Collaborative Leadership: It Starts Here

For some people, the term collaborative leadership is an oxymoron. From their perspective, either you are leading or your collaborating, but never both. This series of articles is designed to bring those terms into alignment. It provides immediately useful definitions for collaboration and collaborative leadership, and practical guidance on how to create and foster a culture that supports collaboration in the workplace... or in any community for that matter, large or small.

On this blog's index page, the most recently written entries are listed first. Here's the order in which the posts are intended to be read, including links to each:

1. Top 5 Reasons Most Companies Fail at Collaboration – highlights some of the most common assumptions that, when left unchallenged, undermine collaboration

2. Collaboration: Misguided Strategies – lists some of the most common misguided strategies for improving collaboration

3. The Foundations of Collaborative Leadership – explores the psychological underpinnings of healthy adult relationships, and how hierarchical reporting structures prevent us from being our best selves at work

4. Job #1 for Collaborative Leaders & Managers – introduces a practical definition of collaboration and the associated terms

5. The Collaborative Leader's Compass – provides an example of how to apply the definition of collaboration as a collaborative leader

6. Leaders: 5 Keys to Building Alignment – some valuable perspectives on leading according to the principle of Alignment

7. Leaders: 5 Keys to Building Ownership – some valuable perspectives on leading according to the principle of Ownership

8. What to Consider Before Collaborating – collaboration isn't for everyone... some guidelines apply

9. It Takes COINs To Make Change – this article is part of our series on communication. It's listed here because providing feedback is one of the most important skills in collaborating

10. When Meetings Go Terribly Wrong – highlights the many ways in which meetings can fail to deliver their promise

11. Why Won't Your Team Collaborate? – offers an insight into why so many leaders and their teams struggle to collaborate effectively

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Mark Voorsanger is a consultant, speaker and executive coach who has been leading and managing teams for more than 25 years. He is a member of the training team for the Collaborative Operating System, a powerful framework for teams and organizations that need to collaborate effectively.

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