writer, editor, and publisher; a CPA, a financial planner, a business valuer, and/or an attorney offering services for exit planning for a business owner, tax, litigation, divorce or other; or a business owner, a related competitor, or a mutual customer, for example. The key is to take a few moments to brainstorm your mission and theirs, and to explore the best alternatives with some initial research, and then to reach out to see if there is a mutual interest.
While I was serving on the board of a credit union our firm took almost a year to explore the financials of more than two dozen other credit unions before narrowing our list down to a top three. We went to dinner and explored interests with the first alternative, but it clearly was not a good fit. We repeated this with the second alternative, and we clicked from the very beginning. A year later we had a merger and a new name. Two years later we were moving forward extremely well. What kinds of steps are needed to capture the power of collaboration?
What are your and their best strengths?
As you consider your strengths and that of the other potential partner, think about what you have to offer and what they have to offer. There has to be trust and both parties need to have shared values. Explore resources, technology, technological skills, culture (beliefs, values, honesty, integrity, work ethic, work life balance, customer focus, project management), customers, and business results. Consider physical and non-physical aspects of the relationship. In today’s world consider language, education, religion, political aspects, and the way others treat each other. These criteria help define who you are and who they are too. How do you complement each other?
You have to be willing to work with each other
Think about “an alliance of the willing” as you consider working between your team and their team. Who is on-board with this potential collaboration? Who is on the fence? Who is not especially excited about it? Who is actually negative about the potential change? Check out my complimentary one-hour course on Change Management and Restructuring Organizations offered by CPA Academy. Besides the obvious business results that were likely the driving force, it is very important to plan and take actions to address the social and political impacts on everyone. There may need to be a time for grieving. Grieving is the process of giving up what has been. Think about this in terms of relationships that may no longer be the same. Some people will have a harder time processing this change than others. This is the first stage associated with change, and that is going through a potential stage of grief. The second stage is referred to as the neutral zone. This can be both a time for creativity and chaos. When things are in a state of flux, especially regarding communication and roles, this period can be challenging. Finally, there is time for new beginnings, creativity, and increased productivity. Everyone one approaches these three stages differently and there may need to be a step backward to an earlier stage as part of the process. This is all part of the growing process.
It takes time to form and to storm as each party figures out how to work with one another, develop norms, and move on to become a performing, effective, efficient collaboration. Be aware of the concerns identified here, and work with individuals by listening, empathizing, and honestly addressing their concerns. This is all part of managing change.
Share the initiative
Market the initiative. Share why you are doing what you are doing with your collaboration. Let the larger community know what you are doing. Explain how this will benefit you and your clients or customers. Explain how this will change systems, operators, and improve quality as a result of your shared approach. These benefits may be obvious to some and not to others. Some may simply see the collaboration as a way to increase market share, for example, but not to promote the quality of life or the quality of work. These concerns may be valid, but at the same time pause and come up with three reasons why this may be beneficial for them. Look at this from their perspective and how you could help them. Promote this perspective to them and to others. After all, others don’t know what benefits there may be in collaboration, so educate the broader audience at the same time you are working with your employees to help them come on board with the changes.
Think about what you do. How can you promote collaboration is a much bigger initiative. Here are some tag lines that help explain a broader perspective.
- A grain elevator with – “We feed the world”
- Apple Mac Book – “Light years ahead”
- Lyft – “Rides in minutes”
- Pinterest – “A few (million) of your favorite things”
- Square – “Start selling today”
Reach out to your collaborating partner. Work with them using brainstorming techniques to see what you may come up with together. Teach (and if necessary preach) that this collaboration will be our joint project rather than our team or their team’s project. Look for ways to partner with each other so that the teams can really see the collaborative effort and how it generates even better results. Work together sharing appropriate information. Pay attention to how individuals react to that information and listen actively to everyone. Address their concerns and their insights with empathy and understanding. If you do, it is highly likely that you will generate better options leading to a more satisfactory outcome.
Check out these links to my publications if you would like to learn more about collaboration, conflict resolution, or enhancing your servant manager skills.