Master your Thinking with The Collaborative Thinking Gizmo

COLLABORATIVE THINKINGCollaborate better than ever before…

…with just about anyone!

www.clearthinkinguk.com

master

yourthinking

background

If you’re looking for proof that collaboration makes

great things happen, look no further than The Beatles,

Google, Apple, Microsoft, the discovery of DNA, and the

invention of the aeroplane.

So it’s right that organisations work hard to arrange

their people in such a way that they can come together,

create an output, and either keep creating a bigger and

better output, or disband and move onto the next thing.

Every individual who finds themselves as part of a

collaboration is required to provide their input and

share their knowledge to complete a critical task.

But that makes it sound very mechanical, which

couldn’t be further from the truth when it comes to the

reality of collaboration.THE TROUBLE WITH COLLABORATION

These are just some of the thorny issues you might have encountered in the past……

oChoosing the right people in the first placeoChoosing the right moment to bring people togetheroAre the ‘right people’ ready, willing and able?oHaving the right conditions in place

- the physical and the technological environment

oFluctuating levels of trust oAnd the arrival of conflict

The solution to these and other issues that hinder collaboration, lies with the individual.

Great collaboration starts with the individuals involved and how they think, feel and behave in the collaborative environment.

When we bring the right people together at the right

moment and when we put in place the right conditions

for them to share their skills, knowledge and

experience, we know those people can create amazing

things.

Sometimes they create solutions to problems, and

sometimes they innovate, to create solutions to

problems that don’t exist yet!

When it’s done well, the output is greater than the sum

of the parts, or to put it another way…….

Organisations need people who want to collaborate and

who can collaborate.

© The Clear Thinking Partnership Ltd 2014

WHY COLLABORATE?

why

We THINK

We FEEL

We DOHow we think affects how we feel, which affects how we behave.

There’s an inextricable link between these 3 things.

You’re already aware of this link. Remember a time when you were about to walk into an exam room, or the moments before a big presentation, or if you’re adventurous, the moments before you leapt from an aircraft and fell to the earth strapped to a stranger, and hopefully, a parachute too.

Just thinking about those moments in your life, recalling the experience in all its details, can evoke a feeling, an emotional response. That event isn’t happening now in real time, it’s your thinking that’s creating it. But it feels real; and you might notice that you’re having a physiological response along with the feeling too.

RESULTS?

Mastering your thinking means you can

eliminate the frustrations that surface when

you work with other people.

You can eliminate the fear and uncertainty

you might feel going into a collaboration.

You can be more confident about your

contribution and be at the top of your game

more of the time.

You can achieve better results!

IT ALL STARTS WITH A THOUGHT

Everything you do, every action you take, is just the tip of the iceberg. Beneath the surface of what everyone else

can see are the thoughts and the feelings that happen just before you take action.

We can’t take any action without first having a thought.

Thought always comes first. And then that one thing leads to another. So if you can ‘master your thinking’,

understand your psychology and how it’s affecting what you do, you’re more likely to choose to behave in a way

that is good for you, good for the group and good for the goal.

This gizmo won’t tell you ‘how to…’ do anything. It will invite you to think about how your thoughts are affecting

your interactions with other people and start to make your collaborations effortless.


MASTER YOUR THINKING?

WE’VE FOUND ANOTHER

WAY…..

….so you can develop your individual

collaborative skills.

When you recognise the ingredients of a great

collaboration and you combine it with a deeper

understanding of how you think, feel and

behave, you can show up in any situation that

requires you to collaborate and do it effectively

and effortlessly.

why

Collaboration is all about YOU!

Typically approaches to improving collaboration focus on the team, and as advocates of team development, we believe that still has its place.

Team Development is perfect for ‘true teams’, where a group of people come together and stay together to achieve a common goal, like a sports team for example.

But in organisations, people dip in and out of different ‘teams’. You’ll probably have noticed that you’re now part of several ‘teams’ working on a range of interdependent tasks.

When you’re working this way, getting to know and understand your colleagues fully becomes a massive job. You have to acquire yet more knowledge and information at a point in time when you’re already facing information overload.

USE IT BECAUSE...

It’s a super-simple self-evaluation.

It’s an opportunity to pause & reflect.

It provides a framework for exploring how

you think, feel and ‘do’ collaboration.

It will trigger your appreciation of how

others think, feel and behave in the same

situation.

AND FOR TEAMS…

Although we developed this tool with the individual in mind, it’s just as valuable to use with a group of people who work closely with each other.

You could suggest that collaborative colleagues complete the evaluation, then uncover any similarities and differences between you.

You’ll find it thought provoking and a good catalyst for conversations about working together more effectively.


USE THIS TOOL?

The following pages include a Self Evaluation

Questionnaire. You’ll find a set of statements, brief

descriptions and a rating scale. We whittled these

statements down from a range of options we explored

in the development of this tool. We settled on 16

characteristics that applied universally to collaboration.

The choices are based on our experiences of working

with others, of working with our clients, and our

research in this area too.

It’s always challenging to choose words that resonate

for everyone, but as it’s designed just for you, you can

interpret the statements to suit your circumstances.

This isn’t a scientific psychometric test. Its purpose is to

help you pause and think and consider how you do what

you do, and explore the possibilities for approaching

things differently, if you want to.

GETTING STARTED

INDULGE YOURSELFYou’ll achieve so much more by taking a few moments and spending them on yourself…the to-do list will wait.Put aside some time and fully commit to completing the

Evaluation and Active Reflection. It’s in moments of reflection when we have our greatest insights. Feel free to scribble notes in the margins, doodle in the white space, and reword the text to suit yourself. Treat it as a working document, bring it to life and personalise it to suit you.

step 1

Getting to grips with what ‘behaviour’ is, how we

describe it, how we notice it, can be difficult at times.

This tool is a way of accessing that information and

working back to the point where it becomes clearer the

extent to which your thinking is influencing your

experience of collaboration.

Now it’s time to think about you. Read each statement

on the following two pages and give yourself a rating on

the scale from 0 to 10. Zero indicates that you disagree

completely with the statement and how it applies to

you. A rating of 10 indicates total agreement.

As you consider each statement, note down your

natural, consistent response, the one that describes you

most of the time. Try to avoid rating according to how

you'd 'like' to be or how you think you 'should' be.

self evaluation


I take preparation seriously & do what’s required to be ready

Your inclination to whole heartedly dive into the collaborative process with no hesitation, fully prepared to give everything you can

to achieve a positive outcome with the group.

0 1 2 3 4 5

6 7 8 9 10

I demonstrate endless curiosity

Your ability to ask questions, listen intently, wonder why and what if….

0 1 2 3 4 5

6 7 8 9 10 I find it easy to show empathy

Your ability to relate to other people, putting yourself in their shoes and seeing things from their unique point to view

0 1 2 3 4 56 7 8 9 10

self evaluationCOLLABORATIVE THINKING

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

I stay focused on creating value for the group

Being alert and actively seeking out the many opportunities to share your skills and add value to the discussions that take place, and the actions that are agreed by the group.

0 1 2 3 4 56 7 8 9 10

I show courage in situations where I need to speak my mind

Being clear about what you think, speaking up and always telling the truth as you see it, however uncomfortable it might feel sometimes.

0 1 2 3 4 56 7 8 9 10

My commitment to the ‘group’ is unwavering

Putting the group first when it could be easy to let other priorities get in the way of your contribution

0 1 2 3 4 56 7 8 9 10

I serve every member of the ‘group’ by always giving them my undivided attention

Being fully present when collaborating and not allowing anything to distract you from making a full contribution.

0 1 2 3 4 56 7 8 9 10

I know why I’m involved & I’m clear about the goal

Being curious, asking questions and having a clear vision of the outcome that your collaborative efforts are intended to achieve.

0 1 2 3 4 56 7 8 9 10


I fervently uphold the standards agreed by the group

Meeting these standards personally and respectfully holding others to account when they fall short of what has been agreed.

0 1 2 3 4 56 7 8 9 10

self evaluationCOLLABORATIVE THINKING

910111213

14

15

16

I act with integrity and always keep my promises

Being driven by strong moral principles means doing the right thing, acting on your commitments and delivering on what you say you will do, to the standard and timescales agreed by the group.

0 1 2 3 4 56 7 8 9 10

I am appreciative of what others contribute & I express it

Respecting and actively appreciating the diversity of the group and the unique contribution of every member of the group in the ay that I treat them.

0 1 2 3 4 56 7 8 9 10

I am consistent and reliable in the way I work with others

How you ‘show up’ every time. Do you make it easy for others to know what to expect from you, is it easy to predict how you will react or are you sometimes unpredictable?

0 1 2 3 4 56 7 8 9 10

I am comfortable showing my vulnerability to the ‘group’

Feeling comfortable enough to admit when you don’t know something or have got something wrong, or when you’re experiencing an emotion (e.g. apprehension, insecurity, anger or fear).

0 1 2 3 4 56 7 8 9 10

I show humility in front of the ‘group’

Knowing that you are just one part of the group, that other people will sometimes know more than you and that you are not always right about everything. Letting go of your own sense of self importance.

0 1 2 3 4 56 7 8 9 10

I can be trusted, totally, in any situation

Being consistently honest and truthful so others know that you are as good as your word and above suspicion.

0 1 2 3 4 56 7 8 9 10

I’m brave enough to be challenging when it really matters

Challenging what is said and done to keep things on track and focused on your goal, not for the sake of it or just because you don’t personally agree with what is being said, but because the group benefits as a whole.

0 1 2 3 4 56 7 8 9 10


As you complete the summary on the next page, keep in mind the

questions below……

o What do you notice about your ratings?

o What patterns and themes emerge?

o Which ratings interest you most?

o What’s your immediate reaction? What do you want to do with what you

see in front of you?

A SNAPSHOT...

Now you’ve completed your ratings, transfer

the scores onto the table on the next page

by shading the boxes.

You can see an example here.

See what pattern emerges and how your

ratings are distributed.

There are no right or wrong answers here.

You’ve simply completed an honest

evaluation in response to the statements,

and that gives you a snapshot of your

approach to collaboration at this point in

time.

What you do next with the information is

what’s important.

step 2


ACTIVE REFLECTION

step 2Use this space to summarise your personal ratings.

What patterns are emerging? What do you notice?


Preparation

Goal

Curiosity

Empathy

Value

Courage

Commitment

Attention

Challenge

Vulnerability

Humility

Standards

Integrity

Appreciation

Consistent

Trustworthy

ACTIVE REFLECTION

step 3

Unpick what you DO & reveal HOW you think

The statements you’ve rated against describe how you behave, and how you show up at the moment when you’re involved in collaboration.

It’s behaviour that other people see, but we’ve already said that beneath the surface are the thoughts and the feelings that result in the behaviour.

Choose a statement and a rating that you want to explore further.

For example you might choose ‘Curiosity’ because you only rated yourself as 1/10. The ability to be curious is available to everyone in equal measure. You’re just as capable as the next person of being endlessly curious, but for some reason you decided that you’re not worthy of a 10 right now.

On the next page you’ll find an example of how you can explore the thinking behind each of your ratings.

Select 2 or 3 to focus on initially.

You’re not looking for reasons to justify your ratings; you’re exploring what happens just before you act, just before the behaviour happens.

Work out, as objectively as you can, what the observable behaviour is, and describe it in a few words. Then work backwards and again, in a few words that make sense to you, write down the feeling and the thinking that happen just before the behaviour.

Once you've explored the current reality, work through the alternatives. If you were to behave in a new way, what feeling and thoughts would you need to have to make that happen?

Start with the boxes labelled #1 in the centre of the template and follow each of the instructions in the numerical sequence.

Note: This approach will probably be unfamiliar and you might not have considered your behaviour in this way before. That’s OK, be prepared for it to be a little alien and uncomfortable. But do stick with it, and see what occurs to you

as you progress with the activity.


BACK TO THOUGHT

COLL

step 3Here’s the Curiosity example to illustrate how you can use this template.

Experiment by working on it on your own then have a conversation with a trusted colleague or friend to explore it further.

What do you notice that you do? What’s the

behaviour you’re aware of?

What feelings do you notice when you behave that

way?

What do you have to think to

make the feeling happen?

What would you like to do instead of #1? What does

a 10 look like?

How would you have to feel to

make that happen?

And what will you be thinking to feel that way?

Collaborating with…ENDLESS CURIOSITY

Quiet

Nervous

I hope I don’t have to say anything

Contributing freely

Confident

I can’t

wait to

ask questions

Distracted

BoredUninspired

Disruptive

Fully engaged

Stimulated

Involving others in discussion

Interested

I could be

somewhere

else right nowThis will be

a waste

of time

I wonder what will happen?

People have

interesting

points of view

to share


BACK TO THOUGHT

step 3 Choose a statement and a rating that you want to explore further.

Use this template, just as you saw in the example on the previous page. Work through the stages. Capture your insights. What do they tell you?

Collaborating with…


BACK TO THOUGHT

step 4

QUESTIONS……

1.What aspects of your approach would you like to amplify? How could you influence others to follow your lead?

2.What patterns do you notice in your thinking? Are some more helpful than others?

3.Which of the collaborative behaviours do you sense are the most critical to your success in your current working environment? How could you test this?

4.Who are the people who cheer you on in life? How could they help you to work on your collaborative mind-set? When will you reach out to them?

5.What do other people notice about how you collaborate? What do they see that you don’t? How is this information valuable?

YOUR PRIORITIES

Capture the headlines that describe the aspects of

collaboration that you’ll be focusing on next……

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

And……

6.What assumptions are you making about collaborating with

others? What could happen if you let go of those assumptions?

7.What’s the big picture? If you look at your collaborative

mind-set overall, what do you notice? How well does it serve

you in your current working environment?

8.What do you do that’s worth celebrating? What’s the unique

value you bring to collaboration?

9.Having discovered your collaborative mind-set, what would

happen if you did nothing? © The Clear Thinking Partnership Ltd 2014

WHAT’S NEXT?

This is a ‘snapshot’ of your collaborative mind-set today.

Here are some suggestions that will help you to keep tuned in to continually upgrading your collaborative approach in the future.

During your next collaborations you may well start to notice some of the behaviours and thinking you’ve explored here. Start to notice how you, and the others around you, demonstrate them.

Think about how you collaborate at least once a day, maybe just before you’re aboutto step onto a collaborative situation. Choose a behaviour or a focus for the time you are collaborating and experiment with it to see what happens.

Now you have a better understanding of your personal approach to collaboration, take the opportunity to share your thoughts with the other people that you collaborate with. Look for opportunities to get feedback from others who know you well to check your self perception.

We’d also recommend that you revisit the tool in 3 months time to see what’s changed and what’s remained the same, allowing you to track your progress. At other times use it as a reference guide.

STAYING TUNED IN

Upgrading your skills……Congratulations! You’ve started to work on your psychology, you’ve got a greater awareness of how your thinking affects the way you collaborate. If you have any questions about this tool and what

you’ve discovered by exploring your Collaborative Mind-set, please do get in touch. We’re happy to chat informally to anyone who has used this tool and we’d welcome your feedback on it too.You’ll find us on the end of a laptop [email protected] or hanging on the telephone on 0845 299 6264

Visit www.clearthinkinguk.com/collaboration-2 to access new content and up to date thinking on collaboration.

step 5


mailto:[email protected]

http://www.clearthinkinguk.com/collaboration-2

YOUR NOTESa place for

“When we collaborate, creativity unfolds across people; the sparks fly faster and the whole is greater than the sum of its

parts”

Keith Sawyer, author of Group Genius, The Creative Power of Collaboration


If you’re curious about how you can collaborate better than ever before in your organisation you can talk to us at any time about your needs and we’ll see how we can help.

We work in a variety of ways designed to suit you, but always with the same five steps in mind.

We help you and your teams……

• To define clear outcomes

• To strategise your actions

• To master your psychology

• To upgrade your skills

• And to optimise your environment

ABOUT USa little bit

© The Clear Thinking Partnership Ltd 2014 www.clearthinkinguk.com

0845 299 6264

Master your Thinking with The Collaborative Thinking Gizmo

Leadership & Management

Transcript of Master your Thinking with The Collaborative Thinking Gizmo