Chapter 4: Cooperation

A huge part of the success of any organisation resides in all of the moving parts, people, functions and departments working smoothly and productively – not just individually but collectively.  As a leader you have a key role to play in this. If you have staff members that you manage then much of this is about the journey of developing them and delegating effectively. If you do not have staff that report to you, you may nevertheless have all sorts of peers, colleagues, customers, stakeholders, and seniors to work with effectively with in order to deliver and flourish. Very often you have all of these things to achieve.

This chapter builds on the earlier chapters to help you gain a deeper awareness and understanding of these dynamics so that you are strategic and considered in your efforts. It will help you to think about the who, what, where and when of this. It will help you to develop yourself and others by understanding the leadership journey from inspiration and motivation through to aspiration and celebration.

This chapter will help you to plan and prepare and to navigate the people, personalities, politics and power dynamics so that you become a better leader. It works closely in tandem with the following Chapter Conversationswhich will help you put lots of this into practice through effective conversations.

This chapter will also help remind you to be caring and considered so that you can lead in a way which is conscious, compassionate, inclusive and mindful of diversity so that you can help achieve more together.

Take your time to watch this this chapter closely to consider how it relates to your working environment and how you can best apply these insights to your team, work and organisation.

Return to this chapter whenever you need to become more effective, engaging with and developing others, and when you are planning major projects or going through significant changes. 

Once you have completed this chapter – and once you are ready – then move on to the next chapter.