The Collaborative Way- A resource for team building and leadership development

At FS/A, we are always on the lookout for interesting, exciting, effective resources for our clients to use as they implement the principles of the Foundation of Greatness. In that regard, we want to share with you the concepts of the Collaborative Way, a model for working together developed by Lloyd Pickett and Jason Pickett and their colleagues. The Collaborative way is based upon five simple concepts which may  seem like common sense ideas but are not common practices:

Listening Generously – listening with curiosity and an intention to learn
There must be a willingness to be influenced and to set aside established filters. When we are not listening, we are not building leaders, we are not building teams, we are building yes people, and resentful ones at that. Speaking is not the only way to influence people. Listening is the most powerful tool to influence action\people.

Listening generously means listening to learn vs. listening as a temporary stopgap until one has the opportunity to present their own ideas. It’s the difference between hearing and listening, and you may hear things you had not heard before and perhaps did not expect to hear. It may come as a shock to many when they realize that the processing of sound has been simply hearing but not listening. Listening generously can be a very valuable tool to be used between individuals and groups.

Speaking straight – speaking up in a way that is honest and forward
This is not a license to crack down on someone, but speaking in a way that makes a contribution to the person and the situation. Distinguish between facts and opinion and make clear and direct requests. Be willing to be uncomfortable.

Speaking straight can be a very effective tool in developing relationships. So often in working relationships there is a tendency to want to protect those that we work with. In doing so we tend to shield these individuals from information that we think might hurt their feelings or offend them in some way. However, not speaking straight to those we work and interact with can be detrimental to the relationship and may serve as a deterrent to their growth and development.

Being For Each Other – looking out for the other person’s positive intent
Breakdowns are often opportunities to support each other. Supporting someone’s success is not just being nice to them. It also means intervening in gossip, during timely cleanups, looking for positive intent and giving encouragement.

Being for each other is a way of providing support to our friends and coworkers in a manner that lets them know that we have their backs. It’s letting them know that we are interested in them and their growth so they can have confidence that we will be there for them no matter what.

Honoring commitment – everyone shares in the responsibility for commitments
This involves managing effectively, resolving broken agreements and forwarding accomplishments. Honoring commitment is a two- way street.

Honoring commitments means when commitments are made to each other they will be honored and kept. This is also a way of building and developing trust in our personal and working relationships.

Acknowledgment\appreciation – be exact, including more than just “good job”
Be precise in explaining exactly what they did that was so great. Notice and receive every opportunity to acknowledge and appreciate. Receive openly and request when missing. Acknowledgment and appreciation is almost self- evident but is an important variable within the collaborative way.

It is not necessary to commit to all of the ideas  at any single time. It is quite possible to zero in on one or two of the concepts and develop those over time before moving on to committing to the others.  The concepts are effective for individuals, teams, small organizations, large companies – anyone who commits to the tenants will find it almost impossible not to change behavior towards growth and development.

I would like to share a personal experience regarding listening generously. I have never been able to appreciate rap music and in fact find it difficult to understand and am completely lost regarding its meaning. On the other hand, my son is very complementary of this type of music and videos. He thinks our different perspectives might be the result of a generation gap between us. We have had numerous conversations regarding rap music without me being able to develop any greater understanding of and appreciation for this genre. I decided to use the concept of listening generously to him and to the music. The result of this experiment brought about a greater understanding of and appreciation for rap music on my part. It also changed the relationship between me and my son. This is not to say that I find all rap music to be of value but I am able to appreciate the message being generated by many of the artists. My son and I have agreed to listen more carefully to each other in all of our communication efforts. Consequently, I am a true believer in listening generously as well as the other concepts outlines in The Collaborative Way.

The Collaborative Way is a great complement to the principles of the Foundation of Greatness. The FS/A team sees it’s value not only for our own development but for our clients as well. Please contact us to learn how we can help you.

Introduction to the Collaborative Way
The Collaborative Way®

Testimonial Video
The Collaborative Way®