Good leaders are often credited with being good collaborators, but why is this cooperative instinct so valuable? There are lots of reasons, but efficiency is a hidden gem among them. – InPower Editors
By: Mary Schaefer
Is the ability to gain cooperation an underestimated component of efficiency?
I was talking to a client today about her unusual ability to gain people’s trust quickly.
This supports her ability to get things done. To her bosses, she seemed to perform miracles.
I commented to her that I think the ability to gain cooperation is an underestimated component of efficiency. She said she had never really thought about it that way.
[Tweet “Take the time to pave the road so things run smoothly when you need them. via @MarySchaefer”]
Take the time to pave the road so things run smoothly when you need them.
It was early in my career. I was a mainframe systems manager. I depended on the operators in our computer facility to do what I needed, when I asked them to. Moreover, I wanted them to want to do to the work. Intuitively I knew it was going to require spending time with them. I needed to earn the right to ask them to do things, when I didn’t have the authority. They didn’t report to me.
Don’t do it if you are not sincere.
Don’t get me wrong. I wasn’t simply using them. I wanted to get to know them. The more I understood their jobs, their routines, and their responsibilities, the more likely I would make intelligent requests of them. For instance, I would manage my work around their biggest printing and delivery days, etc. This would make us all successful at our jobs.
Cooperation is better than compliance.
My supervisor criticized me for what he saw as me spending too much time with them. I tried to explain to him how it paid off. He didn’t seem to care so much about results as much as the difference between my approach and how he would handle things. He was quite strident with this criticism.
From the mouths of babes.
One day my supervisor invited me to his office. He asked me to present a particularly touchy employee relations topic to the operators because I had such a good relationship with them. Okay, so when it works for you, it’s okay that I’ve got these relationships…right?
What I said to him was: “I could do that. They will hear me out. But given your level in the organization I think it might be better for you to present this to them. This way you can develop the skills and the relationships with them so they can hear the message from you.”
I don’t even know where that came from. The other odd thing is that he didn’t push me to give the presentation then. I don’t feel like I ever paid a price for what could be perceived as impertinence.
The skill of gaining cooperation.
As a former human resources manager we would discuss how different employees were good at teamwork or not. In a technical industry it was sometimes difficult for me to make the case that this was important, or how to measure it.
What we came down to is: “Do people want to work with this person? Are they able to get things done through others when needed?” Actually it’s not so difficult to determine, and yet, I still get resistance about the importance of this ability.
How has cooperation played a role for you in getting things done through others?
A version of this post originally ran on the Lead Change Group site February 3, 2015.
