1284: Crush Your Top Collaboration Killers! A Brain-Based Approach by Christine Comaford of Smart Tribes Institute

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[00:00:53] This is Optimal Work Daily, Episode 1284.

[00:00:56] Crush Your Top Collaboration Killers.

[00:00:59] A Brain-Based Approach by Christine Comaford of SmartTribesInstitute.com.

[00:01:05] And I'm Dan, your host and narrator, reading to you every single day of the year.

[00:01:09] We're going to get right to it now as we hear from Christine and optimize your life.

[00:01:17] Crush Your Top Collaboration Killers.

[00:01:20] A Brain-Based Approach by Christine Comaford of SmartTribesInstitute.com.

[00:01:26] Two founders at a mid-sized technology company were at war.

[00:01:30] The CEO was aggressive, the CTO often sabotaged the CEO,

[00:01:35] and the company was divided into two camps.

[00:01:37] To make matters worse, recent tech breakthroughs were changing how their customers worked

[00:01:42] and threatening to make their number one product obsolete.

[00:01:46] Productivity across the organization was plummeting.

[00:01:49] The executives didn't trust one another and cooperation was at an all-time low.

[00:01:54] The CTO wanted to solely work on strategy, but he feared losing power

[00:01:58] by shifting to a role without direct reports.

[00:02:01] Since the culture was low on communication and high on fear,

[00:02:04] the COO had set up her own camp.

[00:02:07] The silos were spreading.

[00:02:09] The CEO asked my team to parachute in and bring our neuroscience tools.

[00:02:13] Here's what happened.

[00:02:15] Collaboration Killer.

[00:02:17] The CEO was focusing on problems.

[00:02:19] Neurosolution.

[00:02:21] Shift focus to outcomes.

[00:02:23] First, we had to get everyone talking about what they wanted without attacking one another.

[00:02:27] We put the leadership team in a room with food and libations.

[00:02:30] Several were stuck in what we call the attention triangle,

[00:02:33] behaving as a victim, rescuer or persecutor.

[00:02:37] So we needed to quickly shift them into the positive counterpart,

[00:02:40] outcome, insight or action creator.

[00:02:43] We did a quick neuro process called an outcome frame to get them in their smart state.

[00:02:47] It sounded like this.

[00:02:49] What would you like?

[00:02:51] A result or outcome they can create and or maintain.

[00:02:54] What will having that do for you?

[00:02:57] Internal experience, feelings or benefit they'll get.

[00:03:01] Ask this a few times.

[00:03:03] It's where we learn what someone really wants.

[00:03:05] How will you know when you have it?

[00:03:07] External proof or success criteria.

[00:03:10] And what are your next steps to getting it?

[00:03:13] Get them in action.

[00:03:15] The cool part is that everyone was sick of the fighting and wanted to come together.

[00:03:19] They just didn't know how.

[00:03:21] As each leader shared their outcome frame, the light bulb started going off.

[00:03:24] Hey, we all want basically the same thing.

[00:03:27] Collaboration Killer.

[00:03:29] No team TISI.

[00:03:31] Negative 0.16% spirit.

[00:03:34] Neurosolution.

[00:03:36] Forge a leadership code of conduct.

[00:03:38] Next we got everyone aligned via a common purpose and code of conduct.

[00:03:42] This increased buy-in and reduced the potential of what's to follow being perceived as a thou-shout list.

[00:03:48] Here's what they came up with.

[00:03:50] 1. We deal with issues directly with the person in question.

[00:03:54] Complaining about others behind their back, passive aggressive behavior or backstabbing of any type will not be tolerated.

[00:04:01] We are bigger than this.

[00:04:03] 2. We value the privilege to serve on the leadership team.

[00:04:07] Monthly management meetings must be a priority, along with weekly leadership meetings.

[00:04:12] Come prepared or don't show up.

[00:04:14] Miss 3 and you're off the team.

[00:04:16] We debate in the room, execute out of the room.

[00:04:20] We are accountable to each other for timely and quality results.

[00:04:24] Once we debate and decide, the debate is over.

[00:04:27] We are a unified front, giving the same message to our teams, focusing on relentless execution and the victory that comes from it.

[00:04:35] 4. We are powerful creators.

[00:04:38] There are no victims, rescuers or persecutors on our team.

[00:04:41] We are outcome creators, insight creators, action creators.

[00:04:46] And 5. We are the model of accountability and leadership.

[00:04:50] We provide the example of accountability and leadership to emulate.

[00:04:54] If our team isn't modeling the behavior we want, we look in the mirror.

[00:04:58] Collaboration killer.

[00:05:00] Low trust.

[00:05:01] Neuro solution?

[00:05:03] Get them off the ledge and back in the tribe.

[00:05:06] We needed a tool for when a leader slid back into their critter state.

[00:05:10] We opted for good old SBM, safety, belonging, mattering.

[00:05:15] If someone was exhibiting fight, flight or freeze behavior,

[00:05:18] if she was paralyzed on a project or spreading fear or starting wars,

[00:05:23] she craved safety.

[00:05:25] We could create safety by saying,

[00:05:27] I've got your back, let's tackle this together.

[00:05:29] If a team member was using us versus them language or forming silos,

[00:05:34] he craved belonging to be part of the tribe.

[00:05:37] We could loop him in by saying, I'm so glad you're on the team.

[00:05:41] Who else could we bring into our tribe or share this info with?

[00:05:44] If a leader was whining, complaining, stressing over not having enough power,

[00:05:49] she craved mattering.

[00:05:51] We could validate and appreciate her by saying,

[00:05:53] you are the best person to own this project and I totally trust you.

[00:05:58] Approaching people in a safety, belonging, mattering context changes everything.

[00:06:03] Find out what they crave and give it to them.

[00:06:06] Collaboration restored.

[00:06:08] We coached the CTO to replace his sabotaging behavior toward the CEO

[00:06:13] with our favorite influencing skills.

[00:06:15] The CTO became chief systems architect,

[00:06:18] letting go of direct reports and reporting to the CEO.

[00:06:21] The CEO and new chief systems architect created a new vision

[00:06:25] that team members owned and were inspired by,

[00:06:28] using tools in our leading from the inside out kit.

[00:06:31] This act alone recreated the motivational buzz they had in early years

[00:06:36] and they created it together.

[00:06:38] We coached the entire C-suite and leadership team on clarity of communication

[00:06:43] and got them using the tools for explicit communication we cover in smart tribes.

[00:06:47] We guided them in creating new accountability structures

[00:06:50] using tools in our increasing accountability kit.

[00:06:53] The company's new strategic direction became profitable quickly

[00:06:57] and they zoomed through the $250 million inflection point.

[00:07:01] They'll reach the 500 million mark within four years or less.

[00:07:09] You just listened to the post titled

[00:07:11] Crush Your Top Collaboration Killers, a brain-based approach

[00:07:15] by Christine Coma Ford of SmartTribesInstitute.com

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[00:09:35] And thank you to Christine for today's post.

[00:09:38] For over 30 years, leadership and culture coach, serial entrepreneur,

[00:09:42] and New York Times bestselling author Christine Comaford

[00:09:45] has helped leaders navigate growth and change.

[00:09:48] She specializes in applied neuroscience,

[00:09:50] which helps her clients achieve tremendous results in record time.

[00:09:54] As an entrepreneur she built and sold five companies

[00:09:57] with an average ROI of 700%

[00:10:00] and she was a software engineer as well

[00:10:02] in the early days of Microsoft and Apple.

[00:10:04] Christine is a human behavior expert,

[00:10:06] a leadership columnist for Forbes.com

[00:10:08] and the New York Times bestselling author of Power Your Tribe,

[00:10:11] Smart Tribes, and Rules for Renegades.

[00:10:14] So come by SmartTribesInstitute.com to learn a lot more from her

[00:10:18] and you can check out all of their resources.

[00:10:21] But that's it for another edition of Optimal Work Daily.

[00:10:23] Hope you're having a great day

[00:10:24] and that you enjoyed our post from Christine.

[00:10:26] Keep on optimizing and I'll be right back here with you tomorrow,

[00:10:30] where your optimal life awaits.