Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Ken Blanchard: Why Collaboration Begins With You


Ken Blanchard’s “One Minute Manager” has sold more than 13 million copies and been translated into 37 languages, but the author of more than 30 other bestselling books believes there’s a new message that organizations need to get if they want to survive in today’s competitive environment: learn to collaborate.
“People who are too insecure or rigid to engage in collaboration will find themselves left behind. Everyone needs to recognize that ‘none of us is as smart as all of us,’” Blanchard says.
His new book, “Collaboration Begins With You: Be a Silo Buster,” with Jane Ripley and Eunice Parisi-Carew, stresses that everyone in an organization – from assistants to senior leaders – must promote and maintain a collaborative environment. Without the buy-in from every employee, Blanchard says that companies will struggle to grow and be successful.
Still, some employees and teams are more accustomed to working on projects without the involvement of other teams or departments. Transitioning to such a collaborative style isn’t always easy, such as IT suddenly being asked to partner with marketing or sales.
“Techies, like everyone else, need to realize collaboration is a journey,” Blanchard says.
That journey should include an effort to better understand others in your organization, such as every individual making an effort to connect with someone in another area, he says. For example, he suggests those in technology need to reach out more, such as “having lunch (read more here)

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