COLLABORATION
Jeff Hartzler
We all know the importance of gaining a seat at the table with our stakeholders and working toward becoming a trusted partner and advisor. But how do we truly earn that role, and when is the best time to collaborate to elevate our impact?
The key lies not only in the quality of our expertise but in how we engage with stakeholders to create strategic, value-driven partnerships. Collaboration is no longer about simply checking boxes, it’s about aligning with the business, understanding the true ask and speaking the same language.
In the world of collaboration, metrics like NPS and completion rates are often seen as the standard measures of success in our learning and development (L&D) efforts. While these metrics can offer useful insights into engagement and satisfaction, they rarely address the true impact of our initiatives: How those initiatives translate into measurable business outcomes.
When we focus on learning speak, we inadvertently put ourselves at odds with the business language that drives real success. Business leaders care about behavioral change, measurable impact and tangible results. Not just whether someone completed a course or how happy they were with a session.
This is where clarity of purpose and alignment are crucial in collaboration. Before starting any initiative, it’s vital to align with business stakeholders on what success looks like (and it’s not just about numbers). It’s about changed behaviors, productivity improvements and concrete results that contribute to business goals.
To truly earn your seat at the table and transition into that trusted partner and advisor role, you need to speak the business language from the get-go. This means asking the right questions early:
What are the key business outcomes we need to drive?
How will we measure success in terms that matter to the business (beyond completion rates and satisfaction surveys)?
What behaviors need to change for this initiative to have a lasting impact?
Who will be accountable to pull-through the behavior change and not make this just an “event”?
Once we’ve aligned on the true ask and clarified the language of the business, we need to translate that clarity into actionable steps for successful collaboration.
Here are several best practices to consider:
Start with a Proactive Approach Based on Your KnowledgeThe key to building effective collaboration is starting proactively. This begins with understanding the business context deeply before jumping into projects.
Research business priorities: Before collaborating with stakeholders, take the time to understand their core business objectives. This knowledge is crucial for aligning your goals and communicating in a way that resonates with business leaders (and minimizes the rinse and repeat from the last “event”).
Anticipate needs: As you get more familiar with the business, anticipate needs and challenges that your team can address, before they become problems. You should be able to have conversations with stakeholders where you offer solutions, not just respond to requests (prevents order taking).
Leverage cross-functional insights: Don’t wait for problems to arise. Use your understanding of different areas within the organization to proactively engage stakeholders about areas of opportunity and potential pain points (break down silos and maximize content already available).
By leading from a place of knowledge and anticipating the needs of your stakeholders, you set the stage for meaningful and impactful collaboration.
Set Clear Guidelines and Expectations from the StartCollaboration works best when everyone knows what to expect from the beginning. Setting clear guidelines upfront can help avoid confusion and ensure that the project stays on track.
Define roles and decision rights: It’s critical that everyone understands their role and decision-making authority within the project. Who has the final say? Who needs to be consulted? Establishing these boundaries early on helps prevent bottlenecks and avoids decision paralysis.
Establish meeting cadences and goals: Whether it’s weekly check-ins, monthly reviews or ad-hoc strategy sessions, it’s important to set clear expectations around meeting frequency, the purpose of each meeting and the desired outcomes. Having a meeting just for the sake of meeting is a time drain (and costly). Instead, structure meetings around actionable goals.
Agree on the format and communication: Ensure everyone is clear on how the team will communicate. Will there be project management tools, shared documents or specific communication channels for important updates? Setting these expectations upfront helps reduce unnecessary back-and-forth and streamlines the process.
By establishing these guidelines early, you create a structured framework that enhances efficiency and reduces friction in the collaboration process.
Emphasize the Importance of Alignment Throughout the ProcessAlignment is key to any successful collaboration, yet it’s often one of the first things that breaks down. Whether it’s a small miscommunication or a major change of direction, lack of alignment can significantly hamper progress.
Here’s how to maintain alignment:
Constant check-ins: Regular check-ins help ensure that the team remains on track and aligned with the initial goals. These should be designed to revisit objectives, discuss progress and realign on priorities if needed.
Shared objectives: Make sure that everyone involved understands the shared objectives and is invested in the outcome. This isn’t just about deliverables; it’s about aligning on what success looks like for all parties involved.
Get feedback early and often: Rather than waiting until the project is finished, seek feedback from key stakeholders during the process. This early feedback loop keeps collaboration on track and ensures everyone feels their voices are heard.
Alignment shouldn’t be seen as something you do at the start of a project, it’s a process that requires constant attention. When alignment breaks down, it can lead to confusion, wasted time and misaligned priorities.
Understand the Cost of Misalignment and Constant ChangesMisalignment is costly, both in terms of time and outcomes. Small, incremental changes or miscommunications can derail a project, causing delays and leading to frustration among teams.
Time loss due to misalignment: A lack of alignment leads to teams working in different directions. This creates rework, wasted resources and missed opportunities. It’s often more effective to spend time aligning upfront than fixing issues later.
Impact of constant changes: Frequent scope changes or pivoting without agreement can quickly lead to confusion and burnout among teams. Each change adds complexity and disrupts the flow, which impacts overall productivity. It’s important to have a process for evaluating changes and deciding when to pivot or stay the course.
The cost of disengagement: When people feel disconnected from the collaboration process or unsure about their role, they disengage. Misalignment can lead to lack of ownership, which ultimately affects the team’s ability to deliver results.
Understanding and addressing the cost of misalignment and constant changes ensures that collaboration doesn’t just become a series of tactical meetings, but a strategic partnership where all parties are aligned toward the same goal.
Building effective collaboration doesn’t happen by accident. It requires proactive leadership, clear guidelines and a commitment to continuous alignment. By starting with a strong understanding of the business, setting expectations upfront and maintaining focus on measurable impact, you can transform how you work with stakeholders.
This isn’t just about getting things done, it’s about creating a partnership where everyone’s success is aligned with the business’s success.
Jeff Hartzler is a life sciences learning executive and a vice president of the LTEN Board of Directors. Email Jeff at hartzler.jeff@yahoo.com or connect through linkedin.com/in/jeff-hartzler.