From Me to We. Garner Janine

if appropriate, taking) professional advice with due regard to their own particular circumstances. The author and publisher expressly disclaim all and any liability to any person, whether a purchaser of this publication or not, in respect of anything and of the consequences of anything done or omitted to be done by any such person in reliance, whether whole or partial, upon the whole or any part of the contents of this publication.

      About the author

      Janine Garner is passionate about commercial collaboration, driving courageous conversations, influential leadership and, above all, future-proofing business.

      She is the founder and CEO of the LBDGroup, a community of successful and results-oriented businesswomen and entrepreneurs working collaboratively to drive continued change and success.

      Janine is also the founder of Australia’s first gift-giving circle, First Seeds Fund, which is committed to supporting Australian women and children in education and employment.

      She has won an International Stevie Award, has been voted one of the Top 10 DARE Devil Women of 2013 by DARE magazine, is listed in 2013 as one of Australia’s ‘Most Inspiring Women’ by Madison magazine and has been nominated for the Telstra Businesswomen Awards.

      Janine is a sought-after keynote speaker, mentor and business adviser. She writes every week for her own blog and is a regular commentator in business print and online media.

      Acknowledgements

      This book is a working example of the power of commercial collaboration and the improved thinking that emerges when collective intelligence is engaged: mentors, business colleagues, other experts, friends and family have all been a diverse and amazing group of people that inspire me, mentor me, support my dream, provide incredible friendship and, critically, keep me sane. This journey, my first foray into writing, will forever be a journey I cherish – I have learned so much about myself and, most importantly, how you can achieve so much more than you ever thought you were capable of if your why is strong enough.

      I would like to first of all thank my children – Flynn, Taya and Carter. You are all an inspiration to me every day, showing me that opportunity is everywhere and teaching me to open my eyes and ears to the gifts that surround us. Flynn, your wisdom and empathy will take you far; Taya, the joy and happiness you bring to life every day is infectious; and Carter, your hunger for life and determination to be the best is incredible. Thank you to my ‘babies’ for supporting my dream and your patience on the evenings and weekends when sport and playtime were missed because I had to lock myself away and focus on ‘Mummy’s book’. I love you all up to the sky and back and I am so proud of everything you already are and everything you are destined to become.

      Thank you to my gorgeous husband, Jason. You are my rock, my support, my encourager and my believer all rolled into one. Without you I would not have had the courage to take ownership of my dream and without your continued support, encouragement and love (as well as having to pick up the majority of the family demands while I was writing this book) I would not be where I am today. You are my soul mate and always will be. I am all I am and more now because of you and the family we have together. May our dreams continue to get bigger.

      Thank you to Jen Daillitz and Abigail Disney for providing my lollipop moments, igniting the spirit and inspiring me to take ownership of my own journey.

      Matt Church, thank you for your patience, encouragement and above all for pushing me to become more. I have loved every debate, conversation and challenge set – you have stretched my thinking and pushed me to the edge of my comfort zone. You have been and will continue to be my mentor and teacher, and your willingness to share your knowledge, insight and guidance to help others achieve what you see in them is collaboration in action every day.

      To the team at Wiley – your support, advice and guidance has been amazing from the get go. Particular thanks go to Lucy and Allison. I loved every meeting, email conversation and phone call, and with your input and investment this book has become so much more.

      To all the friends that keep me sane. The kids – Louise, Maria, Gell, Caroline, Heidi and Janey – we may be dispersed throughout the world but the friendship, love and support that was cemented 25 years ago and the experiences we have all been through have shaped me to become who I am. I value your love and friendship always. To Andy and Maria for dreaming with me and for helping shape our Aussie life and to Sarah, Shannon and Julie for helping me keep things on track and in perspective.

      To my fellow game changers, the contributors in this book and to all the members of the LBDGroup, thank you for your encouragement, support and belief in the journey. For contributing and collaborating and becoming part of a community that is creating ripples of change. Each of you are shaping the future of business, of generations, of leadership, and proving that together we can become so much more.

      A special thank you to WW – you know who you are. You are an inspiration. Your ongoing strength and resilience inspires me and all who are lucky enough to know you. Your continuous encouragement and quiet involvement in helping to build my vision and big-picture dream is so appreciated. Thank you for all your support through the laughter and tears, the virtual horse races and the ‘my little pony’ moments. Without this the late nights and early mornings of writing would have been so much harder. Your guidance, friendship and love are something I will forever value.

      And finally thank you to you the reader for taking the time to read this book and exploring a more collaborative way of working – a way that embraces diversity, values differences and sees the opportunity and increased sum of collective intelligence.

      Introduction

      Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success.

– Henry Ford, businessman

      What does collaboration mean to you?

      Are you aware that commercial collaboration is the key to endless opportunities to future-proof your business, your career and your own success?

      Great potential can be created when you move from being solely focused on Me – my skills, my job, my business, my leadership challenges – to working freely in a world of We, where there is active collaboration and sharing of knowledge, insight and intellect. Where you openly talk about failures, and equally share knowledge; where honesty, integrity and a belief in opportunity and possibility can create the freedom to invent, to innovate and to disrupt the status quo and, ultimately, to future-proof yourself.

      Sounds easy, doesn’t it? Well, if this is the case, why aren’t more people doing it? Why hasn’t commercial collaboration become the business norm? Why do we continue to feel that that the only way to deliver results, profits and performance is to do it ourselves? We continue to find it challenging to actively open doors for someone else to achieve success and to expect nothing in return. The automatic operating system for many is one of ‘I must protect myself’, ‘I must not share my thoughts or ideas’, ‘the competition is out to get me’ and, finally – ‘I know best’.

      This is not the mindset for commercial collaboration. To collaborate commercially is not about:

      ■ the close-minded, protective, ‘take, take, take’ of ideas and intellectual property from others

      ■ the business card swap-fest associated with traditional networking events

      ■ survival of the self (or even of the fittest).

      My corporate journey is not uncommon – I worked like a maniac to get to where I thought I wanted to be, where I thought I should be: at the top of a highly coveted corporate sector. I do not discount the journey, or the thrill of making it to the pinnacle. What I found when I got there, however, was that although the spirit for commercial collaboration may have been present … as the old saying goes, the corporate flesh was weak. There were times when I felt we had some brilliant flashes of team thought and engagement, but unfortunately they weren’t sustained.

      So, three years ago I came to a realisation. If I wanted to surround myself with the kind of thought leadership, diversity, knowledge and idea sharing that I knew was needed