Have you ever heard the phrase two heads are better than one. In today’s complex and often challenging leadership space this has never been more true. The power of collaboration really has become the go to approach for today’s successful leaders. Building collaborative teams that problem solve together and share their collective wisdom is creating news ways of working and building a collective ownership that drives an organisation forward.

This style of leadership uses the differences of the team to source solutions.

Effective leaders have always been open to suggestions and feedback on their plans, ideas and vision. Traditionally though this process has been limited and surface level at best. This method breeds suspicion and suspected self-interest around the decision making which are powerful tools that undermine leadership teams. What we are seeing more of now is an open and transparent model of leadership that allows the work behind a decision to be viewed and understood. This is creating environments where, whilst not everyone agrees, decisions are understood on the basis of the information provided. This greater transparency builds trust. When we give greater voice and inclusion to our decision making process we build a collective responsibility where the success is the responsibility of the team not the heroic figure leading the charge. It may not be possible or indeed practicable to have widespread collaboration on every decision this would in all probability grind our organisation to a halt but the big picture decisions that set directions must have high level collaboration.

Collaborative leaders understand the power of collective wisdom when problem solving. I’m not sure that I have ever been the most innovative educator, sure I have the odd idea that is outside the box but generally I’m sitting on the box looking over the edge wondering how these imaginative educators come up with these brilliant ideas. Successful leaders understand that they cannot be all things to all people so they build teams that have a balance of skills and knowledge. With a collective team effort we can expand ideas in so many ways, challenging our thinking to develop a single thought into a well-developed plan. This style of complimentary leadership uses the differences of the team to source solutions. Strong leaders develop norms and protocols that empower individuals within the group to identify when things are blocking a solution and take the group away from its intended purpose. These systems allow issues to be tabled respectfully and solutions identified collectively, building stronger commitment to the overall goal.

As a collaborative leader you have the perfect opportunity to build the skills of your team. Working in collaboration allows you to leverage the strength of the individuals in your team. As a high quality leader you have a responsibility to build the capacity of those you lead. Finding opportunities to coach your team to build individual skill or form complementary partnerships across the team allows others to learn from each other. This not only builds capacity but strengthens the depth of the decision making.  Working through to a solution provides the perfect opportunity to access coachable moments where you have work based problems to solve and quarantined time to guide team members through change.

Collaborative leadership whilst not new is becoming an increasingly adopted model. There is a definite shift from the heroic rockstar leader to the strong focused team where there is strength and wisdom in numbers. The old saying the smartest person in the room, is the room itself has never been more true. I have a few suggestions that I believe can assist in building a collaborative approach.

• Know that you are not the font of all wisdom – No single person can have in depth coverage over every aspect. High quality leaders know they don’t know it all and surround themselves with experts. In large organisations there are experts within and external to the site, use this knowledge and skill to give you a broad perspective.
• Share information – Effective decisions are made on balanced judgement, true collaboration cannot occur when one member of the team withholds information.
• Ask for help – Effective leaders recognise when they need help. There is no shame is asking for assistance and utilising the wisdom of another.
• Ask open ended questions – As leaders we need to carefully consider our questions. With the increased tempo of our work it can become easy and convenient to ask questions that we already know the answers to or questions that guide toward a predetermined destination. At times we believe that a quick response will allow us to get on with the job. The effective leader though will ask open ended questions that could provide solutions or paths not thought of.
• Do what you say you’re going to do – When you are truly collaborative you rely on each other to get things done. If you say you’ll do something do it well and on time. The team is only as strong as its weakest link. Don’t be the weak link.
• Be brave but respectful – Successful collaboration requires honesty. If something is not right then call it out and offer a solution. Developing protocols for how this is achieved encourages honesty by providing a safe platform to work from.
• Listen – When we are truly passionate about an idea our ability to listen can be limited. As others try to add their perspective and we begin to advocate for our position, the ability to listen, compromise and act with humility show depth to your leadership.
• Use silence – I’ve often used silence as a strategy. Sometimes having the thought and sitting on it allows you to gain perspective. Sometimes it’s what’s not said that builds the solution.

As we move into a new model of operation I urge you to collaborate widely. The days of silo decision making have long gone. The role of the leader has evolved into that of a connector, someone who can identify hotspots of talent and merge them together to achieve what was not considered possible. Successful collaboration won’t just happen, many have tried only to build a group that works against each other rather than the problem they are trying to solve. Building collective impact takes time, careful planning and strong systems that support the collaborative culture. As all successful team leaders have found, high quality collaboration is no accident.