Ask Yourself Whats In It For WE?
"Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success." - Henry Ford "Individual commitment to a group effort, that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work." - Vince Lombardi _______________________________________ "What's in it for WE?" is a question we ask ourselves. It is not a question we ask of other people. It reflects a way of thinking that affects nearly all of our relationships and interactions with other people. In this article, I will briefly address three points that illustrate the importance of "What's in it for WE?" thinking to leadership, teamwork, and collaboration. 1) Effective collaboration is one of the keys to your business/financial success. I propose that few great things come from the efforts of only one person. Consider these great collaborations from the world of entertainment: ? Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers ? Elton John and Bernie Taupin ? Paul McCartney and John Lennon ? Bud Abbot and Lou Costello. How about these collaborations from the world of exploration: ? Capt Meriwether Lewis and William Clark ? Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay. In business we can look to: ? Bill Gates and Paul Allen ? David Abercrombie and Ezra Fitch ? James Smith McDonnell and Donald Wills Douglas ? William Proctor and James Gamble ? Richard Warren Sears and Alvah Curtis Roebuck. Which of these people would have achieved the same level of success had they attempted to go it alone? I think few of them would have been as successful. 2) How you think determines how others react to you. People know how you are thinking about them because your thinking impacts your word choice, your tone, and your body language. The better you get at focusing your thoughts on mutual benefit, the more your words, tone and body language will reflect that thinking. As your external behaviors reflect more "What's in it for WE?" thinking, people will be more receptive to working collaboratively with you. 3) If you ask the wrong question, you'll get the wrong answer. This statement is the primary thought behind this article. I have heard this statement, or some variation of it, applied to sales training, conflict resolution, and communication training. In "QBQ!: The Question Behind The Question", John Miller discusses this statement as it applies to personal accountability. I hope you will apply it to your thinking regarding all of your interactions with other people. There are two basic types of questions you can ask yourself when you work with others. You can ask yourself "What's in it for ME?" questions or "What's in it for WE?" questions. "What's in it for ME?" questions focus on the benefit to you alone. They sound like: ? How can I get them to do business with me? ? How can I get people to refer other people to me? ? How can I sell them my product or service? ? Why don't they understand me? ? Why don't they listen to me? ? What's wrong with them? ? How can I get my employees to do what I want them to do? ? How can I get them to work harder? ? Why don't they get more done? ? Why aren't they helping me? "What's in it for WE?" questions focus on mutual benefit. They sound like: ? How can I add value to this relationship? ? What can I do to help this person? ? Who do I know that can help this person? ? What can we do together that we can't do separately? ? How do we complement each other? ? How can I communicate my ideas more clearly? ? How do I make myself the kind of person that people want to follow? As I said in the opening paragraph, "What's in it for WE?" is a question we ask ourselves that reflects a way of thinking about other people and our relationships with them. Learn to ask "What's in it for WE?" questions, and you will demonstrate "What's in it for WE?" behaviors. When you demonstrate "What's in it for WE?" behaviors, you will form mutually beneficial, collaborative relationships. These relationships will then form the foundation for your success. Remember to ask yourself - "What's in it for WE?" Copyright 2005, Guy Harris About the Author: Guy Harris is the Chief Relationship Officer with Principle Driven Consulting. He helps entrepreneurs, business managers, and other organizational leaders build trust, reduce conflict, and improve team performance. Learn more at http://www.principledriven.com Guy co-authored "The Behavior Bucks System TM" to help parents reduce stress and conflict with their children. Learn more about this book at http://www.behaviorbucks.com
Related News
|
 |
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Leadership, Self-Development, and the Committment to Growth
There is a common phrase that says: "You can't teach an old dog new tricks." I know that most of us have heard it. The problem is that we all too often take it, and other so-called "conventional wisdom" as truth.
The Leader Within
Each and every one of you has hidden deep inside a different person a person that is robust insightful originative, a person that you have forgotten that it ever existed. No matter what you believe that person lies within you, waiting for its awakening call.
Transformational Leadership
"What is leadership?" When this question is asked most of the people answer "leadership is the capacity or an ability of a person to lead". Earlier theories of leadership viz. trait, behaviour and contingency theories explain the meaning of leadership from different angles. But all these theories spring from the point of view of leaders i.e. "How to control the followers?" Now-a-days the most recent type of leadership is Transformational Leadership theory which also theorises from the point of view of leaders but it attempts to transform the followers or subordinates into leaders.
Mentors and Coaches: How to Be A Great Mentor
Though out your career you may be asked to become someone's mentor. Mentoring is a rewarding activity for both you and the mentee ? it is a great way to give back while sharing your experiences and wisdom. And it's very flattering to be asked and can appeal to our ego. Too often people agree, feeling very honoured by the request, before giving the role much thought. There is a significant investment of time and effort required to be a good mentor. If you do agree to become someone's mentor you must realize that you have the ability to make a dramatic positive or negative impact on that person?these guidelines will help to ensure you fulfill your role well.
How To Get To Know A Disabled Person
When you first meet someone who is blind, deaf, or in a wheelchair, what is your initial reaction? Curiosity? Sympathy? Awkwardness? If you experience any of these emotions, you are not alone. Chances are you don't regularly associate with someone who is disabled, so these feelings are quite common.
Take the Road Less Traveled
"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference."
- Robert Frost
Thoughtleading: The Art of Separating Yourself from the Pack
Lately the age-old business dilemma of how to stand out from the crowd has been haunting companies and professional service firms more than ever before. All too many firms nowadays look too much alike, with marketing strategies seemingly unable to distinguish them from their competition. Glossy brochures, snazzy websites, press releases, advertising: when everyone employs the same methods, everyone ends up vying for the same narrow window of client and prospect attention.
Mentor? Who Needs A Mentor?
Who needs a mentor. . .everyone who is truly serious about achieving more of their true potential, personally and financially. In fact, Richard Brooke says:
In Leadership, The Eight Ways Of Right Action (Part 2)
In Part 1, I said that leaders who can't have people take right action are ineffective, and I listed four of the eight ways of right action. In Part 2, I'll describe the remaining four ways.
Coaching a Leader
One of my favorite memories growing up as a child was making trips with my family to my sister's volleyball tournaments on the weekends. Those memories are filled with being a part of an exciting atmosphere, sitting in the stands and watching the action-packed games. Along with watching my sister play, I recall two other players by the names of Christy and Liz, who stood out to me because of their athletic talent on the court. Over the four years of my sister's high school career, I followed their volleyball careers as well because Christy was my sister's teammate, and Liz was a player from a rival school.
Two Leadership Traps: How To Avoid Them and How To Get Out Of Them (Part 2)
Here's how to get out of, or avoid, the "I need ... " trap. It simply involves changing what you think and what you say in very simple ways.
Are You a Leader or a Manager?
President Ike Eisenhower once demonstrated the difference between leadership and management to his cabinet by putting a piece of string in a straight line on the conference table. He then asked one of the attendees to put his finger on one end of the string and push it. The string, of course, bunched up in an ugly bundle. He then asked the man to pull the string with his finger on one end. The string straightened up in a nice neat line and followed the finger across the table. "This", said Ike "is the difference between managing and leading."
Recommended Books on Leadership and Team Building
The single most important thing a leader can do is lead by example, and if you want your team to be dynamic and learn more, you've got to continually innovate and find new ways to encourage, reward, and motivate YOURSELF! That's right, I said you've got to motivate YOU! If you lead by example, and you're motivated, soon your team will be too!
Why the Squirrel Kept Winning!
I had the good fortune (or misfortune depending on your climate perspective) of living in Minnesota for ten years. The Summers were beautiful, Fall was spectacular with the changing colors of the leaves on trees and winter was,?well, damn cold.
Make the Most of Your Mentoring Relationships
Mentoring is one of the best ways to learn, to get feedback, and to take your career to the next level. Here are ten tips for making the most of your mentoring relationships.
Heres The REAL Reason Bush Won: The Dark Night Of The Leadership Soul
George Bush won the election because he was finally able to break out of the presidential bubble and give "leadership talks" on a consistent basis.
Cub Scout Leader Outdoor Experience
Recently I attended Cub Scout Leader Outdoor Experience training. This was a 24 hour course starting Friday evening. If you are a leader whose Council officers this kind of training, I would highly recommend it.
Leadership - Passion, Purpose, Profit - Its Not That Hard
Go to any educational institution, look at airport bookshelves, shopping centres and open your eyes to the myriad of products available today and you could be forgiven to thinking that the art of leadership was beyond mere mortals.
Hidden Self Confidence
Peer independence is arguably the least understood aspect of self confidence. Many people who are shy, or suffer from social anxiety, tell me that they lack confidence. However, their shyness or social anxiety is only one aspect of a constellation of qualities which combine to determine our confidence profile. Understanding peer independence helps many people to appreciate and build on their personal strengths.
Effective Leaders are (#1) Conceptual
SEE INTO THE FUTURE CREATIVELY AND PRACTICALITY: Planning day-to-day is obviously important, but a good leader must be able to see the long-range picture, to know the history of the organization and have a sense of the direction in which it is traveling. Effective leaders always have the long-range picture in mind as they plan laterally.
|
