Are you a collaborative leader?

The role of collaborative leadership is growing substantially, and becoming a necessity given the nature of adaptive challenges we now face across business.

As organisational success becomes increasingly dependent on ability  to adapt and manage organisational change– it is crucial that leaders fully understand the importance of cross-cultural collaboration and communication at different levels.

A number of skills important for collaborative leadership have been highlighted across various fields of research. A survey launched by HRD Connect aimed to understand the skills with most business impact at this time.

The survey asked: “What are the top skills required for collaborative leadership?”

The survey revealed that engaging others through relationship building and communicating is a vital leadership skill, 52% of people asked ranked this as most important.

A good collaborative leader needs to build and maintain relationships. Clear communication gives teams guidance and enables the decision-making process.

Engaging doesn’t just mean the ability to motivate and ensure people are focussed, it also means the ability to involve others. When a collaborative leader is able to involve the whole team, all voices are heard and ideas are shared.

The power to build relationships and communicate clearly also ensures a stronger influence within your organisation, therefore increasing your own involvement.
Figure 1: Survey results, click to enlarge

The importance of self-awareness

The quality deemed to be the second most important is self-awareness. This involves knowing what your own strengths and weaknesses are… without letting your ego get in the way.

Forbes recently published an article titled “If you want your team to collaborate, self-awareness is a game changer.”

When observing a board meeting, Yosh Bier writes: “Nearly half the team members were not aware of what they were expressing non-verbally. Furthermore, they had little awareness of, or concern for, the impact their behaviour had on others,” suggesting the importance of knowing when to put aside the ego.