Tip of the Day - #10

Collaborate Better and More

Susan Lucia Annunzio, author of Contagious Success, offered this post on the 1800CEOREAD Blog about how she helps groups collaborate better.

Her steps are: "vent; reverse negative assumptions; generate ideas; identify what’s smart about each idea, watch for the recurring themes, and make sure all the themes are included when you blend the ideas into a solution; pinpoint the dangers; and develop an action plan."

I like the way Susan's process encourages the initial splattering and venting of ideas and then productively structures the conversation. The questions that arise from this process are the right ones to be asking:

What does everyone think?
What are everyone's fears and concerns?
Why do people like and dislike ideas?
What's the devil's advocate position?
How might each approach work and what barriers would we face? How would we deal with these barriers?
What are people's intentions?
What ties these ideas and intentions together?

Results = Relationships
Relationships reflect the quality of dialogue.
The quality of dialogue determines the quality of thinking.
The quality of thinking determines the quality of decisions and actions.
The quality of decisions and actions determine results.
Results = Relationships