[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section” _builder_version=”4.25.1″ background_image=”https:\/\/www.careersingovernment.com\/tools\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/David-I.jpg” custom_padding=”0|0px|0|0px|false|false” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” title_text=”Happy,Mid,Aged,Business,Woman,Manager,Handshaking,Greeting,Client,In” sticky_enabled=”0″][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_3,2_3″ admin_label=”row” _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” min_height=”595.2px” custom_margin=”|auto|19px|auto||” custom_padding=”467px|0px|0|0px|false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”2_3″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.25.1″ text_font=”PT Sans||||” text_text_color=”#ffffff” text_font_size=”72″ text_line_height=”1.1em” background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” max_width=”785px” custom_margin=”-98px||0px|||” custom_padding=”||168px|||” hover_enabled=”0″ text_font_size_tablet=”52″ text_font_size_phone=”” text_font_size_last_edited=”on|tablet” global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n
Leadership: Curiosity and Collaboration<\/strong><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_margin=”-50px||||false|false” custom_padding=”149px|0px|1px|0px|false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_3,2_3″ column_padding_mobile=”on” custom_padding_last_edited=”on|tablet” admin_label=”row” _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” max_width=”1200px” custom_margin=”0px|auto|0px|auto|false|false” custom_padding=”20px||20px||false|false” custom_padding_tablet=”0px|||” custom_padding_phone=”” use_custom_width=”on” custom_width_px=”1200px” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/www.careersingovernment.com\/tools\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/david-ivers.png” show_bottom_space=”off” align=”center” align_tablet=”center” align_phone=”” align_last_edited=”on|desktop” disabled_on=”on|on|” _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_margin=”-45px|||||” animation=”off” sticky=”on” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text disabled_on=”on|on|” _builder_version=”4.17.3″ text_font=”PT Sans|on|||” text_text_color=”#02b875″ text_font_size=”20″ text_line_height=”1.2em” header_text_color=”#000000″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” text_orientation=”center” max_width=”140px” module_alignment=”center” custom_margin=”20px||0px|” global_colors_info=”{}”]DAVID IVERS<\/span><\/a>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text disabled_on=”on|on|” _builder_version=”4.16″ text_font=”PT Serif||on||” text_text_color=”#363636″ text_font_size=”16″ text_line_height=”1.4em” background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” text_orientation=”center” max_width=”140px” module_alignment=”center” custom_margin=”20px||20px||true|” global_colors_info=”{}”]David Ivers is from Sydney, Australia. He is a qualified Primary and Secondary School Teacher. In total, he has served on school leadership teams for 16 years in senior leadership roles.[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”2_3″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.25.1″ text_font=”PT Serif||||” text_text_color=”#363636″ text_font_size=”24″ text_line_height=”1.5em” background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” max_width=”720px” min_height=”4030px” custom_margin=”-22px||0px||false|false” custom_padding=”28px||16px||false|false” hover_enabled=”0″ text_font_size_tablet=”” text_font_size_phone=”” text_font_size_last_edited=”on|tablet” global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n \u201cAround here, however, we don<\/em>\u2019t look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, <\/em><\/p>\n opening up new doors, and doing new things, because we<\/em>\u2019re curious\u2026 <\/em><\/p>\n and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n (Walt\u00a0Disney\u00a0Circa 1954<\/a>).<\/p>\n There is a lot of wisdom in this quote from Walt Disney. Curiosity often leads to collaboration; in that sense, they\u2019re often two sides of the same coin. Think about it! If I am curious about something, I will ask questions. Questions often spur on more questions and often creative answers. Of course, sometimes, the questions can be as interesting as some of the answers. Questions are, more often than not, directed at another person or persons. This is the path often traveled that leads the curious to become collaborative, even if in an ad-hoc manner. The word \u2018Team\u2019 can in fact be thought of as an acronym.<\/p>\n Consider the idea that a T.E.A.M. works:<\/p>\n T<\/strong>ogether E<\/strong>ngaging and A<\/strong>chieving M<\/strong>omentum (or M<\/strong>agic)<\/p>\n Often the opposite is thought of as a Silo. Consider the idea that people who work in a S.I.L.O. do so as a: S<\/strong>ingle I<\/strong>ndependent L<\/strong>one O<\/strong>perator<\/p>\n These are, of course, generalizations, setting up a scenario where one is seen as being better than the other. In truth, there are times when you need to get your work done, especially the parts assigned to you, not to others. Meeting to collaborate is wonderful, but if overdone, it can erode time to do what needs to be done in your own job. That said, meetings and opportunities to collaborate should be professional learning opportunities. On this point, Tom Peters in his outstanding book, \u2018The Excellence Dividend\u2019 makes a very astute observation.<\/p>\n Every meeting that does not stir the imagination AND curiosity of attendees AND increase bonding AND cooperation AND engagement AND sense of worth AND motivate rapid action AND enhance enthusiasm is a Permanently Lost Opportunity. <\/em><\/p>\n Peters, Tom. (2018) The Excellence Dividend (eBook<\/a>). London: Nicholas Brealey Publishing. (Ch 15. p420 of 496 pages).<\/p>\n It is hard to find fault with the logic that Tom Peters puts forward here. It could even be taken, in the opinion of this author, that if a meeting can just as easily be covered in an email, then the meeting is most likely wasted time. Time that could have been more purposefully used on other more pressing needs. The other observation to be made is that the \u2018infomercial\u2019 component of, say, a 1-hour meeting should not exceed the first 10 minutes. One way to make it a professional learning opportunity would be to circulate with the agenda that goes to the team, some professional reading that might be pertinent, even connected to something the team is working on. Use that research as the basis of your work collaboration and team meetings. In the process, you are growing professionally your team, which is, of course, what good leaders do.<\/p>\n If COVID-19 taught us anything, it was that when the chips are down, and people are forced to work from home, often in isolation from their colleagues, the need to collaborate becomes essential. One might even go as far as to assert that it is essential for the personal and professional well-being of everyone. As any Anthropologist will tell you, we humans are social beings. We need to interact with other human beings to thrive, grow, and be mentally stimulated, all of which go to our overall sense of well-being. Isolation for extended periods of time is not good for the human condition. In that respect, we should not, in organizations, downplay or underestimate the power that good collaboration brings. Collaboration should follow the principles of Psychological Safety and harness the benefits of it, as explained by Harvard Business School Professor Amy C. Edmondson in her groundbreaking book, \u2018The Fearless Organization\u2019.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen a work environment has reasonably high psychological safety, good things happen: mistakes are reported quickly so that prompt corrective action can be taken; seamless coordination across groups or departments is enabled, and potentially game-changing ideas for innovation are shared. In short, psychological safety is a crucial source of value creation in organizations operating in a complex, changing environment.\u201d\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Edmondson, Amy C. (2019). The fearless organization: creating psychological safety in the workplace for learning, innovation, and growth (eBook).<\/a> New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. (Introduction).<\/p>\n When it comes to true collaboration, it must be said that it is crucial for the team leader to have the ability to draw everyone into the project and into the work of the team. Creating purposeful belonging goes a long way toward the collaborative work of each person, creating synergy and success. People who can bring others along and are willing to collaborate and contribute will often be sought out to collaborate in future projects or be on future committees of strategic importance. In this regard, having such people goes to the heart of a highly structured, well-designed recruitment process that aims to identify such individuals from the outset. This goes to the essence of the often-quoted mantra about Excellence. If asked what is Excellence, Tom Peters would reply: \u201cExcellence is the next five minutes\u201d (cf: Peters. Thomas, J., Green. Nancye. \u00a0(2022). <\/em>Tom Peters\u2019 Compact Guide to Excellence (eBook).<\/a><\/em> Washington D.C. USA:\u00a0 IdeaPress Publishing. p318 of 332.). <\/em>Your success or failure will be determined by this. Professor Amy C. Edmondson also offers a powerful insight into collaboration.<\/p>\n In sum, this book proposes that building the future requires three crucial, ongoing activities: building a shared vision that evolves as more is learned, building meaningful cross-sector relationships, and building an iterative collaborative process. <\/em><\/p>\n Edmondson, Amy. C., Reynolds, Susan, Salter. (2016). Building the Future: Big Teaming for Audacious Innovation<\/a>. Oakland, CA: Berrett-Koehler Publishers. (23 of 240).<\/p>\n The last point by Amy C. Edmondson, is an important one. In organizations that value truth, trust, and excellence<\/a>, collaboration will most likely have evolved to be an iterative process, one that feeds back on itself and changes for the better, into something else that is more evolved. Collaboration can occur on many levels and in many ways. At its most basic, it is one or two individuals seeking out an expert opinion from another person in the organization. Consider this fictional conversation between person A, Alice, and person B, Beth.<\/p>\n Alice: Hi Beth, I was wondering if you could help me with something.<\/em><\/p>\n Beth: Sure, Alice, if I can, I\u2019d love to help you with your question.<\/em><\/p>\n Alice: My team was looking at this policy document and felt it would be important to update the current policy, reflecting this new update on the research. The issue is that most of them believe that the update would change the policy a fair bit; some even thought it would be a new policy. What should we do?<\/em><\/p>\n Beth: Yes, it sounds like a major deviation from the current policy. It has the potential to enhance our reputation amongst our clients and help with managing the financial aspects of the policy as well.<\/em><\/p>\n Alice: That\u2019s what the team thought.<\/em><\/p>\n Beth: The best way forward that I would recommend is to write a brief report proposing the changes for the consideration of the Leadership Team. It needn\u2019t be long. The more voices we have on this, the better the outcome. I\u2019d be happy to help you with this.<\/em><\/p>\n Alice: Thanks, Beth.<\/em><\/p>\n Beth: Anytime Alice.<\/em><\/p>\n The ten-minute corridor collaboration is a fairly common feature in many workplaces. If Beth had suggested a \u2018Review Committee\u2019 be formed, with representatives from different areas of the organization, then the conversation and the collaboration suddenly becomes more formal and more involved. The caveat, of course, is that collaboration should not be the guise under which an underperforming leader palms tasks off to others when they rightly belong to the underperforming leader to attend to. Ultimately people will see through that falsity and decide not to collaborate with that leader.<\/p>\n Both scenarios have certain key elements that point to what is involved in a genuine collaboration.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.16″ background_color=”#f7f7f4″ custom_padding=”0px||0px|” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row column_structure=”2_3,1_3″ use_custom_gutter=”on” gutter_width=”1″ make_equal=”on” column_padding_mobile=”on” module_class=” et_pb_row_fullwidth” _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” width=”100%” width_tablet=”100%” width_phone=”” width_last_edited=”on|desktop” max_width=”100%” max_width_tablet=”100%” max_width_phone=”” max_width_last_edited=”on|desktop” min_height=”594px” custom_padding=”0px||0px|” make_fullwidth=”on” custom_width_px=”680px” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”2_3″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/www.careersingovernment.com\/tools\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/2-3.jpg” title_text=”Confident,Rich,Eastern,Indian,Business,Man,Executive,Standing,In,Modern” show_bottom_space=”off” force_fullwidth=”on” align_tablet=”center” align_phone=”” align_last_edited=”on|desktop” _builder_version=”4.25.1″ custom_padding=”||0px|||” hover_enabled=”0″ animation=”off” global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”4.16″ background_color=”#efefe9″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/www.careersingovernment.com\/tools\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/3-3.jpg” title_text=”Happy,Middle,Aged,Business,Woman,Executive,Ceo,Leader,Discussing,Project” show_bottom_space=”off” force_fullwidth=”on” align_tablet=”center” align_phone=”” align_last_edited=”on|desktop” _builder_version=”4.25.1″ hover_enabled=”0″ animation=”off” global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text disabled_on=”off|off|” _builder_version=”4.25.1″ text_font=”PT Serif||||” text_text_color=”#818178″ text_font_size=”24″ text_line_height=”1.4em” background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” text_orientation=”center” module_alignment=”center” custom_margin=”1.2%|10%||10%||” custom_margin_tablet=”|10%||10%” custom_margin_phone=”” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|desktop” custom_padding=”0px|||||” hover_enabled=”0″ text_font_size_tablet=”” text_font_size_phone=”” text_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n Meeting to collaborate is wonderful, but if overdone, it can erode time to do what needs to be done in your own job.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.16″ text_font=”PT Sans|on|||” text_text_color=”#888888″ text_font_size=”12″ text_letter_spacing=”2px” text_line_height=”1.2em” background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” text_orientation=”center” module_alignment=”center” custom_margin=”20px||11.4%|||” custom_margin_tablet=”20px|||” custom_margin_phone=”” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|tablet” global_colors_info=”{}”]DAVID IVERS[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”0px||0px|” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row use_custom_gutter=”on” gutter_width=”4″ column_padding_mobile=”on” custom_padding_last_edited=”on|tablet” admin_label=”row” _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” max_width=”1200px” custom_padding=”0||0px||false|false” custom_padding_tablet=”0px|||” custom_padding_phone=”” use_custom_width=”on” custom_width_px=”1200px” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.25.1″ text_font=”PT Serif||||” text_text_color=”#363636″ text_font_size=”20″ text_line_height=”1.4em” background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” min_height=”2200px” custom_margin=”-73px||11px|||” custom_margin_tablet=”40px||0px|” custom_margin_phone=”” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|tablet” custom_padding=”84px||1px|||” hover_enabled=”0″ text_font_size_tablet=”” text_font_size_phone=”” text_font_size_last_edited=”on|tablet” global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n There are, of course, good reasons to look for opportunities to collaborate. One obvious one is that it can help to discover good, clear-thinking leaders of the future. Leaders who know how to listen and bring empathy to the table. James Kouzes and Barry Posner, in their excellent work, \u2018Learning Leadership, \u2019 made this pertinent observation.<\/p>\n \u201cA culture of leadership that supports collaborative behavior is going to be more hospitable to the development of leaders than one that is internally competitive and focuses on a winner-take-all approach to selecting and promoting leaders.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n\n