The
Collaborative Leader
Primus inter pares
Department of Recreation Administration
California State University, Fresno
Volume 2, Issue 6
May 2011
On the E.D.G.E.
Storage Room: The E.D.G.E. Challenge Program moved into a new storage room adjacent to the facility. No
longer will we have to schlep carts of ropes, harnesses, and other gear through campus. Read more…
A-ha Moments
When do you get your best ideas? While lying in bed, taking a shower, driving? According to decision science
research these are typical settings for flashes of brilliance. It’s when we are at rest or not focused on a
problem that we tend to come up with creative solutions. The tale goes that Albert Einstein had an a-ha
moment when coming up with E=MC2. In fact, the flash of the idea came long before he could understand or
prove the equation. Read more…
Losada Line
Research shows that a ratio of three to one, positive to negative comments, coming from the leader resulted
in more successful work teams. This positivity ratio leads team members to thinking more broadly, to explore
and be more curious, make friends, and develop an upward spiral of well being. However, too much positivity
can be equally damaging by creating a level of group think (Creating Your Best Life p. 108). Read more…
Motivating through Progress
In a recent interview, Dan Pink was asked how he keeps himself motivated. His response was interesting
because as a renowned author on motivation he has grappled with this question both professionally and in his
personal life. He noted that people are motivated when they experience progress. Therefore he asks a simple
question to himself daily: “Am I better today than I was yesterday.” Read more…
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Resources
The following are two resources which might assist collaborative leaders in the grant development game. Grant funders
are looking more and more to collaborative projects knowing that a multi-disciplinary approach is critical to solving
today’s complex problems. Read more…
Desktop Initiative
Initiative is the term given to experiential problem solving activities traditionally presented to teams on
challenge courses. To challenge you, each newsletter will include a Desktop Initiative. The first person or
team to send in the correct answer will win a prize ($25.00 value). Send your answer to L-Jay Fine at
larryf@csufresno.edu. The winner will be announced in the next newsletter. Read more…
Full Articles
On the E.D.G.E.
Storage Room: The E.D.G.E. Challenge Program moved into a new storage room adjacent to the facility. No
longer will we have to schlep carts of ropes, harnesses, and other gear through campus. We greatly
appreciated the efforts of Associate Dean, Dr. Jody Hironaka-Juteau, Dean Andy Hoff, and Sue Shaw for their
due diligence in seeing this project through to fruition.
Training Modules: The Collaborative Leadership Project is moving ahead in developing training modules. The
purpose of these modules is to create a resource for training future collaborative leaders and to serve as a
handbook in facilitating new collaborative ventures. Anyone interested in contributing to these, please drop a
note to L-Jay Fine.
CHHS 200T Course: In other news, Drs. Hironaka-Juteau and L-Jay Fine have submitted a new course to the
college curriculum sub-committee for a CHHS Interdisciplinary Course titled Advanced Topics in the Health
and Human Services Profession: Foundations in Collaborative Leadership. This class will inaugurate the HHS
200t level and will be closely aligned with the material covered in the original Interprofessional Collaboration
(IPC) 200 class which served as the foundations class for the Advanced Certificate in Interprofessional
Collaboration Certificate. Although there is no time table yet for offering the course, it is anticipated that once
the economic climate improves on campus we will work to get these courses back in the curriculum.
Summer Hiatus: This will be the last edition of the Newsletter until September. I hope you each get some
much deserved vacation time this summer and get out to enjoy the beautiful Sierra Nevada Mountains and
our magnificent National Parks. Thanks for your continued support and readership. Special thanks, once
again, goes out to Dr. Nancy Nisbett for her keen eye in proofreading this newsletter.
Have a great summer. L-Jay
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A-ha Moments
When do you get your best ideas? While lying in bed, taking a shower, driving? According to decision science
research these are typical settings for flashes of brilliance. It’s when we are at rest or not focused on a
problem that we tend to come up with creative solutions. The tale goes that Albert Einstein had an a-ha
moment when coming up with E=MC2. In fact, the flash of the idea came long before he could understand or
prove the equation.
For the collaborative leader we’d be wise to heed the advice of how creative ideas emerge. Problems
requiring linear or convergent thinking can rely on the collective focus of group members. Yet, problems
requiring creativity or divergent thinking would best follow a different path. Creative breakthroughs such as
“Eureka!” moments have three phases. First is the inundation phase where you expose your team to as much
information and background on the problem as you can muster, and your team members can absorb (this can
be a delicate balance). This phase often renders participants frustrated, leaving them in want of a resolution.
Refrain from making a snap decision because the next phase is vital: incubation. Our unconscious mind
massages all the data and comes up with solutions—hence why you come up with your best ideas during
relaxation. Your brain interprets, analyzes, and creates in the absence of our conscious effort. I believe this is
why so many artists attribute their muse to a spiritual realm.
The challenge of taking this approach requires clear communication with your team. A collaborative leader
might want to explain the steps that will be taken in the idea development process: defining the problem,
absorbing data, incubation, assimilation and execution. Early success is such a strong indicator of future
success in collaboratives that patiently waiting for ideas to emerge might appear counterintuitive at best, and
counterproductive at worst. This is another reason why effective collaborative leadership is something we
should never take for granted. Those individuals possessing an understanding of team problem-solving skills
will triumph when they effectively guide their team members in a sequential, intentional, and often chaotic
process. At the risk of being cliché, if these problems weren’t so difficult to solve they wouldn’t require the
resources and dedication of collaboration. A collaborative leader will explain the importance of patience in
developing the solution but will also be resolute in the execution phase.
Losada Line:
Research shows that a ratio of three to one, positive to negative comments, coming from the leader resulted
in more successful work teams. This positivity ratio leads team members to thinking more broadly, to explore
and be more curious, make friends, and develop an upward spiral of well being. However, too much positivity
can be equally damaging by creating a level of group think (Creating Your Best Life p. 108). Martin Seligman,
renowned researcher in self-efficacy, remarked how learning this changed how he commented on graduate
student papers. Anecdotal evidence suggested that the more he included positive remarks the more the
critical ones were heeded. Indeed, the quality of the papers improved in direct correlation with his positive
feedback. Most collaborative leaders recognize this as the Pygmalion Principle (success begets success) and,
in my observation, most practice a positive, supportive leadership style. Nonetheless, it’s easy for any of us to
be so captured by the task (performance objective) that we forget about those whose efforts we depend on.
Using a number of three positive comments to each negative will seem contrived but it’s worth keeping in the
back of our minds. Ask yourself: “Am I expressing my recognition for all the positive steps team members are
making toward the collective goal?”
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Motivating through Progress
In a recent interview, Dan Pink was asked how he keeps himself motivated. His response was interesting
because as a renowned author on motivation he has grappled with this question both professionally and in his
personal life. He noted that people are motivated when they experience progress. Therefore he asks a simple
question to himself daily: “Am I better today than I was yesterday.” This has direct implications to running
your collaborative for two reasons. First, demonstrating progress in the initial stages of a collaborative
venture is often difficult. In the early stage participants are sizing each other up, often withholding
information (to avoid offending others or losing face). Quite simply, it takes time for a collaborative to gain
traction. Secondly, it demonstrates the significant importance of targeting and tracking results, if for no other
reason than to provide clear evidence of progress to motivate team members.
To address the first concern, initial lack of progress, it is incumbent upon the collaborative leader to clearly
communicate the process to stakeholders. So many of your seasoned veterans will bare scars from past
collaborations gone awry. Explaining the process might allay some of these concerns and buy you some time
while your collaborative efforts gestate.
To address the second implication, demonstrating progress, most funding agencies will require this but it’s
best not to leave this to the end. Ongoing celebration of small victories will go a long way in keeping your
collaboration intact. Targeting stakeholders or team members who have a knack for evidence-based research
and tracking quantitative progress will be a wonderful asset to your program.
Incremental progress will go a long way to keeping us engaged. Taking a salami approach to any project will
likely foster success. Guess I better go for that run after all; although that cinnamon roll looks awfully good…
Resources
The following are two resources which might assist collaborative leaders in the grant development game. Grant funders
are looking more and more to collaborative projects knowing that a multi-disciplinary approach is critical to solving
today’s complex problems. Since a lot more lip-service than actual practice is given to collaboration it would seem that
those grant writers who intentionally develop collaborations will have a leg-up on those who simply imply they will
coordinate activities with multiple stakeholders.
Successful Grant Writing: Strategies for Health and Human Service Professionals by Laura N. Gitlin and Kevin J. Lyons.
On the surface this looks like a typical grant writing handbook but chapters 11 and 12 are devoted exclusively to the
collaborative process and the theme of the text centers on collaboration.
Collaboration in Grant Development and Management . I have not had the opportunity to review this manual but I’ve
attached the URL and description for grant developers. The publisher’s description follows:
With so many of the new state and federal grants requiring you to collaborate with community partners prior to
receiving grants, are you prepared to prove that you have a well-established collaboration? Can you prove that you have
a working relationship that shares ideas, staff and resources? Collaboration in Grant Development and Management was
developed for grant writers and grant managers for building strategic partnerships with colleagues inside and outside of
the grantee organization.
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Desktop Initiative
Initiative is the term given to experiential problem solving activities traditionally presented to teams on
challenge courses. To challenge you, each newsletter will include a Desktop Initiative. The first person or
team to send in the correct answer will win a prize ($25.00 value). Send your answer to L-Jay Fine at
larryf@csufresno.edu. The winner will be announced in the next newsletter.
Last Month’s Desktop Initiative Solution
Take the following words and create a word circle. A word circle occurs when every pair of words makes
sense—it’s used in our common lexicon. For example the words “pad, down, lock, day, and play” could be
reordered to be: pad-lock-down-play-day. You can combine all the words such as lock-down, down-play and
day-pad (yes, a bit of a stretch) to make a circle of combinations. Try this in pairs or small teams. It makes it
easier and more fun.
The words are: out, deep, lock, note, pad, end, wax, clip, car, paper, board, call, log, in, walk, on, back, box
One solution: Deep, End, Note, Pad, Lock, Out, Box, Car, Wax, Paper, Clip, Board, Walk, On, Call, Back, Log In
The above puzzle was taken from The Work Puzzle Kit: A Challenge that Never Ends developed by Chris
Cavert and Friends Copyright ©2008 www.fundoing.com
This Month’s Desktop Initiative
Answer me this: You throw away the outside and cook the inside. Then you eat the outside and throw away
the inside. What are you eating? (I’m invoking up the travesty-integrity rule —no digital brain assistance)
because I know that you could easily Google the answer).
Have a Great Summer! LJ
Primus inter pares: Latin for first among equals.
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