As today’s business environment grows increasingly complex, more executive teams are turning to collaboration to empower their teams and drive best practices throughout their organization.
According to a recent survey by Deloitte, 51% of respondents rated C-suite collaboration as one of the most important issues facing leadership teams today. That being said, if an organization is seeking longevity and growth, its leaders must be aligned and working closely together.
But what exactly is collaborative leadership? Simply put, it means that leadership team members are open and transparent in the work that they do. When leaders are committed to building a collaborative culture, they’re able to nurture environments where knowledge sharing and ownership are front and center. This openness creates a shared vision, and most importantly, clarity across an organization.
As the workforce evolves, leadership best practices and communication styles need to evolve, too. It’s not enough for leaders to encourage their teams to seek out collaborative opportunities — executive teams need to lead by example.
All too often, executive teams are plagued by ineffective communication practices simply because it’s the way they’ve always worked. Lack of accountability, working in silos, or failing to delegate tasks are just a few of the issues commonly seen within the C-suite.
Yet, if leaders make a more concerted effort to work openly and transparently, they will have better opportunity to inspire the same behaviors among their teams. By making noticeable adjustments to their communication workflows, executives create a space where their staff is actively inspired to do the same.
While integrating collaborative practices into your workflow might feel like a big leap, new technologies are available to ease the burden on executive teams. Technologies that support collaborative practices may include:
Of course, the use of these modern communication tools should never replace more traditional collaborative practices like in-person meetings. Instead, by utilizing a mix of different communication methods, executive team members are more likely to implement workflows that generate real results for their organizations.
Sometimes, making these changes can seem outright overwhelming. We recommend piloting just one or two of these tactics among your executive team to gain comfort and familiarity with these concepts. Making just a couple of changes at a time creates a compound effect that nurtures an environment where collaboration can thrive.