From Me to We. Garner Janine

for a community of like-minded, results-oriented businesswomen who wanted to interact commercially at a level that wasn’t currently available – either within their own corporations, or with other entrepreneurs in their own sectors.

      LBDGroup is unique. This is not only my opinion. The cross-pollination of ideas, IP, talent, leadership, thought and values is honestly something that I cannot put into words. The interaction and exchange of cutting-edge innovation, both in terms of the intangible and the tangible, is something that the businesspeople involved are actively embracing as they connect, collaborate and contribute to drive innovative thinking, new solutions and strategies to secure their careers and business futures.

      The level of commercial collaboration that has resulted from this community has proven very clearly the essential points of this book: when one turns from the solitary space of Me, as satisfying as it may feel at the time, to the collaborative space of We, the benefits it brings are overwhelmingly positive and lead to that amazing lightness that only comes with future-proofing one’s career and success path.

      The heartbeat of commercial collaboration is understanding and appreciating the change that is needed to future-proof businesses, careers and leaders. It is a new operating system that requires an equally new set of skills. It needs courage and a willingness to be authentic. It requires us to disrupt current norms, to proactively collaborate to drive change – and it will not occur in a vacuum.

      Commercial collaboration is putting into practice Aristotle’s philosophy that ‘the whole is greater than the sum of the parts’. When in balance, working together serves a greater purpose. Ultimately it will drive you, your business and your potential to heights that you never imagined possible – and probably would not achieve if you continued to go it alone.

      Imagine a different world. One where:

      ■ we are inspired and encouraged to openly share thoughts, opinions and knowledge

      ■ working environments respect the needs of the ‘whole’ employee

      ■ individuals can thrive on the freedom to create, to explore, to be curious about new possibilities

      ■ workers can add value and contribute to the big-picture goals

      ■ leaders are authentic and honest

      ■ we are constantly learning and evolving as a result of embracing diversity of position, thought, gender and age

      ■ we embrace uniqueness

      ■ we respect each other’s visions and dreams

      ■ we create actions that drive continued success for each other

      ■ we create space for people to share their amazingness

      ■ we have the courage to lead, to share and equally to ask for help

      ■ we appreciate the human in people as much as the financial return and the big-picture vision

      ■ there is no political game-playing, no saying one thing and doing another, no abuse of power that protects position, self, ego

      ■ collaboration is valued strategically and aligned positively to continued growth, evolution, creative thinking and future-proofing for all.

      So what to do? The answer is simple.

      Collaborate.

      Talk.

      Engage.

      And, most importantly, find a way to stop being all about ‘me, me, me’ and looking inward for answers that simply aren’t there. Find a way to turn with confidence and openness from Me to We, to working collaboratively.

      The barriers between genders, between generations, between cultures, between the inventors and the investors, between the change-makers, the visionaries and those that make it happen – these all have to be broken down. This is all a part of the evolution of Me to We. This is all a part of collaborative business.

      To collaborate is to lead. To lead with inspiration, and gusto, and innovation and heart.

      This book is essentially about why a new operating system is needed, and how to move from Me to We and collaborate commercially. It will break down the nine essential steps to enable you to answer ‘What do we need to do?’ and then examine and explain the seven ReConnect Principles leaders and businesses will need to adopt to collaboratively reconnect and do what they do best: survive, thrive and future-proof their success. The ReConnect Principles are:

      1. Be brave

      2. Build a diverse network

      3. Full disclosure

      4. Disrupt

      5. Exchange value

      6. Think bigger

      7. Sponsor others.

      We need to develop and disseminate an entirely new paradigm and practice of collaboration that supersedes the traditional silos that have divided governments, philanthropists and private enterprises for decades and replace it with networks of partnerships working together to create a globally prosperous society.

– Simon Mainwaring, CEO, We First Inc.

      Part I

      When I was young and free and my imagination had no limits, I dreamed of changing the world. As I grew older and wiser I discovered the world would not change so I shortened my sights and decided to change only my country. But it too seemed immovable. As I grew into my twilight years, in one last desperate attempt, I settled for changing my family – those closest to me – but alas they would have none of it. And now as I lie on my deathbed I suddenly realise if I had only changed myself first then by example I would have changed my family. From their inspiration and encouragement I would have been able to better my country and who knows I may have even changed the world.

– Words found written on the tomb of an Anglican Bishop in Westminster Abbey

      chapter 1

      There’s an evolution going on

      Every successful organisation has to make the transition from a world defined primarily by repetition to one primarily defined by change. This is the biggest transformation in the structure of how humans work together since the Agricultural Revolution.

– Bill Drayton, CEO and founder of ASHOKA

      Anybody who believes that the business landscape is the same as it was in the ‘old days’ has their head well and truly buried in the 20th-century sand. There is an evolution going on that is affecting the business world and how we lead and manage within it.

      We are all being forced to rethink how we behave and what we do. The changes of greater society – changes in generations, gender dynamics and technology – are leading to a shift in business from large, highly structured corporate entities to agile, innovative entrepreneurial enterprises.

      This evolution isn’t about to stop any time soon – if anything, the pace of change is only going to increase exponentially – and it is challenging us to rethink what we do, how we communicate with each other and how we will operate as leaders and businesses into the future. It is challenging us to develop new operating systems to future-proof success. It is challenging us, as managers, to learn to lead movements in a way that makes our teams secure enough to think and act collaboratively.

      As leaders, business owners and individuals, we are caught between two worlds: one that thrives on volatility and one that craves stability. There is an ongoing tug of war between the pursuit of growth on one side and a desire for control and constancy on the other. In the pursuit of growth, we actively seek knowledge and experience, looking to others for inspiration and ideas, creating big-picture visions for our future self. On the opposite side of the tug of war is the need for control: our existing work streams and structures prefer predictability, productivity and control.

      The evolution is making:

      ■ leadership styles change from ‘tell’ to ‘engage’, with leadership now about inspiring and becoming truly authentic

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