Reading an article in the July/August HBR titled Are You a Collaborative Leader? (Ibarra & Hansen, 2011), there are four things that leaders of collaborative environments do well:
- Make global connections that help them spot opportunities
- Engage diverse talent from everywhere to produce results
- Collaborate at the top to model expectations
- Show a strong hand to speed decisions
I’m personally encouraged by the first practice because I’m a connector and connectedness (Strengthfinders) is what motivates me to explore diverse worlds and seek to understand and learn from people far outside of my own circles. According to this article, CEOs that are connectors seek to engage with people in the wider world who are not directly relevant to their organizations; they go beyond typical areas such as local clubs, industry associations, and supplier relationships, to different regions and countries, adjacent industries, other relationships such as competitors, government officials, and university contacts. The outcome is that they hone the “ability to link people, ideas, and resources that wouldn’t normally bump into one another.”
This point in the HBR article resonates for me because by just letting relationships develop as they may has resulted in my connections with Kenyan leaders and educators. We’ve learned much from each other and we continue to throw around ideas about how we can continue to work together in leadership development, IT business development, and business degree curriculum. If you’re interested in experiencing how connections create collaboration, see our Kenya Konnections sire and think about joining us on out next trip.
