Learning to share power is the challenge of the 21st century. For 22 years I’ve been a professional facilitator, helping teams and communities come together to build consensus and collaborate. What I’ve witnessed is people in all fields; technical, business, politics, and the caring industry, have trouble getting along and collaborating with their peers.
For thousands of years, hierarchical, command and control leaders have been the role model. It will take time for old patterns to change. Obstacles to success will arise daily as co-workers lack the skills, self-awareness, and interpersonal skills to collaborate. The biggest stumbling block is how to address conflict? Those with high EQ seem to be far more successful than those with high levels of IQ.
In the technical fields, it’s not unusual to find conflict with people who suffer from a lack of social skills and have trouble getting along. The level of trust for co-workers is very low, and collaboration is almost non-existent. Conflict is also high when it comes to the business and political arenas, where people are expected to challenge the status quo, compete, and create something new.
I’d like to propose that success in the 21st century will actually depend more on SQ, social intelligence, the result of combining EQ and IQ.
Soft skills are changing the game:
IQ gets you in the door,
EQ get you recognized by your co-workers,
SQ, the science of human relationships, enables leaders to engage the collective wisdom of the organization.
If you want to be a great social leader, consider the following suggestions:
Inspire and develop the talents of your people;
Create a safe environment which empowers staff to take creative risks;
Build relationships out in the community;
Make presentations;
Create inspiring visions;
Constantly stretch, learn, and grow, modelling how to expand and reinvent yourself.
Are you looking to build a more collaborative organization? As the saying goes, “leaders need to be the change they wish to see.” This implies leaders need to have the competencies for managers and employees to follow…
The core characteristic of effective collaborative organizations is interaction, with real teamwork between all members and departments. Their mission and goal is to make a difference. Socially intelligent leaders are enthusiastic, visionary, and empathetic. Their management style is facilitative, encouraging a free flow of ideas, growing from experience, and helping others to do the same.
There is a reason why companies value team players. Those who get along with others tend to rise to the top. Leaders can’t build organizations on brilliance alone and need people who can implement great ideas.
Collaboration trumps competition as a transformational force. Working together by harnessing the power our social intelligence through relationship, responsiveness and cooperation. This is the purpose of our Collaborative Connections workshop: personal growth, and self-leadership to support the performance of your team.
We invite you to come and visit the herd out at Willaway Farm, and get connected.
With love,
Joanna