Articles Review/Spotlight Artwork Jessica Snow & Four Traits of Collaborative Leaders

Articles Review/Spotlight Artwork Jessica Snow & Four Traits of Collaborative LeadersOrder DescriptionWrite a 2 page report that summarizes and analyzes the two articles attached. One section of the report should summarize the articles, and then another section of the report should be used to draw connections between the concepts in the articles and the work experiences of a manager.Spotlight Artwork Jessica SnowCurly Words, 2011, acrylic on paper17″ x 21″Spotlight on InfluenceConnect,Then LeadTo exert influence, you must balancecompetence with warmth. by Amy J.C. Cuddy,Matthew Kohut, and John NeffingerAmy J.C. Cuddy is anassociate professor ofbusiness administration atHarvard Business School.Matthew Kohut and JohnNeffinger are the authorsof Compelling People: TheHidden Qualities That MakeUs Influential (HudsonStreet Press, August 2013)and principals at KNPCommunications.hbr.orgJuly–August 2013 Harvard Business Review 55Is it better to be loved or feared?employee with outmoded skills in a rapidly evolvingindustry).To be sure, we notice plenty of other traits inpeople, but they’re nowhere near as influential aswarmth and strength. Indeed, insights from the fieldof psychology show that these two dimensions accountfor more than 90% of the variance in our positiveor negative impressions we form of the peoplearound us.So which is better, being lovable or being strong?Most leaders today tend to emphasize their strength,competence, and credentials in the workplace, butthat is exactly the wrong approach. Leaders whoproject strength before establishing trust run therisk of eliciting fear, and along with it a host of dysfunctionalbehaviors. Fear can undermine cognitivepotential, creativity, and problem solving, and causeemployees to get stuck and even disengage. It’sa “hot” emotion, with long-lasting effects. It burnsinto our memory in a way that cooler emotionsdon’t. Research by Jack Zenger and Joseph Folkmandrives this point home: In a study of 51,836 leaders,only 27 of them were rated in the bottom quartile interms of likability and in the top quartile in termsof overall leadership effectiveness—in other words,the chances that a manager who is strongly dislikedwill be considered a good leader are only about onein 2,000.A growing body of research suggests that the wayto influence—and to lead—is to begin with warmth.Warmth is the conduit of influence: It facilitatestrust and the communication and absorption ofideas. Even a few small nonverbal signals—a nod, asmile, an open gesture—can show people that you’repleased to be in their company and attentive to theirconcerns. Prioritizing warmth helps you connectimmediately with those around you, demonstratingthat you hear them, understand them, and can betrusted by them.Niccolò Machiavelli pondered that timeless conundrum500 years ago and hedged his bets. “It maybe answered that one should wish to be both,” heacknowledged, “but because it is difficult to unitethem in one person, it is much safer to be feared thanloved.”Now behavioral science is weighing in with researchshowing that Machiavelli had it partly right:When we judge others—especially our leaders—welook first at two characteristics: how lovable they are(their warmth, communion, or trustworthiness) andhow fearsome they are (their strength, agency, orcompetence). Although there is some disagreementabout the proper labels for the traits, researchersagree that they are the two primary dimensions ofsocial judgment.Why are these traits so important? Because theyanswer two critical questions: “What are this person’sintentions toward me?” and “Is he or she capableof acting on those intentions?” Together, theseassessments underlie our emotional and behavioralreactions to other people, groups, and even brandsand companies. Research by one of us, Amy Cuddy,and colleagues Susan Fiske, of Princeton, and PeterGlick, of Lawrence University, shows that peoplejudged to be competent but lacking in warmth oftenelicit envy in others, an emotion involving bothrespect and resentment that cuts both ways. Whenwe respect someone, we want to cooperate or affiliateourselves with him or her, but resentment canmake that person vulnerable to harsh reprisal (thinkof disgraced Tyco CEO Dennis Kozlowski, whoseextravagance made him an unsympathetic publicfigure). On the other hand, people judged as warmbut incompetent tend to elicit pity, which also involvesa mix of emotions: Compassion moves us tohelp those we pity, but our lack of respect leads usultimately to neglect them (think of workers who becomemarginalized as they near retirement or of anAbout theSpotlight ArtistEach month we illustrateour Spotlight packagewith a series of worksfrom an accomplishedartist. The lively andcerebral creations of thesephotographers, painters,and installation artists aremeant to infuse our pageswith additional energy andintelligence to amplify whatare often complex andabstract concepts.This month’s artistis Jessica Snow, a SanFrancisco–based abstractpainter. “The most interestingpieces are those inwhich something has beenleft unresolved,” she says.“Its reason for being has notbeen entirely spelled outfor the viewer or even forthe artist.” View the artist’swork at Artspace.com andgalleriurbane.com.Photography: klea mckenna56 Harvard Business Review July–August 2013Spotlight on InfluenceWhen Strength Comes FirstMost of us work hard to demonstrate our competence.We want to see ourselves as strong—and wantothers to see us the same way. We focus on wardingoff challenges to our strength and providing abundantevidence of competence. We feel compelled todemonstrate that we’re up to the job, by striving topresent the most innovative ideas in meetings, beingthe first to tackle a challenge, and working thelongest hours. We’re sure of our own intentions andthus don’t feel the need to prove that we’re trustworthy—despite the fact that evidence of trustworthinessis the first thing we look for in others.Organizational psychologists Andrea Abele, ofthe University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, and BogdanWojciszke, of the University of Gdansk, have documentedthis phenomenon across a variety of settings.In one experiment, when asked to choose betweentraining programs focusing on competence-relatedskills (such as time management) and warmth-relatedones (providing social support, for instance),most participants opted for competence-basedtraining for themselves but soft-skills training forothers. In another experiment, in which participantswere asked to describe an event that shapedtheir self-image,most told stories about themselvesthat emphasized their own competence and self-determination(“I passed my pilot’s license test onthe first try”), whereas when they described a similarevent for someone else, they focused on that person’swarmth and generosity (“My friend tutored hisneighbor’s child in math and refused to accept anypayment”).But putting competence first undermines leadership:Without a foundation of trust, people in theorganization may comply outwardly with a leader’swishes, but they’re much less likely to conform privately—to adopt the values, culture, and missionof the organization in a sincere, lasting way. Workplaceslacking in trust often have a culture of “everyemployee for himself,” in which people feel thatthey must be vigilant about protecting their interests.Employees can become reluctant to help othersbecause they’re unsure of whether their efforts willbe reciprocated or recognized. The result: Sharedorganizational resources fall victim to the tragedy ofthe commons.When Warmth Comes FirstAlthough most of us strive to demonstrate ourstrength, warmth contributes significantly moreto others’ evaluations of us—and it’s judged beforeIdea in BriefTHE PROBLEMTypically, leaders emphasizetheir strength or competencein the workplace, which canalienate colleagues and directreports.THE ARGUMENTDecades of sociology andpsychology research showthat by first focusing ondisplaying warmth—and thenblending in demonstrations ofcompetence—leaders will finda clearer path to influence.THE LESSONSThis is difficult to do but notimpossible, depending onyour chemical and dispositionalmakeup. The authorsoffer specific guidelines onhow to project warmth andstrength in various situations.How will people reactto your style?Research by Amy Cuddy, Susan Fiske, and Peter Glicksuggests that the way others perceive your levels ofwarmth and competence determines the emotionsyou’ll elicit and your ability to influence a situation.For example, if you’re highly competent but show onlymoderate warmth, you’ll get people to go along with you,but you won’t earn their true engagement and support.And if you show no warmth, beware of those who may tryto derail your efforts—and maybe your career.LOW HIGHHIGHCompetenceWARMTHACTIVEHARMPA SSIVEHARMACTIVEEngagementPITYADMIRAT IONENVYCONTEMPTPA SSIVEsupporthbr.orgJuly–August 2013 Harvard Business Review 57Connect, Then Leadcompetence. Princeton social psychologist AlexTodorov and colleagues study the cognitive and neuralmechanisms that drive our “spontaneous traitinferences”—the snap judgments we make whenbriefly looking at faces. Their research shows thatwhen making those judgments, people consistentlypick up on warmth faster than on competence. Thispreference for warmth holds true in other areas aswell. In a study led by Oscar Ybarra, of the Universityof Michigan, participants playing a word game identifiedwarmth-related words (such as “friendly”) significantlyfaster than competence-related ones (suchas “skillful”).Behavioral economists, for their part, haveshown that judgments of trustworthiness generallylead to significantly higher economic gains. Forexample, Mascha van ’t Wout, of Brown University,and Alan Sanfey, of the University of Arizona, askedsubjects to determine how an endowment shouldbe allocated. Players invested more money, withno guarantee of return, in partners whom theyperceived to be more trustworthy on the basis of aglance at their faces.In management settings, trust increases informationsharing, openness, fluidity, and cooperation. Ifcoworkers can be trusted to do the right thing andlive up to their commitments, planning, coordination,and execution are much easier. Trust also facilitatesthe exchange and acceptance of ideas—it allowspeople to hear others’ message—and boosts thequantity and quality of the ideas that are producedwithin an organization. Most important, trust providesthe opportunity to change people’s attitudesand beliefs, not just their outward behavior. That’sthe sweet spot when it comes to influence and theability to get people to fully accept your message.The Happy WarriorThe best way to gain influence is to combine warmthand strength—as difficult as Machiavelli says thatmay be to do. The traits can actually be mutually reinforcing:Feeling a sense of personal strength helpsus to be more open, less threatened, and less threateningin stressful situations. When we feel confidentand calm, we project authenticity and warmth.Understanding a little bit about our chemicalmakeup can shed some light on how this works. Theneuropeptides oxytocin and arginine vasopressin,for instance, have been linked to our ability to formhuman attachments, to feel and express warmth,and to behave altruistically. Recent research alsoThe primacy of warmth manifests in many interrelated waysthat powerfully underscore the importance of connectingwith people before trying to lead them.Why Warmth Trumps StrengthThe Need to AffiliatePeople have a need to be included,to feel a sense of belonging. In fact,some psychologists would argue thatthe drive to affiliate ranks amongour primary needs as humans. Experimentsby neuroscientist NaomiEisenberger and colleagues suggestthat the need is so strong that whenwe are ostracized—even by virtualstrangers—we experience pain that isakin to strong physical pain.“Us” Versus “Them”In recent decades, few areas havereceived as much attention from socialpsychology researchers as groupdynamics—and for good reason: Thepreference for the groups to whichone belongs is so strong that evenunder extreme conditions—such asknowing that membership in a groupwas randomly assigned and that thegroups themselves are arbitrary—people consistently prefer fellowgroup members to nonmembers.As a leader, you must make sureyou’re a part of the key groups inyour organization. In fact, you wantto be the aspirational member of thegroup, the chosen representative ofthe group. As soon as you becomeone of “them”—the management,the leadership—you begin to losepeople.The Desire to BeUnderstoodPeople deeply desire to be heardand seen. Sadly, as important asperspective-taking is to good leadership,being in a position of powerdecreases people’s understanding ofothers’ points of view. When we havepower over others, our ability to seethem as individuals diminishes. Soleaders need to consciously and consistentlymake the effort to imaginewalking in the shoes of the peoplethey are leading.suggests that across the animal kingdom feelings ofstrength and power have close ties to two hormones:testosterone (associated with assertiveness, reducedfear, and willingness to compete and take risks) andcortisol (associated with stress and stress reactivity).One study, by Jennifer Lerner, Gary Sherman,Amy Cuddy, and colleagues, brought hundreds ofpeople participating in Harvard executive-educationprograms into the lab and compared their levels ofcortisol with the average levels of the general population.The leaders reported less stress and anxietythan did the general population, and their physiologybacked that up: Their cortisol levels were significantlylower. Moreover, the higher their rank and themore subordinates they managed, the lower theircortisol level. Why? Most likely because the leadershad a heightened sense of control—a psychologicalfactor known to have a powerful stress-buffering effect.According to research by Pranjal Mehta, of theUniversity of Oregon, and Robert Josephs, of the Universityof Texas, the most effective leaders, regard-58 Harvard Business Review July–August 2013Spotlight on Influenceless of gender, have a unique physiological profile,with relatively high testosterone and relatively lowcortisol.Such leaders face troubles without being troubled.Their behavior is not relaxed, but they are relaxedemotionally. They’re often viewed as “happywarriors,” and the effect of their demeanor on thosearound them is compelling. Happy warriors reassureus that whatever challenges we may face, things willwork out in the end. Ann Richards, the former governorof Texas, played the happy warrior by pairing herassertiveness and authority with a big smile and aquick wit that made it clear she did not let the roughand-tumble of politics get her down.During crises, these are the people who are ableto keep that influence conduit open and may evenexpand it. Most people hate uncertainty, but theytolerate it much better when they can look to aleader who they believe has their back and is calm,clearheaded, and courageous. These are the peoplewe trust. These are the people we listen to.There are physical exercises that can help tosummon self-confidence—and even alter yourbody’s chemistry to be more like that of a happywarrior. Dana Carney, Amy Cuddy, and Andy Yapsuggest that people adopt “power poses” associatedwith dominance and strength across the animalkingdom. These postures are open, expansive, andspace-occupying (imagine Wonder Woman and Supermanstanding tall with their hands on their hipsand feet spread apart). By adopting these posturesfor just two minutes prior to social encounters, theirresearch shows, participants significantly increasedtheir testosterone and decreased their cortisol levels.Bear in mind that the signals we send can be ambiguous—we can see someone’s reaction to our presence,but we may not be sure exactly what the personis reacting to. We may feel a leader’s warmth butremain unsure whether it is directed at us; we senseher strength but need reassurance that it is squarelyaimed at the shared challenge we face. And, as wenoted earlier, judgments are often made quickly, onthe basis of nonverbal cues. Especially when facinga high-pressure situation, it is useful for leaders togo through a brief warm-up routine beforehand toget in the right state of mind, practicing and adoptingan attitude that will help them project positivenonverbal signals. We refer to this approach as“inside-out,” in contrast to the “outside-in” strategyof trying to consciously execute specific nonverbalbehaviors in the moment. Think of the differencebetween method acting and classical acting: Inmethod acting, the actor experiences the emotionsof the character and naturally produces an authenticperformance, whereas in classical acting, actorslearn to exercise precise control of their nonverbalsignals. Generally speaking, an inside-out approachis more effective.There are many tactics for projecting warmth andcompetence, and these can be dialed up or down asneeded. Two of us, John Neffinger and Matt Kohut,work with leaders from many walks of life in masteringboth nonverbal and verbal cues. Let’s look now atsome best practices.How to Project WarmthEfforts to appear warm and trustworthy by consciouslycontrolling your nonverbal signals can backfire:All too often, you’ll come off as wooden and inauthenticinstead. Here are ways to avoid that trap.Find the right level. When people want toproject warmth, they sometimes amp up the enthusiasmin their voice, increasing their volume anddynamic range to convey delight. That can be effectivein the right setting, but if those around you havedone nothing in particular to earn your adulation,they’ll assume either that you’re faking it or that youfawn over everyone indiscriminately.A better way to create vocal warmth is to speakwith lower pitch and volume, as you would if youwere comforting a friend. Aim for a tone that suggeststhat you’re leveling with people—that you’resharing the straight scoop, with no pretense or emotionaladornment. In doing so, you signal that youtrust those you’re talking with to handle things theright way. You might even occasionally share a personalstory—one that feels private but not inappropriate—in a confiding tone of voice to demonstratethat you’re being forthcoming and open. Suppose,for instance, that you want to establish a bond withnew employees you’re meeting for the first time. Youmight offer something personal right off the bat, suchas recalling how you felt at a similar point in your career.That’s often enough to set a congenial tone.Validate feelings. Before people decide whatthey think of your message, they decide what theythink of you. If you show your employees that youhold roughly the same worldview they do, you demonstratenot only empathy but, in their eyes, commonsense—the ultimate qualification for beinglistened to. So if you want colleagues to listen andagree with you, first agree with them.Before peopledecide whatthey thinkof yourmessage,they decidewhat theythink of you.hbr.orgJuly–August 2013 Harvard Business Review 59Connect, Then LeadImagine, for instance, that your company is undergoinga major reorganization and your group isfeeling deep anxiety over what the change couldmean—for quality, innovation, job security. Acknowledgepeople’s fear and concerns when youspeak to them, whether in formal meetings or duringwatercooler chats. Look them in the eye and say,“I know everybody’s feeling a lot of uncertainty rightnow, and it’s unsettling.” People will respect you foraddressing the elephant in the room, and will bemore open to hearing what you have to say.Smile—and mean it. When we smile sincerely,the warmth becomes self-reinforcing: Feeling happymakes us smile, and smiling makes us happy. Thisfacial feedback is also contagious. We tend to mirrorone another’s nonverbal expressions and emotions,so when we see someone beaming and emanatinggenuine warmth, we can’t resist smiling ourselves.Warmth is not easy to fake, of course, and a politesmile fools no one. To project warmth, you have togenuinely feel it. A natural smile, for instance, involvesnot only the muscles around the mouth butalso those around the eyes—the crow’s feet.So how do you produce a natural smile? Findsome reason to feel happy wherever you may be,even if you have to resort to laughing at your predicament.Introverts in social settings can single outone person to focus on. This can help you channelthe sense of comfort you feel with close friends orfamily.For example, KNP worked with a manager whowas having trouble connecting with her employees.Having come up through the ranks as a highly analyticengineer, she projected competence and determination,but not much warmth. We noticed, however,that when she talked about where she grew upand what she learned about life from the tight-knitcommunity in her neighborhood, her demeanor relaxedand she smiled broadly. By including a briefanecdote about her upbringing when she kickedoff a meeting or made a presentation, she was ableto show her colleagues a warm and relatable side ofherself.One thing to avoid: smiling with your eyebrowsraised at anyone over the age of five. This suggeststhat you are overly eager to please and be liked. Italso signals anxiety, which, like warmth, is contagious.It will cost you much more in strength thanyou will gain in warmth.How to Project StrengthStrength or competence can be established by virtueof the position you hold, your reputation, andyour actual performance. But your presence, ordemeanor, always counts, too. The way you carryyourself doesn’t establish your skill level, of course,but it is taken as strong evidence of your attitude—how serious you are and how determined to tacklea challenge—and that is an important component ofoverall strength. The trick is to cultivate a demeanorof strength without seeming menacing.Feel in command. Warmth may be harder tofake, but confidence is harder to talk yourself into.Feeling like an impostor—that you don’t belong inthe position you’re in and are going to be “foundout”—is very common. But self-doubt completelyundermines your ability to project confidence, enthusiasm,and passion, the qualities that make uppresence. In fact, if you see yourself as an impostor,others will, too. Feeling in command and confidentis about connecting with yourself. And when we areconnected with ourselves, it is much easier to connectwith others.Holding your body in certain ways, as we discussedabove, can help. Although we refer to thesepostures as power poses, they don’t increase yourdominance over others. They’re about personalpower—your agency and ability to self-regulate. Re-Are You Projecting Warmth?How you present yourself in workplacesettings matters a great deal to howyou’re perceived by others. Even if you’renot feeling particularly warm, practicingthese approaches and using them informal and informal situations can helpclear your path to influence.When standing,balance your weightprimarily on one hipto avoid appearingrigid or tense.Tilt your head slightlyand keep your handsopen and welcoming.Warm ColdAvoid standing with yourchin pointed down.Don’t pivot your bodyaway from the personyou’re engaging with.Avoid closed-handpositions and cuttingmotions.illustrat ion: colin haye s60 Harvard Business Review July–August 2013Spotlight on Influencecent research led by Dacher Keltner, of the Universityof California, Berkeley, shows that feeling powerfulin this way allows you to shed the fears and inhibitionsthat can prevent you from bringing your fullest,most authentic and enthusiastic self to a high-stakesprofessional situation, such as a pitch to investors ora speech to an influential audience.Stand up straight. It is hard to overstate theimportance of good posture in projecting authorityand an intention to be taken seriously. As Maya Angelouwrote, “Stand up straight and realize who youare, that you tower over your circumstances.” Goodposture does not mean the exaggerated chest-outpose known in the military as standing at attention,or raising one’s chin up high. It just means reachingyour full height, using your muscles to straightenthe S-curve in your spine rather than slouching. Itsounds trivial, but maximizing the physical spaceyour body takes up makes a substantial difference inhow your audience reacts to you, regardless of yourheight.Get ahold of yourself. When you move, movedeliberately and precisely to a specific spot ratherthan casting your limbs about loose-jointedly. Andwhen you are finished moving, be still. Twitching,fidgeting, or other visual static sends the signal thatyou’re not in control. Stillness demonstrates calm.Combine that with good posture, and you’ll achievewhat’s known as poise, which telegraphs equilibriumand stability, important aspects of credibleleadership presence.Standing tall is an especially good way to projectstrength because it doesn’t interfere with warmthin the way that other signals of strength—cuttinggestures, a furrowed brow, an elevated chin—oftendo. People who instruct their children to stand upstraight and smile are on to something: This simplecombination is perhaps the best way to projectstrength and warmth simultaneously.If you want to effectively lead others, you have toget the warmth-competence dynamic right. Projectingboth traits at once is difficult, but the two can bemutually reinforcing—and the rewards substantial.Earning the trust and appreciation of those aroundyou feels good. Feeling in command of a situationdoes, too. Doing both lets you influence people moreeffectively.The strategies we suggest may seem awkward atfirst, but they will soon create a positive feedbackloop. Being calm and confident creates space to bewarm, open, and appreciative, to choose to act inways that reflect and express your values and priorities.Once you establish your warmth, your strengthis received as a welcome reassurance. Your leadershipbecomes not a threat but a gift.HBR Reprint R1307CLean inward in a nonaggressivemanner to signal interest andengagement.Place your hands comfortablyon your knees or rest them onthe table.Aim for body language that feelsprofessional but relaxed.Warm ColdTry not to angle your bodyaway from the person you’reengaging.Crossing your armsindicates coldness and alack of receptivity.Avoid sitting “at attention”or in an aggressive posture.hbr.orgJuly–August 2013 Harvard Business Review 61Connect, Then Lead“For the plaintiff in this case, your honor, the product’s bold assertion—‘easy-opening lid’—was a cruel and vicious lie.”Cart oon: Nick DownesHarvard Business Review Notice of Use Restrictions, May 2009Harvard Business Review and Harvard Business Publishing Newsletter content onEBSCOhost is licensed for the private individual use of authorized EBSCOhost users. It is notintended for use as assigned course material in academic institutions nor as corporate learningor training materials in businesses. Academic licensees may not use this content in electronicreserves, electronic course packs, persistent linking from syllabi or by any other means ofincorporating the content into course resources. Business licensees may not host this contenton learning management systems or use persistent linking or other means to incorporate thecontent into learning management systems. Harvard Business Publishing will be pleased togrant permission to make this content available through such means. For rates and permission,contact permissions@harvardbusiness.org.Published: September 3, 2012Business Literature: Author’s ChoiceFour Traits of Collaborative LeadersZachary Tumin and William Bratton, coauthors of Collaborate or Perish! Reaching across Boundaries in a NetworkedWorld, introduce an excerpt about how managers can become collaboration catalysts from The CollaborationImperative: Executive Strategies for Unlocking Your Organization’s True Potential, by Ron Ricci and Carl Wiese.Hum an beings hav e been collaborating since the first m astodon hunt, buttoday there is m ore collaboration than ev er. From the m arketplace to thebattlefield, no one’s going it alone.The difference now is that we are where Marshall McLuhan and Alv in Tofflersaid we’d be — the world is an electronic v illage in which the power of sm allgroups to disrupt the status quo is soaring and response tim es are fastapproaching zero. Digital technology has changed ev ery thing.Or has it? Technology is an essential elem ent of collaboration, but it’s no silv erbullet. It can take out the friction, but in this era of big data, there are stillplenty of big collaborativ e failures.What m akes collaboration so hard? It necessitates reaching across boundaries,building trust quickly , joining the assets of m ultiple networks, and m akingev ery thing work together. All in an env ironm ent where y ou m ay hav e little or no form al authority , y et face thechallenge of ov ercom ing legacy sy stem s, slow-m ov ing bureaucracies, and m ind-sets that fav or collaboration only as alast resort.In short, successful collaboration requires leadership. This excerpt from a book by Cisco executiv es Ron Ricci and CarlWiese explains the key behav iors that leaders m ust exhibit to support and enhance collaboration. Ev ery leader lookingto unpack the riddle of collaboration and chart a sure path forward should read it.— Zachary Tumin and William BrattonAn excerpt from Chapter 2 of The Collaboration Imperative: Executive Strategies for Unlocking YourOrganization’s True PotentialIn order to becom e a chief cataly st for collaboration, y ou will hav e to m odel behav iors that em body the way y ou’d likey our em ploy ees to work. For 1 50 y ears, corporations, gov ernm ents and m ilitaries were built for up-and-downleadership, with incentiv es and rewards that discouraged cross-organization thinking and, in m any cases, actuallycreated or encouraged internal com petition. Your challenge is to dev elop and m odel the behav iors required to inspirepeople and team s to genuinely break through organizational silos and m ake collaboration a com petitiv e adv antage.How y ou lead y our people has a direct im pact on y our ability to elim inate or m itigate the ty pes of hum an behav iorsthat slow organizations down. In our experience, both inside Cisco and with our custom ers, highly collaborativ eleaders share four leadership traits. They :Focus on authentic leadership and eschew passiv e aggressiv enessRelentlessly pursue transparent decision m akingView resources as instrum ents of action, not as possessionsCodify the relationship between decision rights, accountability and rewardsFocus on authentic leadership and eschew passive aggressiveness. For collaboration to succeed, leaders need to beauthentic. Cisco studied which characteristics of leaders on collaborativ e team s are m ost im portant, and we foundthat the m ost critical attribute was a leader’s willingness to follow through on com m itm ents. This inv olv es twoelem ents.First, as a leader of a team , departm ent or business unit with people, budgets and resources under y our control, y oum ust follow through on organizational com m itm ents. Unfortunately , people don’t alway s do what they prom ise.Passiv e aggressiv eness is a subtle, nuanced form of hum an behav ior in which people find way s to underm ine others.They often giv e tacit agreem ent in a m eeting, for exam ple, but then proceed to take counterproductiv e action oncethe m eeting is ov er. Or they m ight agree to help another team , but then are slow to follow through or put an underperformer on the assignm ent. Think of how m uch organizational inertia is created because leaders don’t alway s dowhat they say they will do.Second, when there is disagreem ent about a decision — one m ade by y ou or som eone else — fight the instinct to m ake itpersonal. Ultim ately , m ost disagreem ents are not personal in nature, but rather result from differing approaches tom aking a decision. The m ore y ou focus on com m unicating what driv es y our decision m aking, the m ore tim e y ou canspend m aking good decisions instead of arguing a choice with a peer. This leads us to the next leadership trait.Relentlessly pursue transparent decision making. Decisions are alway s about m aking choices; it’s critical that y ou areclear about how y ou m ake them . Tell people y our sty le and thought process for nav igating tricky , or ev en ev ery day ,decisions. In our experience, and this is backed up by research, there’s a direct relationship between the agility andresilience of a team and the transparency of its decision-m aking processes. When y ou’re open and transparent aboutthe answers to three questions — who m ade the decision, who is accountable for the outcom es of the decision, and isthat accountability real — people in organizations spend far less tim e questioning how or why a decision was m ade.Think of how m uch tim e is wasted ferreting out details when a decision is m ade and com m unicated because the peoplewho are affected don’t know who m ade the decision or who is accountable for its consequences.… As a leader, y our responsibility is to docum ent the key decision paths of y our organization and com m unicate themto y our team as often as y ou can. There was a tim e in business when hoarding inform ation was a source oforganizational power. Today , the inv erse is true if y ou want to m otiv ate a team that is increasingly m obile, globaland socially driv en.Explain the guiding principles of y our decision-m aking sty le at each stage of y our organization’s decision paths. Sharey our biases and tell war stories of how y our successes and failures shaped these biases. We often hear the phrase“intelligent risk taking” — nothing em powers people to take good risks m ore than understanding the conditions fortaking the risk in the first place. Transparent decision m aking is critical to em powering y our people.View resources as instruments of action, not as possessions. The prom ise of flexibility and agility as an organization,inspired by establishing shared goals across organizational boundaries, is only attainable if y ou back it up by sharingresources as well.It’s hardly a new observ ation that people som etim es stockpile resources around their business unit or departm ent, orare slow — perhaps ev en hesitant — to share those resources with other departm ents. There m ight ev en be incentiv esin place that discourage sharing. For as long as com panies hav e pursued profits, the size of one’s organization hasdefined the size of one’s financial opportunity . But are y our resources truly applied as optim ally as possible to y ourm arket opportunities in a way that best serv es the total business? By unlocking these trapped resources, organizationscan m ore quickly and successfully pursue em erging m arket opportunities.Hav ing a com m on approach to assess and com m unicate resource decisions is critical to creating a transparentenv ironm ent am ong leaders. The m ore transparent the env ironm ent, the m ore willing leaders will be to shareresources in support of the shared goals of the entire business, and the harder it will be for resisters to hoard them . Thisshift in approach is not an easy one for leaders to m ake and requires a balancing act between clear expectations,patience and follow through. Ultim ately , it’s as m uch a m indset as it is a process. The fundam ental enablers ofcollaborativ e leadership are v iewing resources as instrum ents of action rather than as possessions and aligning y ourcom pany ’s larger shared goals to an accountability sy stem that includes rewards and incentiv es for working togethereffectiv ely .Codify the relationship between decision rights, accountability and rewards. Modeling the desired collaborativ e behav iors— showing y our em ploy ees that y ou walk the talk — is the goal. But what happens when y ou’re not around? The m orethese behav iors are codified into an end-to-end sy stem across y our organization, the greater the odds of collaborationsucceeding when y ou’re not there to reinforce cultural norm s. As y ou define the decision paths of y our organizationand build a com m on v ocabulary to m ake those decision paths as transparent as possible, take the tim e to establishclear param eters. Who gets to m ake decisions? Are all decisions tied to funding? These are the ty pes of questions towhich ev ery one m ust know the answers. Publish the param eters for these decision rights and tell people which leadershav e these rights — that inform ation is crucial to breaking through any consensus logjam ; decision-rights holdersshould hav e 51 percent of the v ote when collaborativ e team s can’t reach natural agreem ent.Hav ing published decision rights is just one elem ent of an accountability sy stem . While it’s nev er pleasant to talkabout the consequences of poor decisions, the reality is that to succeed, collaboration dem ands m ore distributed andem powered actions across y our organization. With that em powerm ent com es not only m ore good outcom es but alsothe increased potential for bad ones. You will need to consider new way s of gaining input from team s on the quality ofcollaborativ e decision m aking and reward people who consistently m ake good decisions in a collaborativ eenv ironm ent.As part of their ov erall perform ance m anagem ent, ev ery Cisco em ploy ee is m easured by peers and their m anagers ontheir collaboration factor, the result of which directly im pacts how their perform ance is rated and, ultim ately , thesize of their total com pensation. Other factors that determ ine the size of bonuses are tied to how well em ploy eescollectiv ely perform in achiev ing certain shared goals that Cisco establishes annually , such as custom er-satisfactionm etrics and financial results. Collaborativ e cultures not only foster team work, they also reward it. Perform ancem easures m ust strike a balance between how well em ploy ees carry out their indiv idual roles and how m uch theycontribute to collectiv e outcom es.— Ron Ricci and Carl WieseReprinted with perm ission of the publisher. Copy right ©2 01 2 Cisco Sy stem s Inc.THE REVIEWERSZachary Tumin is the coauthor, with William Bratton, of Collaborate or Perish! Reaching across Boundaries in a Networked World (CrownBusiness, 2012). He leads the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs’ project in Information and Communications Technology andPublic Policy at Harvard University’s Kennedy School and directs the Harvard component of a joint Harvard–MIT initiative in cybersecurity.William Bratton is chairman of Kroll Inc., a leading security and risk consultancy owned by Altegrity, Inc. Previously, Bratton was policecommissioner of Boston and New York City, and police chief of Los Angeles. He is also the coauthor of Turnaround: How America’s Top CopReversed the Crime Epidemic (with Peter Knobler, Random House, 1998).THIS BOOKThe Collaboration Imperative: Executive Strategies for Unlocking Your Organization’s True Potential (Cisco Systems, 2011), by Ron Ricci and CarlWieseRon Ricci is vice president of corporate positioning at Cisco Systems Inc. He is also the coauthor of Momentum: How Companies BecomeUnstoppable Market Forces (with John Volkmann, Harvard Business School Press, 2003).Carl Wiese is senior vice president at Cisco Systems Inc., and leader of its multibillion-dollar global collaboration business. He is a veterancomputer, data, and telecommunications industry executive with more than 25 years of experience in sales, marketing, services, and productmanagement.


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