4 Practices to Develop as a Collaborative Leader

Are you a collaborative leader? If you don't know or you'd like to become more of one, there's good news: all it takes is practice.

People aren't born with a specific leadership style. They develop their skills, preferences, and strengths throughout their lives and careers. Here are four ways you can hone the increasingly valuable skill of collaborative leadership.

1. Walking the Talk at the Leadership Level

Perhaps the best way to become a collaborative leader is to start leading collaboratively. That might sound glib, but think about how your organization approaches leadership tasks.

For example, even in flat organizations, C-suite roles tend to be highly compartmentalized. Everyone has their own territory and handles their own challenges. It's often more like a set of silos than it is a Venn diagram.

The more you collaborate at your level, the more direct experience you will have with the skills, challenges, and opportunities of collaborative structures. It's learning by doing.

Walking the talk also provides a cultural benefit. People will see you acting on your belief in a collaborative mode, making it possible for them to follow your example.

2. Making Vision-Based Decisions, Even When It's Difficult

You can also practice making decisions based on the overall vision of your organization. This can result in some tough choices — as well as some choices that seem to run counter to a collaborative mode of operation.

Many of these decisions will come down to balancing results with an engaged, collaborative culture. When is it time to shut down a debate and get to work? How much can you tolerate lone-wolf behavior in top performers?

When in doubt, let your vision guide you. Which choice gets you closer to that ideal world you're working to create?

3. Connecting Inside and Outside of Your Organization

Connections between people or the foundations of collaboration. People need to know each other before they can work together.

Connecting people, ideas, and resources inside and outside of your organization is a primary skill to develop if you want to be a collaborative leader. Each new link represents the opportunity to discover a new, better way for you to move forward.

4. Bringing Diverse Viewpoints Into Important Discussions

Once you get people together, it often takes work to let all of the different opinions and perspectives have a true voice in your organization. As a leader, you are in the position to help everyone contribute.

One key skill to practice here is empathy. If conflicts arise, empathy will help you understand the different perspectives and resolve issues without sacrificing the collaborative setting. Another skill is listening. You'll want to publicly and consistently practice active listening until everyone is truly valuing each unique viewpoint you've brought into the room.

Keep Practicing Until It Feels Natural

Some collaborative leaders make it look like they were born with their skills, but the reality is that they've put in the practice. Focused action and a strong cultural framework — along with some commitment — will help you get there too.

What can you do to be a more collaborative leader?