Collaboration Starts With How We Lead

People can be working hard, doing what they've been asked to do, and still be pulling in different directions.

Creative is trying to get the idea right. Production is trying to figure out how to make it happen. The account team is trying to keep a promise to the client. Each one has a reason for approaching the work the way they do.

But if they're only seeing their part, we can end up with a lot of effort and a project that's harder than it needs to be.

I think leaders have a real opportunity to change that. We can bring people together, set the expectation that they work together, and support them when it gets difficult. How we approach it makes a difference.

Start by understanding what each team is seeing

It's easy to look at a disagreement and decide that people aren't being collaborative. Before reaching that conclusion, understand what they're being asked to deliver.

Consider a hypothetical launch. The account team has agreed to a date. Creative is still developing the direction. Production needs an answer before booking the people and resources. Then someone adds another set of deliverables.

From one side, production may seem inflexible. From another, creative may seem late. The account team may feel that nobody understands what the client needs.

Those reactions don't tell us enough. What was agreed? What changed? Who knew about it? What does each team need to move forward?

When someone brings me a problem, I ask what they would suggest. Their answer helps me understand how they're seeing it. The same question can help across teams. Hear the recommendations before deciding what needs to happen.

That also means being willing to hear something you didn't expect. A concern that sounds like resistance may reveal a problem with the plan.

Give people a chance to contribute before the plan is fixed

If we're asking people to work together, they need a chance to influence the work.

Bringing production in after the approach, budget and deadline have been agreed leaves very little room for its experience to improve the plan. Giving an outside partner a list of assets without explaining what we're trying to accomplish can do the same thing.

Bring them in while their input can still help. Ask how they would approach it. There may be a better way to produce the idea, a requirement we've missed or a choice that gives the creative team more room within the same budget.

My production background is part of why this matters to me. There is a natural creativity that can happen when people are working together. Someone sees something differently. An adjustment leads to a better idea. We need to make room for that contribution as we plan the work, too.

That doesn't mean involving everyone in every conversation. It means thinking about whose knowledge could make a difference before we commit to a direction.

People have more to offer when there's still something they can help shape.

Set the expectation, then help people follow through

There are times when leadership has to say, “We need you to work through this together.” We can require that conversation to happen. Then we need to understand what support it requires.

If two teams have been given commitments they can't both meet, asking them to collaborate won't settle which promise takes priority. They may need a decision from us.

In the launch example, put the choices on the table. What needs to be ready on day one? Can the additional versions follow? Would another resource help, and what would that cost? Who needs to agree if the plan changes?

Work through those questions, make the call and give people a clear next step. A thoughtful approach should help the project move with more confidence.

This applies to external partners as well. In her recent WFA article on client-agency relationships, Laura Forcetti points to briefing, trust and constructive feedback as important to strong work.

It's a useful reminder to look at our own part in the relationship. Have we explained what we need? Are we giving feedback people can act on? Are we making decisions when we've said we would?

We should expect good work from our partners and give them what they need to deliver it.

Pay attention after the meeting

Getting people together is a start. What happens afterward tells us more.

Are they sharing information directly? Are concerns coming up while there's still time to do something about them? Does the person doing the work understand the decision, or are they getting a different answer from someone else?

Ask people how it's going. Give them room to tell you where the approach isn't helping. That includes being open to hearing that something you asked for has made the work harder.

People also need to know when they can move ahead. Collaboration doesn't require everyone to agree with every choice. Hear the different views, be clear about who makes the decision, and support the team in carrying it out.

For the next project, look at where two teams rely on each other. Do they understand what they're working toward together? Have they had a chance to contribute? Do they know where to go when they can't resolve something themselves?

If we're asking people to work across silos, we have to be willing to work across them ourselves.