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With the many technological advancements of today, the business world is in a state of rapid evolution. And with it, collaborative partnerships are becoming ever more common. As it so happens, these partnerships are easy to initiate but not as easy to maintain over the long-term.

Nevertheless, by fostering an environment where communication is clear and encouraged, collaborative partnerships will be soon to follow. It will allow staff members to approach various subjects more seamlessly and straightforwardly, thus increasing the efficiency of their collaboration.

To achieve this level of collaboration, leaders need to do two things.

On the one hand, they need to promote a culture of clarity where ambiguity is limited or even eliminated. It means that employees will have to share their observations, their thoughts, wants, and feelings with the rest of the group. Anything left unsaid about individual perceptions in the workplace will begin to worsen and grow, grinding all clear communication to a halt.

That said, managers shouldn’t try to enforce this level of sharing but encourage employees to come out on their own, in an atmosphere that promotes this sort of behaviour. And this is what brings us to the second point. For leaders and managers to nurture this kind of atmosphere, they must first embody it themselves. So, how do they do that?

Living the Moment

Learning this on an individual level will require you to take it one conversation at a time. It means that you will have to thoroughly analyze and understand every interaction in that very moment and not postpone it for another time. Doing this process from memory will frequently skew the facts, and you will not see the desired results.

Below are four essential elements that you need to be aware of so that you don’t mix them up while analyzing your interactions.

Observation

Observation of the things around you happens through your basic senses of hearing, seeing, and touching. For instance, you can hear what they have to say, but at the same time see subtle body language movements or feel someone’s anxiety by touching them on the shoulder. These will give you a clear and objective understanding of your interactions with coworkers.

Thinking

Sometimes, people confuse things that they’ve observed with what they think they’ve seen. By knowing which is which, you will not make false or erroneous assumptions about your interactions with others and will help you base your analysis solely on observable fact.

To give you an example here, thinking that someone is hungry is not the same as that person being hungry. It is a possibility, but not a real fact. It is an example of thought, not an observation.

Motivations

In this category, we can include yours, as well as other people’s wishes, needs, behaviours, motivations, and objectives that are the catalysts for their actions. Understanding both your, and your conversation partner’s motives will help a great deal in building and maintaining strong collaborations over the long-term.

It is in tune with Stephen M.R. Covey’s famous quote“We judge ourselves by our intentions and others by their behaviour.”

Feelings

Feelings and emotions are what make us human, but if we let them run out of control, they can quickly ruin any relationship. Developing high emotional intelligence will help you keep your feelings in check and not let them overwhelm you or negatively affect your behaviour and interactions.

By separating these four essential elements from each other, you can analyze any interaction and maintain a good working relationship with that person. If you make it a habit and help your employees to develop the same skill, your organization will only stand to gain. If you want to learn more, let’s connect on https://meetme.so/GregNichvalodoff or greg@inscapeconsulting.com

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CONTACT ME

Inscape Consulting Group
Greg Nichvalodoff, BSc. BM (Honors), MBA, PCC, CMC
Office: 604.943.0800
Mobile: 604.831.4734
greg@inscapeconsulting.com