THE PROGRAM
Get aligned before work gets complicated.
Everyone at work is collaborating with lots more people than ever before. Not just those working alongside them, but all over the organization chart—up, down, sideways, and diagonal. The truth is everyone wants to be able to depend on each other and deliver for each other. But when no one has the authority to require others to get things done, how can colleagues deliver consistent results and maintain high performance?
Rather than escalating conflicts to a manager, resisting those conflicts and remaining frozen, or “proceeding until apprehended”, colleagues can collaborate the right way: by aligning up, down, sideways, and diagonal.
In this program, Bruce distills the proven best practices of real people, collaborating in the real world, into guidelines for communication that will revolutionize how teams work together. Drawing on decades of research into the habits and systems of successful people in highly-collaborative roles, Bruce equips teams with simple but powerful strategies for staying aligned, no matter where each person falls on the organization chart.
Participants will learn
- What The Authority Conundrum is, why it happens, and how it stalls productivity, damaging working relationships over time.
- The importance of alignment in today’s workplace—whether working as part of a team or as an “independent” contributor.
- Why establishing alignment helps build true accountability by turning it into a process, not a slogan.
- How to “work things out at their own level” and “take charge” without bribing, coercing, bullying, or overstepping their role.
Techniques and best practices
- Aligning vertically, before going sideways or diagonal
- Seeking alignment with managers at every step through regular structured dialogue
- Putting more structure and substance into ad hoc, unstructured communication
- Dealing with interrupters and distractors
- Having better meetings and being a great meeting citizen
- Managing relationships in every direction on the organization chart: up, down, sideways, and diagonal
WATCH BRUCE · 1:17
Are team members aligned—or just assuming they are?
Participants learn to share work in progress, ask better questions, and clarify next steps for colleagues.
WHO IT’S FOR
Designed for your people.
Cross-functional teams, project leaders, and individual contributors whose success depends on other people.
AVAILABLE FORMATS
Built around your event.
Keynotes · Workshops · Virtual programs
Available in person and virtually. Workshops can be half-day, full-day, or multi-day engagements. RainmakerThinking will help you choose the format and customize the focus for your audience.
BRING THIS PROGRAM TO YOUR EVENT
Let’s talk about your audience.
For program customization and availability, contact RainmakerThinking. Tell us about your audience, event and objectives; we’ll help shape the program and format around your organization.