Every executive I know is trying to accomplish something bigger than simply delivering results.
They’re trying to create an organization where leaders, departments, teams, and individuals genuinely share ownership of the mission instead of working at cross-purposes or creating unnecessary friction.
Creating shared ownership isn’t something you can assign. It requires something much deeper.
We spend enormous energy improving communication, strengthening processes, running better projects, and developing strong strategic plans. And we should. But far less attention is paid to what people are actually giving one another inside those meetings.
People are constantly giving—or withholding—gifts like attention, honesty, encouragement, confidence, and grace.
Collaboration isn’t primarily what we do together. It’s what we intentionally give one another while we’re doing the work.
The quality of our collaboration is determined less by what’s written on the agenda than by what’s passed between people.
Leaders experience this every day.
Whether you’re a CEO, executive, department leader, manager, or individual contributor, much of your success depends on people you influence as much as people you manage. That’s why what we give one another matters so much.
This simple idea became the foundation for what I call the Four Collaboration Passes.
Here’s one practice you can use immediately.
If collaboration is built by what people give one another, the first step is discovering what people actually need.
Before your next leadership meeting, project kickoff, planning session, team meeting, or when your team feels stuck, try something different.
Before jumping into the agenda, go around the room and ask one simple question:
“What’s one thing you need from this group in order to succeed?”
You might hear:
- “I need people to speak up sooner.”
- “I need more context.”
- “I need data and tools.”
- “I need help.”
- “I need to know it’s okay to disagree.”
- “I need to feel like I’m not carrying this alone.”
Some groups will answer this question immediately. Others may hesitate. That’s natural. People are more willing to answer honestly when they’ve seen that the group genuinely wants to help them succeed.
What you’ve done is shift the conversation from just “What do we need to get done?” to “How can we help each other succeed?”
Shared ownership isn’t built through agendas or assignments. It’s built one interaction at a time, as people intentionally give one another what they need to succeed.
That’s the idea behind Uncommon Collaboration™.
