Leading Teams to Win Through Collaboration is a SkillAs I get older, I understand that regularly accumulating and refining our skills as leaders can be a big asset.Specifically, when we take a look a the pantheon of important skills to possess as a leader, I am seeing that the ability to get people to effectively collaborate is huge. I would even submit it is right up there with nunchuck skills, bow hunting skills and computer hacking skills in terms of importance. Yes, it is that big, Friends.Jokes and movie references aside, the mark of a true leader can be found in not just getting teams to accomplish their goals, but also how they do it.It can be hard enough to single handedly develop a winning plan yourself and then get a team of people to execute that plan successfully. That alone takes thought, courage and the ability to then get others to buy into the vision to make it all happen.But when your team is comprised of individuals that may be talented, Type A, independent thinkers with strong opinions of their own, getting that ultimate buy-in on the vision can be extremely difficult. In those cases, a "command and control" approach will seldom get the plan off the ground due to expected pushback from team members.That is where a truly adept leader, in these cases, needs to be able to pivot to taking a more collaborative approach to developing a vision in order to get things done. The challenge: collaboration takes thought, it takes time, it takes patience and it requires compromise. If time is of the essence, a collaborative approach will seem inefficient.That is where an effective leader needs to be able to be more of guide in the process than a commander. It means that they also might need to put their ego aside for the benefit of the team -- as it won't be their sole vision the team is executing. If the desired outcome is for the team to win and the team is comprised of independent thinkers, everyone is going to want to feel like they are stakeholders in determining how the team will win. In many cases, the team members are going to want to think it was "their idea". Being able to trust your team to drive the vision is key -- and can be unnatural for many people that are put in leadership roles. But allowing the process to unfold, giving each team member the ability to shape the course of action without any one taking complete control can yield a more robust plan. More importantly, it also ensures accountability across the board -- meaning a better chance to produce a winning result. Look across the landscape of winning companies and organizations. Many are driven by a single commanding leader who is a visionary. But there are also many that have taken a more collaborative, team first approach achieving their goals.Take a look at the leaders of those organizations -- they are the ones who should be admired for their skill.And with that....we move into April and on to the links for the week. Some good quick articles below for you to go along with the quick preamble. Check them out! XOXODave