CO-ELEVATE
Looking for a way to increase fluidity , speed and outcomes of your team while driving shareholder value ? You need to CO-ELEVATE .
Today , managing our network is how we get things done . Working inside large organizations requires working across departments and even countries to maximize productivity ; cutting across silos and managing interdependencies in order to unleash shareholder value . Often , we don ’ t have the resources to do our jobs well , but we do have the responsibility , and it requires us to manage through that network inside of an organization .
One of the main resources that ’ s become a premium is coaching . Coaching inside of organizations has become a bit of a crisis , and even the most dedicated and engaged manager is seeing that resource dry up . None of us have time to coach like we used to . So , not only do we have to live in collaborative networks to get work done , but our development needs to be shifted not just from the manager looking up , but out into that network itself .
THIS CALLS FOR A NEW APPROACH TO COLLABORATION .
I have been working on a new book , and its focus is predominantly on a subject that is crucial to the future of work : we will not only find our opportunity in our networks , but our networks are the basis of the future of how work gets done .
The golden gem that will bring the riches to the modern-day manager is not the commitment to development . The solution that people don ’ t see is the ability of the network itself to create an elevated support system . What will make or break the modern manager is finding , building and maintaining relationships that are not one-sided or top-down , but rather together and up .
COLLABORATION JUST ISN ’ T ENOUGH ANYMORE .
Around the networks and the relationships we have , we need to redefine the actual contract of working together from collaborating to co-elevating . This means that we ’ re not only working together , we ’ re making a commitment to each other to go higher ; to take each other to a more elevated level . This , and this alone , will allow us to exceed shareholder expectations through our interdependency management .
This new co-elevation contract recognizes that not everyone will appreciate or understand that the contract exists . Therefore , the true responsibility for you as a leader is to shift your point of view to leading from inside your network – become the leader of the network , whether you ’ re a member or whether you ’ re officially the facilitator of that group of individuals .
YES , EVEN IF YOU ARE NOT IN CHARGE , YOU MUST TAKE CHARGE .
The responsibility is for everything , and it starts with you .
What I mean by this is that it ’ s all on you to recognize who are the most critical people that you need to achieve the work you need to get done . Once you identify them , then your commitment is to be of service to those individuals . This principle has not changed , and can be seen from the very beginning of Never Eat Alone .
The fact is that one needs to lead with generosity and in service of developing deeper relationships , even more so now inside of organizations . Those informal teams , however , must satisfy the needs of both the group and each individual as well . You need to be asking the question , “ What ’ s in it for the others so that they create primacy around this work , along with myself ?”
Now that you know it is all on you , and that , ultimately , it ’ s really all about them , the next question is , can you design a cocreation agenda that works for everyone ?
The way that no longer works : Leaders running a project seeking buy-in among the network . The way it must work in the future : Leaders owning a project and seeking to co-create the answer to coelevate the team , which results in buy-in .
The process of co-elevation does not mean consensus , what it means is a greater candor . Candor is crucial because we have created , within this network , the kind of relationships that are committed not only to the mission , but also to each other . The feedback can and should be both be fluid and flowing . The ability to work well together in this new type of group is rooted in team members caring about each other ’ s success . When this new co-elevation occurs , this team can work much more fluently and interdependently .
The new perspective must be of going on a shared journey . That journey is not only to achieve the outcome , but to co-elevate and develop each other in the process . +
Keith Ferrazzi is the Chairman and Founder of Ferrazzi Greenlight , a research institute founded on the pillars of behavioral science and its effects on business . Keith started his career as the youngest CMO at Deloitte Consulting , then went onto become CMO of Starwood Hotels and Resorts , founded and sold two companies , and solidified his status as a successful entrepreneur . Keith now works with high-impact teams within Fortune 100 companies all over the world transforming and cultivating behavioral change , radically affecting business operations .
keith @ ferrazzigreenlight . com • KeithFerrazzi . com
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