What is Fierce Collaboration?
Four years ago a client came to us with an interesting question. Consumer Electronics University had worked with this regional retailer for two years helping them improve their management, coaching, and leadership skills. The results were very encouraging. Sales were up in a very difficult market, and J.D. Powers had just given them their highest ever customer satisfaction rating. They attributed improved leadership skills as a major factor in this success, but they wanted more.
"Our managers love what they have learned, but their teams want to get in on it too.
How can we raise the bar by helping our store teams lead, coach and train each other?"
It was an interesting concept. So far our training had focused on helping managers develop their people to become "independent high achievers." That's great, but its not the same as creating a group dynamic that works together to achieve team success. In fact, our client suspected that in some cases competition between independent high achievers may be working against team goals.
Most learning starts with good questions; and this client's great questions about teamwork lead us to study and create team leadership training based on the concept of Fierce Collaboration.
"Fierce Collaboration" describes the optimal relationship between members of any high performance organization that results in the greatest success for both the organization and its members. Winning teams in sports, business, and even the military know that lasting success is based just as much upon shared goals and frequent honest communication as it is on individual skills and motivation.
Fierce Collaboration is how successful families work too. Less functional organizations (Congress?) seem to miss this critical concept.
Fierce Collaboration also describes the optimal relationship between organizations; like the relationship between a vendor and its customers.
Fierce Collaboration is equally applicable to the relationship between retailers and customers, manufacturers and retailers, and training organizations and their clients.
For Trainers like me, Fierce Collaboration means recognizing that each development opportunity poses unique challenges base on the culture and capabilities of my clients. Effective training development must start with consultation and analysis. Every program must be created to meet specific measurable goals. All pre-work and follow up learning exercises must be designed to be successfully executed in the real world business environment. Finally, results must be judged based upon how training impacts actual performance and the client's bottom line.
Four years ago a client came to us with an interesting question. Consumer Electronics University had worked with this regional retailer for two years helping them improve their management, coaching, and leadership skills. The results were very encouraging. Sales were up in a very difficult market, and J.D. Powers had just given them their highest ever customer satisfaction rating. They attributed improved leadership skills as a major factor in this success, but they wanted more.
"Our managers love what they have learned, but their teams want to get in on it too.
How can we raise the bar by helping our store teams lead, coach and train each other?"
It was an interesting concept. So far our training had focused on helping managers develop their people to become "independent high achievers." That's great, but its not the same as creating a group dynamic that works together to achieve team success. In fact, our client suspected that in some cases competition between independent high achievers may be working against team goals.
Most learning starts with good questions; and this client's great questions about teamwork lead us to study and create team leadership training based on the concept of Fierce Collaboration.
"Fierce Collaboration" describes the optimal relationship between members of any high performance organization that results in the greatest success for both the organization and its members. Winning teams in sports, business, and even the military know that lasting success is based just as much upon shared goals and frequent honest communication as it is on individual skills and motivation.
Fierce Collaboration is how successful families work too. Less functional organizations (Congress?) seem to miss this critical concept.
Fierce Collaboration also describes the optimal relationship between organizations; like the relationship between a vendor and its customers.
Fierce Collaboration is equally applicable to the relationship between retailers and customers, manufacturers and retailers, and training organizations and their clients.
- For retailers this could mean developing solution-driven rather than product-driven sales presentation strategies. Presentations that start and end with the customer, not the product.
- For vendors, it may mean learning more about how your products impact a retailer's bottom line and developing flexible marketing and training programs that compliment each retailer's needs instead of a one-size-fits-all approach.
For Trainers like me, Fierce Collaboration means recognizing that each development opportunity poses unique challenges base on the culture and capabilities of my clients. Effective training development must start with consultation and analysis. Every program must be created to meet specific measurable goals. All pre-work and follow up learning exercises must be designed to be successfully executed in the real world business environment. Finally, results must be judged based upon how training impacts actual performance and the client's bottom line.