Collaboration Breakthroughs LLC

The outcome of any vote leaves those who are happy about the results, and those who are not. Here are some thoughts on supporting the outvoted when it comes to collaborative decision-making. (Also applicable to presidential elections.) #decisionfacilitator #decisionfacilitation #resilience #teamperformance #collaborativeleadership #collaborativedecisionmaking #teamempowerment 

Since tomorrow is election day in the U.S., it got me thinking . . . . . . how the whole process is similar to the methods I use to help groups make decisions, but with extra layers piled on that make things more complicated than they need to be. If you’ll indulge me for a moment . . . As a #decisionfacilitator, I take teams through a series of exercises where they anonymously propose ideas and vote on the ones they believe will work best. The majority always rules. This is like our primary process where several potential candidates present their platforms, and voters anonymously cast their ballots; the person who gets the most votes becomes the nominee and moves on to compete in the general election. However, decision facilitation differs from our elections in a few different ways. 🗳️  The method of voting is standardized, so everyone is eligible, they cast their ballots the same way, and at the same time. 🗳️  The decision-making sessions I facilitate are “one person, one vote” throughout the process; there is no entity (i.e., the Electoral College) that represents a sub-group of participants and carries its own number of votes based on how many people are in the sub-group. 🗳️  If the two top options earned an equal number of votes, a person pre-assigned to break ties (not me) casts a deciding vote, giving one option the majority. 🗳️  There are no challenges to the final vote, and the option that won determines the path forward. Just imagine how much easier our federal election process would be if it followed decision facilitation methodology--no individual state voting regulations or practices, no Electoral College, a definitive winner determined by receiving the most individual votes, and a single pre-designated person to break a tie, if necessary. Maybe one day. If you’d like to learn more about the #decisionfacilitation services I offer and how collaborative decision-making can strengthen your team and improve its #performance, message me! #collaborativeleadership #collaborativedecisionmaking #teamempowerment #facilitation #offsitemeetings #teamretreat #projectmanagement

Team leaders, are you tapping into your team's knowledge and expertise when making decisions? If not, you should. Their input adds perspective, increases #engagement and commitment, improves the quality of your decision-making, and fosters #transparency and #communication. All of which build #trust, which makes #collaboration more effective, leading to better project outcomes. Think about it, then message me when you're ready to give it a try. I can help! https://lnkd.in/e_XCy7Gm #facilitator #teamwork #innovation #decisionmaking #leadership #businessstrategy #performance

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it." But if it is broken, why not try a fresh approach? The chart below shows that traditional meetings are missing the mark and end up wasting everyone's time. There's a better way to get teams together to brainstorm and make decisions that move projects forward, but most team leaders are content to stick with the status quo--and their results show it. If you're ready to energize your team and start seeing better outcomes by hosting productive gatherings that save time and everyone's sanity, we should talk--message me. #collaboration #facilitator #decisionsupport #projectmanagement #teamalignment #highperformingteams #leadership #DEI

A little food for thought.

This would be great as a morning ice-breaker too!

The great thing about #facilitation is the #workshop participants get in on solving the mystery too. It's the jolt of discovery that makes it so satisfying! We can help your team work together to assess the clues that uncover solutions to your most pressing issues. Message us to learn how.

Last night, I attended a networking event and started chatting with the director of a local theater company. When he mentioned that he recently started offering #improv classes, I mentioned that I had taken a few improv classes years ago, and that the ability to think on one’s feet was definitely a skill I needed to rely on as a #workshopfacilitator. He invited me to join the class, and while I haven’t decided if I’ll take him up on his offer, it got me thinking about how the principles of improvisation align closely with workshopping. Improvisation, whether in music, theater, or #workshops, is guided by several principles that help #facilitators and participants create spontaneously and collaboratively. While these principles can vary slightly depending on the context, the slides below describe the fundamental ones. #InnerCircleChallenge

In my last role, I was a member of the #DEI team of a global law firm. Our work focused on making sure all employees in the firm--particularly those in underrepresented or marginalized groups--had equitable access to opportunities and were included in projects and activities that would enable them to grow in their careers, as well as attract diverse talent to the firm. One of the things that attracted me to my new role as a #workshopfacilitator is that the methodology I learned naturally incorporates #diversity, #equity, and #inclusion to achieve the best outcomes for clients. How, you ask? 1. Diversity: Workshops work best when individuals with different roles, different skill sets, and different backgrounds each bring their unique perspectives to brainstorm, problem-solve, improve, and make decisions.   2. Equity: Team dynamics and organizational politics that color day-to-day interactions, assignments, and opportunities are neutralized in the workshop setting to ensure the best ideas rise to the top. When it's time to decide on a path forward, everyone gets to anonymously vote for their preferred option, and the one that earns the most votes is the one the team proceeds with.   3. Inclusion: Because the workshops are structured and often led by a third-party facilitator, each participant has equal opportunity to contribute their ideas and opinions based on their individual experience, skills, and expertise, rather than their role or seniority. As a DEI advocate, seeing diversity, equity, and inclusion principles applied at their most basic level in facilitated workshops resonated with me. DEI issues can be complex and complicated to address but using this approach to help teams spark #innovation, achieve alignment, improve #collaboration, and realize better project outcomes is a pretty easy first step. #InnerCircleChallenge #workshopfacilitation