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moving beyond conventional collaboration

18/11/2020

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Picture by Pourya Sharifi from Unsplash
Our conventional understanding of collaboration is that it requires us all to be on the same team and headed in the same direction, to agree on what has to happen and make sure this happens, and to get people to do what needs to be done. In other words, we assume that collaboration can and must be under control. Conventional collaboration looks like a planning meeting.
 
But this conventional assumption is wrong. When we are working in complex situations with diverse others, collaboration cannot and need not be controlled.”
                                                                           From Collaborating with the Enemy, Adam Kahane (page 1)
​In my research people named this type of “collaboration” as “false collaboration”. They saw it as a tick-box exercise that wasted their time and built only frustration.
 
In “real collaboration” (as named by my research participants) or “stretch collaboration” (as identified by Kahane) – we abandon the sense of control and begin to embrace the ‘messy’ nature of progress.  We stop trying to reduce collaboration to a project management plan. We recognise that diversity of thought will lead to discussion and deliberation and sometimes disagreements. We acknowledge that sometimes it feels hard and regularly we are working out of our comfort zone.
 
As a facilitator, my focus is to convene and support a safe space where all the voices can be heard and solutions emerge together.  In my experience, when we work in the spirit of respect and generosity, trust develops and more often than not everyone is at least ‘a little surprised’ at the outcome and it’s ‘a little bit’ special to be part of J
 
The picture below is by Pourya Sharifi from Unsplash – Iranian teacups with the traditional sugar lumps which we place in our mouth to sweeten the strong brew as we sip. I chose it because it represents to me where and how I learnt the value of taking time to discourse together and connect in a deep and meaningful way, without judgement, when as a child I watched my elders drink tea around the fire. And it reminds me of the importance of bringing my ‘whole self’ to this work, however scary that might feel on the day.  

Here to serve and support you...
If you are working in a complex environment that necessitates input from a wide range of partners and stakeholders and need some support – I’m here to serve you. Whether you’re just setting up the partnership, or have been going for a while and need a reset or have reached a juncture where you need to reassess and reframe - get in touch and let’s book in a complimentary discovery conversation to explore options.
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​www.nazaninjenkin.com | nazanin@nazaninjenkin.com | + 64 21478253
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Leadership Everywhere: 12th Global peter Drucker forum 2020

2/11/2020

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It was a great opportunity to participate virtually in the Global Peter Drucker Forum from NZ. Joined in live where I could, then spent the rainy Saturday catching up on some recordings and still more to go!!

Wealth of knowledge and thought leadership shared across the plenaries and keynotes. The virtual stage included some well known names such as Amy C. Edmondson Margaret Heffernan Simon Sinek Gary Hamel Alexander Osterwalder Tim Brown and more! Together they covered a broad spectrum of themes. I am buzzing! I’ll share some of my particular take-homes over the next few posts.

Overall, as we face growing uncertainty, there is a clear need for, and move towards a different approach to leadership. A focus on people and “humanocracy”; a move from command & control to collaborative leadership; embracing vulnerability, enabling psychological safe spaces where all the voices can be heard; inquiry and listening. Those that can improvise, be comfortable with mistakes and stay deeply humble.

Some might see this as a “new approach” and maybe it is in a business context. Yet, when we consider indigenous and ancient wisdoms from across the globe...it seems more a rediscovering and returning to the deep truths that have been passed down from our ancestors through the generations.
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Collaborative Leadership requires COURAGE

27/10/2020

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Photo by Jay Castor on Unsplash
Collaborative Leadership requires COURAGE

It takes courage to admit we don’t have all the answers and need help. It takes courage to grapple with the unknown and experiment. Like an artist, it takes courage to accept where you are, warts and all, step back, review and then keep creating. In a world of uncertainty and change, we're going to need 'everyone & everything' to #buildbackbetter. We need collaborative leaders who enable and empower leadership across the organisation.

Collaborative Leadership is the ‘right thing’ for ‘right now’.

In her recently released 'Dare to Lead' podcast Brené Brown says courage is "reachable, observable and measurable". She says courage is actually a collection of four skill sets, which she identifies as:
1.How do we learn how to 'rumble' with uncertainty, how do we lean into vulnerability, tough conversations, difficult feedback, hard decisions..lean in rather than tap out.
2.How do live into our values - actually practice them, not just profess them.
3.How do we talk about trust and build trust - with our teams, colleagues and within ourselves. Self trust is a non negotiable for leading.
4.How do we reset after setbacks and disappointments.

Kia kaha, kia maia, kia manawa | Be strong, be brave, be steadfast
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October 15th, 2020

15/10/2020

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Yesterday I had the honour and privilege to be in a real face-to-face workshop with a group of amazing senior leaders - our focus for this hui was "Collaborative Leadership".

As I have been reflecting on the kōrero today, I am struck by the "tensions" and "shifts" facing collaborative leaders.
Here are some of the things we talked about...

Collaborative leadership:
  • is a dance between leading & following
  • it's about balancing creativity & discipline
  • is working with the constant tension between the need to stay with the inquiry & deliver on outcome(s)
  • draws on our competence & character
  • is about holding a collaborative space even when urgency is high

We're shifting:
  • from linear to experimental/iterative approaches
  • from THE solution to working with multiple options
  • from strategic planning to scenario planning
  • from managing to empowering leadership
  • from controllable to "a little bit messy"
  • from "power over" to "power with"

But mostly, as I reflect, I am struck by the need to embrace and lead with humility.
Ehara taku toa e te toa takitahi, engari he toa takitini
My success is not mine alone, but the success of many
When you're ready - book in a complimentary discovery session to explore how I might be able to serve & support you.
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collaboration is an intentional choice - and a strategic one

1/10/2020

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Collaboration at a systems level doesn't just happen. It's an intentional choice - and a strategic one.

As I said in my recent APolitical article,
- There has been much global activity across government departments to enable collaboration: policy initiatives, legislative changes, working groups, and strategy documents weaving in collaboration. However, the transformation towards a more collaborative, citizen-focused public sector has yet to materialise. Mostly, these activities have treated collaboration as a buzzword, from which no real change results!
- It’s only when we take an “ecosystem” approach that real change is possible and we are able to focus on optimising the collective impact of individual efforts to deliver shared value.
- I believe the key to unlocking untapped solutions and hope for mankind is to be willing to work collaboratively, across all kinds of differences. I am on a mission to build a collaborative movement that delivers shared value.
Full article link in comments.

Want to build your Collaboration Muscle? Join us for my upcoming Collaboration Insights Masterclass Webinar Series- running across seven consecutive weeks - diving deep into each subject. Register for one, multiple or ALL sessions

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Te Ao Māori Values for Mahi Tahi (collaboration)

19/9/2020

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Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori – Māori Language week …so here is my “very poor” attempt at talking about some (not all) of the Te Ao Māori values that undergird successful Mahi tahi  - Collaboration.
As a Persian Kiwi, I acknowledge my place as manuhiri & am thankful for the opportunity to live in this land, Aotearoa. I am on a Te Reo Māori journey - after three years studying at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa, a number of Noho Marae experiences & some very privileged opportunities to work in a Te Ao Māori context - this is still a “very poor” attempt and my accent is still a work in progress 🤣 But as my kaiko and friends might have been known to say - sometimes it’s been painful to listen, but whilst I have been challenged (wero) - I’m giving it a go!

Whāia te Reo Māori – Pursue the Māori Language

Briefly & to the best of my understanding:
  • Whakawhanaungatanga is literally translated as the process of establishing relationships, relating to others or metaphorically it is about connecting at both a physical and spiritual level.
  • Manaakitanga is about being hospitable, sharing kindness & generosity, and providing support...it's better to give than to receive.
  • Kaitiakitanga is about guardianship, stewardship & trusteeship. It’s about protecting people, place and environment.
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collaboration for regional impact (4 of 4)

28/7/2020

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Photo Credit Unsplash
Over the last four weeks, we have offered some of our collaboration insights for regions and local communities in Aotearoa New Zealand. In the first three articles in this series, we built the case for ‘why’ collaboration is critical for regional impact; ‘how’ collaboration has led to success in a New Zealand regional context (with two case studies); then we expanded on the “Art of Collaboration”, with six key themes to support leaders in Aotearoa. 

In this, our final post, we explore the “Benefits of Collaboration”, with an ongoing focus on Regional Impact.

The value of collaboration – regional, team, cross-organisation, cross-sector, across the supply chain or other - is built on the premise that we are #betterworkingtogether. And, that to #buildbackbetter in a post-COVID environment, responding to the wicked and complex problems facing us nationally and globally requires “everyone and everything” – the variety of resources, people, disciplines and skills.

​When we ask people to share of their most positive collaboration experiences, we find their responses are often deeply personal and rooted in high-trust relationships. Participants in our workshops said:
- Collaboration leads to connection with people. You feel like you’re on a mission together.
- Collaboration creates and sustains the environment necessary for open, honest and value-adding conversation with internal or external stakeholders.
However, because collaboration is not a linear process, nor a direct cause and effect relationship - evidencing the benefits has proven to be challenging. Whilst there is a growing interest in collaboration as an approach and methodology, there is still an accompanied rhetoric that collaboration can be “problematic, very difficult or hard”.  So we find leaders continue to ask:

  • what business benefits do those leaders and companies focusing on collaboration actually derive?
  • does it make a difference to company or outcomes performance?, and
  • bluntly, why should leaders really care about supporting and fostering collaboration as a core capability in their organisation?

We know that an ongoing focus on quantitative analysis with siloed KPIs and outcomes has limitations in this arena. The benefits of collaboration are more evident when we take a “shared measures” approach.  Additionally, we have to consider how we can turn positive experiences and oft “intangibles” into “tangibles” by using potential “proxy” measures that better reflect the benefits of the collaboration journey.
 
Most importantly, we need to consider wider social and community benefits through alternative evaluation and assessment approaches such as qualitative analysis and stories. We can identify changes in behaviour and circumstances better, when told by the beneficiaries of the specific collaborative initiative.
 
Talking a business perspective, the Institute for Collaborative Working (ICW) in partnership with Warwick University research “Benefits Realisation from Collaborative Working” found tangible benefits of collaboration included:

  • Improved business and operational performance
  • Increased business winning
  • Enhanced risk management
  • Improved Innovation
  • Economic efficiencies
  • Increased client confidence and repeat business
  • New product development
Participants said:
- The value of collaboration is mutual benefit.
- The value has been in being able to have a different level, more strategic conversations with our customers, but also the fact that it’s created a framework for our teams and our more junior staff members to work to. So there’s a common way of working across the business now. So that’s a value that’s directly attributable to collaborative working.

Taking a team collaboration perspective Deloitte’s “The Collaborative Economy” report showed benefits included:
·      Improved Time-saving and Productivity of Employees
·      Improved Quality of Work Output
·      Improved Innovation and New Ideas Generation
·      Improved Employee Engagement and Reduced Turnover
·      Increased Growth
·      Increased Profitability
 
The report showed that, 
“Companies that prioritise collaboration are also five times more likely to experience a considerable increase in employment, twice as likely to be profitable, and twice as likely to outgrow competitors.” and
 
“...businesses that consider collaboration an important component of their overall business strategy were four times more likely to see growth in their bottom line.”
In our work and research we have shown that taking a collaborative approach, within a structured framework (you can’t “wing it” or just work with intuition!) delivers three key benefits:

1. Improved Innovation
Bringing together the variety of voices of all those that have “skin in the game” - diverse personalities, disciplines and expertise - improves momentum and supports problem solving.

Safe, open spaces encourage open communication and help create a dialogue that finds solutions faster and enables untapped opportunities come to life. Sometimes, bringing together different perspectives creates friction, but this friction often sparks new, dynamic ideas. Working in an environment of mutual respect, we embrace “healthy conflict” and support the emergence of new ideas.

In our experience, whatever the outcome, when all the voices have been heard – everyone is more comfortable and able to embrace the final decision and approach.

With reduced duplication, streamlined shared processes and back office system support and shared transparent shared risks, it is easy to see how everything comes together to increase profitability for individual organisations and the whole region.

​Together, partners are able to support regional community wellbeing across the spectrum: social, economic, cultural and environmental.  Working collaboratively to drive innovation together supports timely and ongoing communication; encourages a collective line-of-sight on the opportunities; helps us adapt to change; and, holds the collaboration space across all contributors and partners, irrespective of external pressures.

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2. Improved Cultures: leading to Improved Performance and Wellbeing
The ICW report challenged us “to change traditional organisational cultures to more readily accept collaborative business models”. They said, “This highlights the need to identify and further develop competencies and skills to harness collaborative working. There is a clear recognition that the adoption of a more systematic approach...integrated with supportive collaborative processes and systems will underpin the business environment where collaborative working can be seen as a competitive advantage.” 


In our experience, whatever the outcome, when all the voices have been heard – everyone is more comfortable and able to embrace the final decision and approach.
​

With reduced duplication, streamlined shared processes and back office system support and shared transparent shared risks, it is easy to see how everything comes together to increase profitability for individual organisations and the whole region.
 
Everyone has been part of a team or complex programme of work where everything breaks down due to poor or untimely communication. Understanding the impact of our efforts in light of the whole, coupled with the communication skills and wider collaboration behaviourial set, we are able to integrate efforts and changes into the programme to ensure the right outcomes.
 
Collaboration tends to make people feel more connected to each other and therefore more motivated to work together towards a common goal. It fosters a sense of collective purpose, with a meaningful reason to work together and achieve better results as part of a “team”. Agreeing collaboration as a regional strategy creates a values-based culture, driven by “collaboration” and “collaborative behaviours” as the accepted norm.
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3. Collective Impact
This in turn drives an ecosystem approach across individual contributors and portfolio leads. It becomes possible to see the connections across the system more transparently. Complex governance mechanisms, disconnected regional strategies, undergirded by red-tape bureaucracies are unhelpful; so we need to foster high-trust relationships that dominate the culture of working together in our communities and regions.It’s only when we take an “ecosystem” approach that real change is possible and we are able to focus on optimising the collective impact of individual efforts, across the regional disciplines and portfolios (e.g. housing, infrastructure, three waters, community connectedness, social sector initiatives etc.) to deliver shared value and collective impact
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The opportunities for #workingbettertogether in New Zealand are endless, and to truly #buildbackbetter, we need each other to build “our” collaborative muscle. All this requires courageous leaders that embrace collaboration - not just as a competitive advantage, but rather an existential advantage for their business, region and community in these disruptive times.

If you are on a strategic collaboration and partnership journey – do get in touch, let’s talk. We’d welcome the opportunity to serve you in your context. No silver bullets, just proven and tested frameworks and approaches.
Until next time, kei runga noa atu. He waka eke noa

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Collaboration for regional impact (3 oF 4)

21/7/2020

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Photo Credit Phil Botha on Unsplash
​In this series of articles we have built the case for “why” collaboration is critical for regional impact (and indeed in other areas too), how collaboration has led to success in a New Zealand regional context and made a difference for business, regions and communities. In this third article we expand on the “Art of Collaboration” to support leaders in Aotearoa.  
 
Collaboration is a stand-alone process that requires a specific skill set and behaviours.  When done well we observe improved innovation and faster response to market conditions faster. Organisations with collaborative cultures experience higher levels of employee satisfaction and, as a result, productivity. Yet, unfortunately despite best intentions, too often we fall short of the promise of collaboration.
“The challenge is that building and managing successful cross-sector partnerships is really hard. In fact, a recent Hilton Foundation study found that fully 75 precent of cross-sector partnerships fail to meet partner expectations. Clearly, if cross-sector collaboration is going to fulfil its potential in solving the challenges of the 21st century, organisations—large and small—need to do a better job of it. While scholars such as Michael Porter and Howard Buffett have brilliantly articulated why working across sectors is so important, there is a lack of practical information, tools, and insights on how to build and manage cross-sector collaboration.”
Steve Schmida, Author of “Partner with Purpose”
​In considering the “Art of Collaboration”, here are some of our top tips for helping your collaborations be more beneficial and successful. We hope you find these useful.
​1. Collaborate with a Shared Purpose/Agenda  
Before starting it’s critical to agree your “why”. Not all situations are suited to collaboration, so it’s important to agree that “collaboration” is the strategic approach that will support the desired outcomes and steer us towards a solution.
 
All those involved need to agree why they are together and work collectively to develop an agreed shared purpose or agenda. This takes investment of time and energy up front, before we start working together. The challenge and opportunity is ensuring all are prepared to invest this time and effort, which requires leadership sponsorship. The value created through this work is often difficult to quantify and only apparent further down the road.
​ 
When each team member understands the purpose and goals associated with their team, they can more effectively visualise what they can offer related to that purpose.
Murray Newlands | Forbes contributor | Founder, www.sighted.com.
2. Take a Strengths-Based Approach 
Agreeing and understanding our why helps us identify who to invite to the partnership. Everyone has a role and responsibility – there are no ”passengers” on the journey. Real collaboration relies on an understanding that, collectively, we are better than when we’re working alone. 
 
True collaborative magic starts occurring when you identify what people are good at; you can set them up for success by pairing roles and responsibilities that suit their strengths.
Collaboration makes possible futures we cannot achieve alone; it makes complex problems - from inequality to climate change - more possible to address.
From Manifesto for a Collaborative Society
3. Build Trust Relationships

High trust relationships are fundamental to getting together and delivering collaboration successful. Working to a shared purpose, taking a strength-based approach we found that “competitive” behaviours reduced and a rapid increase in the level of trust within the group. You must be conscious where you are introducing competitive tensions or hints of competitive tensions.  
 
In “The Neuroscience of Trust”, [NJ1] the authors suggest some useful behaviours to foster trust:
  • Recognise excellence... we’d probably take this further and recommend sharing successes often and early. Don’t wait until it’s all perfect and you have the final solution – communicate with partners and wider stakeholders how you are travelling frequently and purposefully.
  • Induce “challenge stress” …set your partners up for success (not failure)
  • Give people discretion in how they do their work…mandate, empower and incentivise, and reward the behaviours you desire in the partnership arrangement
  • Enable “job crafting” …partners’ roles and responsibilities may shift and change through the collaboration journey.
  • Share information broadly…but consider what and when.
  • Be intentional about building relationships…it doesn’t just happen!
  • Facilitate whole-person growth…the wellbeing of individual partners is closely interwoven to the wellbeing of the whole partnership.
  • Show vulnerability…we are together, because we recognise we are better together.
4. Agree Shared Outcomes/Goals, Incentives and Measures 
To work together effectively, we need to define the key missions of impact - this helps align everyone right from the start and leads to more effective collaboration through your journey together. Maintain a visual focus and reminder by adding the shared outcomes/goals to your daily management tools so people remember what is to be done and what’s at stake. 
 
Ensure all partners have the mandate and are empowered to deliver against their agreed individual roles and responsibilities. Share resources equitably and support collective progress. Build organic mentoring relationships through trusted relationships that ensure individual and corporate capability is developed throughout the journey. Use common tools and methods, towards developing a shared language that crosses sectors and disciplines and is understood by all in the joint venture.
 
Take time to agree what success will look like and how each partner will be supported in delivering towards that vision.  Be open to reviewing and revising this vision if the context and wider environment changes. We recommend, you use a variety of tools and techniques that integrate numbers (KPIs), stories and visual representations.
 
Taking a shared approach to outcomes, incentives and measures reduces duplication and waste, supports consistency across the partnership, helps with comparability of information and allows us to build a shared understanding of what works and why. It’s then easier to identify what needs to change, why and when. And, taking a shared approach will lead to closer collaboration and enables a process of working out the solution in an agile, adaptive way, together.
 
All this needs to be undergirded by collaborative governance structures and independent backbone capability for the collaborative venture.
 
5. Build Rituals and Rhythms that are Context and Culturally Sensitive 
Sustaining a collaborative venture can be tough. In complex system environments there are very few areas that we can control – one that we can control is our rituals, so being intentional about them becomes important for the wellbeing of the partnership effort. Build your own Customs or Tikanga to start and end each meeting, and agree how you will work together – some guidelines, policies or “kawa” that you are all agreed on will be needed.
 
Take time to pause and welcome everyone at the beginning of each session together. For example, in New Zealand, starting our gatherings with a karakia or a blessing for the joint collaboration and whakawhanaungatanga are important.
 
“Whakawhanaungatanga” is literally translated as the process of “establishing relationships, relating to others” or metaphorically it is about connecting at both a physical and spiritual level. The process of whakawhanaungatanga is designed to create kinship and connection and build trust, which are all fundamental to collaboration. We often use the Māori pipeha as a form of introduction – this indigenous approach establishes identity and heritage and our places of origin, which reminds us of our individual humanity and collective connectedness. Whakawhanaungatanga humanises the experience of collaboration whilst building trust, connection and empathy for others. 
 
                    “Ka mua, Ka Muri - Walking backwards into the future”
 
Take to time to share stories and build an understanding of all partners’ histories. One of the insights that we learned very early in our various collaborations was that taking the time to understand the stories of the people and places brings deeper connections and understanding of what matters. 
 
Ultimately, the rituals and rhythms need to be context and culturally sensitive, built on an understanding of place and origin.
 
6. Collaborative Leadership

Collaborative leaders support safe, open spaces where diverse perspectives can be heard.
 
In our experience and backed by the research, diversity and inclusion boosts innovation and financial results – delivering better outcomes. Part of what makes people, organisations, regions and communities so interesting is the fact that we are all different. These differences when harnessed and channelled appropriately, can lead to insight and opportunity not previously seen.
"Diverse and inclusive cultures are providing companies with a competitive edge over their peers.” This quote summaries conclusions from The Wall Street Journal’s first corporate ranking that examined diversity and inclusion among S&P 500 companies. The Journal’s researchers’ work joins an ever-growing list of studies by economists, demographers, and research firms confirming that socially diverse groups are more innovative and productive than homogeneous groups.”
REFERNCE HERE
In a regional context, a diverse membership in your collaboration, that has cross-sector reach and involves key stakeholder groups, is highly recommended. The best type of collaborations included public sector, private sector, NGO, Iwi and local community stakeholders (e.g. educational organisations, regional economic development agencies etc.).
 
In “Better Connected Services for Kiwis”, writing in a public sector context, the authors identified three clear leadership roles in any collaboration venture:
  • [Public] Entrepreneurs  – someone (often in the middle of the organisation) who initiates the collaborative venture and is outcomes focused
  • A guardian angel  – managers and senior leaders who sponsor the initiative and protect/advise/mentor
  • Fellow-travellers  – like-minded people who see themselves working as part of the common or shared agenda and purpose.
 
In our experience, collaborative leaders provide top-down commitment and create bottom-up engagement through empowering leaders across the system. They are authentic and model servant leadership.
 
More often than not we see the “entrepreneurs” rise as the first movers and shakers towards a collaborative venture. Passionate advocates who see a different way of working, one that harnesses a wider set of resources than is visible or available to a non-collaborative way of thinking. We observe it is their courage and tenacity that brings the support across the system and together they drive a new collaborative movement.
I believe that collaborative initiatives shouldn't be pilots, they should be corporate initiatives. These efforts can certainly take time but if the organisation makes the decision that collaboration is the direction they want to go down then that’s it. No giving up and no turning back. Moving forward, organisations cannot succeed without connecting their employees and their information. Making collaboration work isn’t an option it’s THE option.
 Jacob Morgan | Author | Contributor | Forbes
 In our next and final article, we will explore the benefits of collaboration before wrapping the four-part series up. The opportunities are endless – localised responses across the regions of Aotearoa are a great place to start.

If you are on a strategic collaboration and partnership journey – do get in touch, let’s talk – we’d welcome the opportunity to serve you in your context.
No silver bullets, just proven and tested frameworks and approaches.
 
Until next time, kei runga noa atu. He waka eke noa. 
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collaboration for Regional Impact (2 of 4)

13/7/2020

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Picture Credit: Mitchell Luo from Unsplash
#collaboration #buildbackbetter # workingbettertogether
​In our first article of this series, we built the case for “why” collaboration is critical for regional impact (and indeed in other areas too) and offered some definitions of collaboration for consideration.  In this second article, we continue to develop these ideas and build on the “how” and “what” of collaboration, by considering two collaboration success stories in a New Zealand regional context. 
The goal of creative collaboration is to explore unknown directions and to develop new possibilities. It’s not about knowing the answers – it’s about learning through exploration and experimentation.
​Mike Peng, IDEO Managing Director
We didn’t start with the answers. Through the processes of collaboration in quite different contexts, partners were able to identify common agendas and work together to find collective solutions. In these examples, we demonstrate both internal and external collaboration, as well as complex cross-sector and system collaboration successes.
 
Common threads across these successful programmes of work include:
●An investment of time at the beginning of the journey to agree why we are collaborating – this means we are working to an agreed shared agenda (which has some fluidity and can adapt through the process).
●A strengths–based approach across all partners. We each acknowledge that the effort required is beyond any one of us, we identify each partner’s contribution and value-add to the whole (we move beyond competing for the same space).
● Throughout, we are utilising frameworks and approaches in an organic way, artfully mixed and adapted to meet the needs of the context and changing dynamics.
●Recognising that collaboration is a stand-alone skill set and capability; there is committed investment in building the collaboration muscle.
● We have created open environments where sharing ideas and discourse of ideas is safe and all the voices are heard.
●Collaborative Leadership: there is a focus on empowering leaders across the organisations. The focus and reliance on hierarchies and titles is taking a back seat, as thought leaders emerge and are enabled.
●There is a readiness to move beyond individual partner foci to a system-wide collective focus.
We have incredible opportunity to act collectively for impact in areas we care about, In the face of challenge people do amazing things. 
​
Sir Ken Robinson
What follows below are two collaboration success stories in a New Zealand regional context, which we have had the privilege of being part of. We highlight these to illustrate how collaboration has made a difference for these businesses, regions and communities and how collaboration might benefit you and your organisation.

Innovation Neighbourhoods
Cross-sector organisations working together in regions to deliver shared value 

The Nelson Tasman Innovation Neighbourhood (NTIN) is a cross-sector collaboration of non-competing organisations. Its members include a range of businesses (who combined contribute 30-40% of the region’s GDP), education and the regional economic development agency. The founding members are: New Zealand King Salmon, Sealord Group Ltd, Interpeople, Nelson Regional Development Agency (NRDA), Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology (NMIT), Wakatū Incorporation, Datacom, Pic's Peanut Butter & Cawthron Institute.
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Key guiding principles of this collective:
  1. True continuous business innovation is like orienteering; it is neither a marathon nor a sprint and we are committed to being in it for the long game.
  2. Connectedness and sharing fosters community; what we offer is as important as what we gain.
  3. The collective good of NZ is worth more than individual gains and is something we all have accountability to contribute to in order to benefit from.
  4. Trust takes time to build but only seconds to destroy; honour and integrity are watchwords of success in collaboration.
Being a member of NTIN has allowed us to develop excellent connections with a diverse group of proactive Nelson/Tasman businesses. Through this we have realised that many of the businesses have the same challenges we do and the best way to address these challenges is together with scale. 
​Dave Thompson, General Manager IT, Sealord  & Founding NTIN Chair
The collective impact that NTIN has unlocked to date, includes:
  • Developing a shared Summer Intern and Graduate Programme. Early on, NTIN identified talent attraction and retention as a key challenge for their businesses and the region so worked to develop initiatives that addressed this. Getting some practical runs on the board and having some shared wins was key to NTIN’s success by building trust quickly and being able to see the value of collaborating.
  • The shared Summer Intern and Graduate Programmes position Nelson Tasman as an extraordinary place to live and work, with the objective of creating ambassadors for the region. Individually, Nelson Tasman businesses find it difficult to compete with larger national employers but by working together NTIN have been able to create programmes which provide significant benefits (such as joint social and development programmes) as well as a point of difference in that interns and grads are exposed to a range of businesses and get to work on joint projects. The first Interns programme in 2018/19 was a huge success with interns rating their experience on average as 9.43/10. The second intern programme is planned for 2019/20 and Graduates for 2020, with a wider scope of organisations taking part (those beyond NTIN members).
  • Having the key businesses in the region (through NTIN) being very clear and focussed on talent attraction and retention as their key business challenge has created a mandated focus for the NRDA and has provided support to drive activity with a higher level of impact much faster than otherwise possible.
  • NTIN enabled baseline research to really understand the talent challenge from both an employer and talent perspective. The results provided direction for the development of an employer-owned regional talent attraction and retention programme, which the NRDA will implement over the next year, with further support both in-kind and financial from NTIN.
  • NTIN has also aligned with the Nelson Tasman regional identity, the development of which was led by the NRDA. It is an authentic representation of the region and what it wants to continue to be, and includes a range of tools for people to engage, share and spread the story of Nelson Tasman more readily and easily. With a strong identity, NTIN have a strong foundation to work from which provides focus to uplift the regional competitive advantages of the ocean economy and value-added Food & Beverage. NTIN’s support of the identity has also allowed it to be strengthened, anchored and amplified within the larger business community.

While NTIN’s focus for year one has been around building innovation collaboration capability and creating a strong foundation for the members to work together, this is only the beginning of a journey for NTIN. Ongoing efforts will focus on amplifying community value through sharing learnings and insights with the wider business community, including the large number of small and medium sized businesses in the region. NTIN is strongly focused on ensuring this is achieved over the next year and based on the pace of progress so far there is no doubt that is possible.

Central to NTIN’s success is the adoption of the concept of ‘Better Together’. Traditionally businesses look to gain prosperity by just focussing on themselves and their challenges alone.

The collective is both process and initiative oriented. By working better together, each member organisation benefits from deeper shared insights, the ability to grow innovation ‘muscle’, to reach out beyond its walls working with new and diverse partners, and to accelerate opportunities for growth.

Whakawhanaungatanga
Collaborative Service Delivery in a Te Ao Māori Context
Working together to deliver shared value 

“Whakawhanaungatanga” is literally translated as the process of “establishing relationships, relating to others” or metaphorically it is about connecting at both a physical and spiritual level. 
 
Working with a leading Māori Social Services provider, Whakawhanaungatanga was a multi-layered evolving project across approximately eighteen months, designed to explore what collaboration means and looks like in this context, finding their expression of collaboration. 
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We knew some amazing examples of collaboration happen organically, because relationships are good – we wanted to build on this and move to an environment of continuous conscious and intentional collaboration, with a view to delivering services for whānau optimally. Across a series of workshops we developed understanding of collaboration and collaborative working and began the kōrero around a range of opportunities. As a result, we developed a collaborative governance and leadership approach across service lines. Moving into an implementation phase, using an interactive collaborative co-design approach within a collective impact framework, we worked with identified cluster groups of services to develop collective impact action plans for whānau populations. 
Key elements of our design approach
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Working within a collective impact framework, we introduced a range of tools and mechanisms through the  process.
We introduced a fit for purpose team collaboration survey that looked at a variety of identified parameters necessary for successful collaboration, and we identified the current perceived state.
We built capability and collective understanding of collaboration over a number of workshops. Finally, utilising a collective impact framework teams co-designed a “collective impact action plan” across clusters of services for a number of whānau populations. This provided a framework and pathway to consciously collaborate internally and has now extended to a range of wider relationships as a way of working
Culturally anchored in Te Ao Māori
Throughout, we tested our ideas and approach with the Tikanga Māori Kaiārahi (Māori Cultural Advisor) and never presumed ourselves as experts in the field. Our approach has been to humbly support and serve, and our focus has been for the fundamental aspects of engagement with whānau and practitioners:
 
  1. To be culturally anchored practice in Te Ao Māori,
  2. With the use of whanaungatanga as a tool to connect and build whānau capability.

This was underpinned with six effective practices:
  1. relationships,
  2. whānau,
  3. rangatiratanga,
  4. capable workforce,
  5. whānau-led, and
  6. supportive environment. 

We know that the paradigm and culture is a complex interaction of a wide range of parameters. Often the smallest of nudges can have a major positive impact on the whole system. Sometimes this happens unconsciously, but we wanted to move to an environment where collaboration is conscious, deliberate and intentional, with a view to maximising the potential for whānau to deliver optimal outcomes.

This project responded to growing understanding that a collaborative, collective impact approach to service delivery is the way forward. In the concluding reflections of "Social Investment: A New Zealand Policy Experiment" (2018), Graham Scott notes, “The conclusion the committee reached was that a new model of service delivery is needed, based on the principles of collective impact”.  Collective Impact for whānau has been a key focus for Te Pou Matakana (the Whānau Ora commissioning agency for Te Ika a Māui (North Island)), who recognise that “in order to support whānau to achieve their goals, solutions must go beyond just one programme”. The value of a collective approach has been highlighted through the COVID journey and we want to build on these learnings for the success of our regions post-COVID.
Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi, engari kē he toa takitini
My success should not be bestowed onto me alone, it was not individual success but the success of a collective

The wider post-COVID New Zealand context

​Post-COVID the needs are many and resources limited. People and capability needs are evolving and emerging. The Rebuilding Together Budget for the fiscal year 2020/21 is underpinned by an on-going “wellbeing agenda, which appears to be needed now more than ever. Together with the New Zealand Living Standards Framework and the legislative requirements of the “four well-beings” for New Zealand local authorities, they appear to provide an explicit national collaboration agenda.
 
 
Whilst the idea of collaboration is not new, delivery has been slower and harder than anticipated, success stories intermittent and the contribution of not-for-profits to system-wide improvement often undervalued.  Our national COVID-19 experience has begun to help turn the tide.
 
With whānau needs at the forefront, there was an evident urgency and “burning platform” (reference the eight-step process of creating major change as identified by John P.  Kotter in “Leading Change”).
Front line service providers and not-for-profits became the first-cabs-off-the-rank and within an environment of adaptive organic collaboration were the first responders.
 
Moving forward, the risk is we shelf the learning and return to being and doing our mahi or work in a way that we are familiar with. The unique opportunity in this moment is to capture the learning from the regions’ COVID experiences. Then, to intentionally design new collaborative operating models, and governance frameworks, that take a system-wide perspective and are context-specific.
 
As demonstrated by the two examples cited earlier, there isn’t going to be a one-size fits all solution. Collaboration takes time and effort, so it’s best suited to the systemic opportunities facing us. Along the way, “smaller collaborations” will happen and add value – but real change to #buildbackbetter is contingent on us #workingbettertogether on the systemic opportunities.
 
The opportunities are endless - localised responses across the regions of Aotearoa are a great place to start.
Until next time, kei runga noa atu.  He waka eke noa,
 
If you are on a strategic collaboration and partnership journey  - do get in touch, let’s talk - I’d welcome the opportunity to serve you in your context.
​No silver bullets, just proven and tested frameworks and approaches
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collaboration for regional impact (1 of 4)

2/7/2020

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Photo Credit: Bryn Parish from Unsplash
#collaboration # buildbackbetter #workingbettertogether
New Zealand recently had an inspiring week of envisioning where VisionWeek invited experts and the community to contribute their thinking and thoughts for the future of Aotearoa, New Zealand.  At the final session leaders considered “What Next NZ” and the Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s address, included this challenge:
Now is the precise time to be asking ourselves what’s next. We are navigating new waters and we all have a role to play in what comes next. Perhaps our approach should change. We need to Build Back Better. This moment is different. We aren’t at a fork in the road, we’re at spaghetti junction. Multiple challenges are all colliding at one time. We’ve been forced to reset. We’ve been given the opportunity to reassess where we are at, where we are going and rebuild better. In many ways we chose our path through our response to COVID. We chose to protect our people, in order to protect our economy. We chose to live up to who we are and what we are known for to safeguard our future. We have chosen our own path.
Our team can be greater than the sum of the parts.

Jacinda Arden, New Zealand Prime Minister - Address to #visionweeknz
We live in unparalleled times. The evidence of COVID-19’s impact on our “patch” of the world and in particular our regions is still emerging. As communities transition from the pressures and busyness of essential workers’ response through lockdown, it is evident that there is much work to be done to #buildbackbetter.
 
We all have a responsibility to rise as kaitiaki [stewards, guardians, trustees] of our homeland. This unprecedented time in history presents an opportunity to pool limited resources and re-think the systems we live, work and play in.  In the end, just like most things, it’s likely to be less about money and resources and more about capabilities and relationships – knowing what's needed, understanding inter-relationships and inter-connectedness of them, being intentional about developing capabilities and relationships that will serve all our people well across the generations to come.
 
The sentiment articulated by Christchurch Mayor Lianne Dalziel, in a recent report, are equally valuable for Christchurch and all our regions:
In the same way that it was recognised that the health response to COVID-19 would have to involve the team of five million, we as a city and a region need to work together as a team to both recover and reposition ourselves and our region for the future.
That will require Councils, government agencies, iwi, mana whenua, communities, NGOs, businesses and neighbourhoods to work together collaboratively; we need to break down the silos within our organisations and between them.
​Lianne Dalziel, Mayor of Christchurch City

Possibly the best way to start is to draw on the teachings and values taught to us by the indigenous ancestors of Aoteaora. This whakatauki guides us towards #workingbettertogether and steers us to collaboration as a strength-based approach and the norm for a way of “doing and being”. It acknowledges that everybody has something to offer, a piece of the puzzle, and by working together we can all flourish.
Nāu te rourou, nāku te rourou, ka ora ai te iwi
With your basket and my basket the people will thrive
​As we have listened to and reflected on the many leaders reimagining new futures for Aoteaora we are convinced that our success as a nation across many arenas is reliant on successful strategic collaborations and partnerships. We have been inspired and decided to “walk the talk” that we, individually, as strategic advisors and practitioners in our respective fields of expertise of collaboration, have been promoting for some years now! Therefore, we have come together to offer some of our collaboration insights for regions and local communities in New Zealand. How we can build the collaboration muscle and accelerate the leadership capability in collaboration – with a particular focus on ‘how to’ collaborate effectively.
 
We believe that this point in our lives as a nation offers a unique opportunity to come together as a united people to design and deliver collaborative solutions to the most complex issues in “our patch”. Collaboration is not only the new competitive advantage; it’s an existential advantage for small businesses, regions and community groups. It provides an opportunity to bring a localised response that meets the needs of the region.
 
We believe, and the research shows that, the future calls for collaboration as a fundamental leadership capability. This is a move from leaders as “directors” to “conveners”. We need leaders who enable spaces where ideas can be shared, open dialogue and discourse is safe, and the voices of all those “with skin in the game” can be heard.
 
Here we have built the case for “why” collaboration is critical for regional impact (and indeed in other arenas too).  Over the next three weeks we will release consecutive articles that will continue to develop these ideas and build on the “how” and “what” of collaboration. Our focus will be on collaboration successes in a New Zealand regional context, how it has made a difference for business, regions and communities and above all, how you as a leader in Aotearoa can accelerate your time to build this fundamental capability.
​Before we leave you today – we acknowledge that collaboration can mean different things to different people, so we offer some definitions for your consideration.  
 
Academics Roberts and Bradley said,
   “Collaboration is a temporary social arrangement in which two or more social actors work together toward a singular common end requiring the transmutation of materials, ideas, and/or social relations to achieve that end.”  
 
And, a US programme director is purported to have said,
   “Collaboration is like cottage cheese. It occasionally smells bad and separates easily.”
 
When considering the variety of definitions (and there are many!), our observation is that in summary: collaboration is commonly acknowledged as a process that brings together multiple partners and includes more than “me” and embraces “we”. It is commonly based on a “temporary” rather than “permanent” arrangement. Collaboration is often confused with “co-operation” or “co-ordination”, but “real” collaboration in a business context goes deeper than this and is a stand-alone skill set. Leaders who have demonstrated the ability to set up successful collaborations have brought people together with vision and purpose, working effectively across silos, sectors, cultures and disciplines – empowering all parties to bring their best.  

Collaboration is the intersection between strategy, co-design and system change. It is the pinnacle of a strengths-based approach to working relationships. It takes leadership, vision and purpose and it acknowledges that the opportunity or desired outcome requires the collective strengths. It means we jointly identify what we bring to the table and what others bring to the table; then, we work together in the spirit of humility, openness and manaakitanga [kindness, generosity, support, hospitality].”
​Nazanin Jenkin
Collaboration takes time and effort, so it’s best suited to the systemic opportunities facing us. Along the way, “smaller collaborations” will happen and add value – but real change to #buildbackbetter is contingent on us #workingbettertogether on the systemic opportunities.
 
Until next week, kei runga noa atu.  He waka eke noa,
 
If you are on a strategic collaboration and partnership journey  - do get in touch, let’s talk - I’d welcome the opportunity to serve you in your context.
No silver bullets, just proven and tested frameworks and approaches
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Collaboration: From "buzzword" to reality

8/6/2020

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Kia ora koutou – Salam – Hello Everyone
 
Through lockdown I had the opportunity to  bring my thoughts together

​“Collaboration: From ‘buzzword” to reality” was published by #Apolitical
last week and serves as a foundation for my post-pandemic vision for Aoteaora.
 
For the most complex systemic opportunities we need to invest in, design and facilitate strategic collaborations, where all the voices are heard and solutions emerge together. 

The key to unlocking untapped solutions and hope for mankind is to be willing to work collaboratively, across all kinds of differences – silos, sectors, cultures and disciplines.

I am on a mission to build a collaborative movement that delivers shared value. 

​I’ve identified three key areas for consideration:

❇️ Consider why you’re collaborating – is there a shared agenda?
❇️ Take an eco-system approach to strategic collaborations
❇️ Invest in collaboration as a stand-alone skill set and leadership approach

We have an opportunity to take time now & re-imagine new futures – together.

You can read the full article here.
  • If you are interested in this post, you might like to check out more of my "Musings".
  • Also, you may be interested in my published paper "Working Towards Working Together" - downloadable on the home page of my website. 
  • When you're ready, I'm ready and would welcome the opportunity to connect and talk about how I might be able to serve you and your team. Feel free to reach out at: nazanin@nazaninjenkin.com | +64 21 478253

No silver bullets, just tested collaborative frameworks and approaches that deliver shared value and collective impact.  
Copyright ©2020 Nazanin Jenkin Ltd. | www.nazaninjenkin.com | nazanin@nazaninjenkin.com | +64 21 478253
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Post covid, RE-entry & recovery: collaborative Strategies

20/5/2020

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Picture by Clay Banks, from Unsplash

Is it all about data?

The future remains uncertain. Any and all models predicting the future are incomplete and subjective.

Yep, we've got a heap more technology and data. But as I heard someone say recently "big data" is a bit like "teenage sex" - lots of promise, until you reach delivery! So whilst there are evident opportunities that we haven't had post previous pandemics - there is also some truth in the comment. Making sense of and meaning from the data is what is needed - but that's really hard when everyone has access to different data sets. This recent HBR article sums it up well - "Digital Transformation is About Talent, Not Technology".
​
Just like most things, it's less about technology and more about people. 

A real risk: Post COVID exhaustion

Our most acute concern should be that the coronavirus pandemic will change very little or nothing at all. That everything changes, but everything stays the same. That is precisely what happened in 2008: We won the war, in the sense that a total economic meltdown was averted, but we lost the peace.
​Helle Thorning-Schmidt, the former prime minister of Denmark
Post COVID exhaustion and anxieties are real. The evidence is all around us.

There have been some good examples of collaboration during the crisis and there will be the customary "hero worship" and some "finger pointing" as we transition out of our homes. In the balances...amongst the opportunities there have been huge losses; mingled with the celebrations, there will be grief and mourning - not everyone has been safe or comfortable or well fed. Here in NZ, without the NGOs and front line service providers rising up, it seems the system would not have coped.

​God bless them and all those that have continued to keep the system rolling!
​
What happens now? Do we just go back to operating in a system that doesn't support collaboration, but requires it? Thinking medium-long term strategy what might be some opportunities? Here are some of my "musings"...

Where are some opportunities?

Collaborative Process for Collective Thinking

Transitioning has to be a deliberative process, steered by collective thinking. Process matters and process has to be centred in people and relationships. We need collaborative processes where all the voices are heard and included. When all the voices are heard - whatever the outcome - it's easier for folk to live with the results, even the ones we disagree with.

Working together we surface the heartbeat of the strategy - everyone owns it and everyone has a responsibility to deliver it. In the end it's all about people and taking time to build deep connections and relationships - whakawhanaungatanga. ​

Collaborative Leadership

No super powers or reliance on hierarchies in this transition phase, please. We need collaborative leaders that empower and facilitate an environment, where solutions emerge - together. Let's invest in this pandemic-inspired emerging leadership muscle. It's a move from the conductor and orchestra approach - to something better aligned to a jazz group. An overriding theme, with riffs and improvisations led organically by a cohesive rhythm felt and enabled through all members in the group, based on mutual respect and trusted relationships.

That means we need confidence in each other, the collective voices and the actions that will emerge out of that trust. 

Collaborative Strategies

It's time for collaborative  strategies - not tweaks at the edges or "shovel ready" projects - but permission and space to develop collaborative regenerative strategies for new futures. It's time to ask the tough questions; to talk about the stuff that matters and bring the variety of voices to the conversation; to think the unthinkable, the out-of-the box stuff that's going to make the difference we collectively yearn for. Incremental changes may bring some improvement, but are unlikely to get us to the "real" opportunities. Adaptive co-design, experimentation and readiness to change will drive us towards the "real" opportunities.

Re-imagining the System

And, that means re-imagining the whole system. It's time to empower the front line service delivery agencies as decision makers - let's not keep getting in their way. The system is designed for stability and is at best clunky, so taking an eco-system perspective in an agile, adaptive way is going to be no mean feat!

But time is of the essence. The opportunities facing us (such as climate change and child poverty) are potentially even bigger than the COVID pandemic. The high risk of post COVID exhaustion may mean a return to the old familiar ways of working and no real change at all. Adaptation has been necessary now and changes in constraints have enabled that, but we still need some longer term major system changes and capability development across sectors to build on what has been started - that's complex and risky, and will require some leadership guts and energy.

It's also going to need intentionality about culture. At the core of most collaboration challenges is a diversity and inclusion agenda - we need all the voices and disciplines. It's important to be open to being challenged and to consider the variety of scenarios.
We're going to need everyone and everything!


We have  an unprecedented global opportunity to rekindle hearts and minds - let's not waste it!   

Get in touch - Let's talk

So if it's a collaborative approach and strategy that you desire - I'm here to support you.

​
No silver bullets, just tested collaborative frameworks and approaches that deliver shared value and collective impact.  

  • If you are interested in this post, you might like to check out more of my "Musings".
  • Also, you may be interested in my published paper "Working Towards Working Together" - downloadable on the home page of my website. 
  • When you're ready, I'm ready and would welcome the opportunity to connect and talk about how I might be able to serve you and your team. Feel free to reach out at: nazanin@nazaninjenkin.com | +64 21 478253

​Copyright ©2020 Nazanin Jenkin Ltd. | www.nazaninjenkin.com | nazanin@nazaninjenkin.com | +64 21 478253
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rebuilding Together

13/5/2020

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At midnight we welcome Level 2 and await Grant Robertson's budget for the fiscal year 2020/21: "Rebuilding Together". Coinciding with our post-COVID re-entry & recovery - it's likely to impact generations to come.

Whatever the details, the message seems clear - we're going to have to work together, across all kinds of differences to deliver shared value. Successful collaborations and partnerships will be needed. Whether it's planning ahead or preparing for the next crisis - it's going to take everyone and everything!

You may have heard me harping on about "working together" and "collaboration" for some years! My IPANZ paper "Working Towards Working Together" (see website homepage) is a few years old now - we've moved from Better Public Services, to the Wellbeing Budget, and now Rebuilding Together. The government and environment have changed, but the call to effectively work together across silos and sectors continues.

​Let’s not waste this opportunity. Let’s work together, to rebuild and deliver a kinder, better, more collaborative new future.

"Collaboration is an idea whose time has come, an idea that can create hope for a better tomorrow."

When you're ready, I'm ready to serve you - no silver bullets, just proven frameworks and approaches.
​

Copyright ©2020 Nazanin Jenkin Ltd. | www.nazaninjenkin.com | nazanin@nazaninjenkin.com | +64 21 478253
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Let's Talk about rituals

5/5/2020

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​In a complex system environment - such as our current times - there are very few areas we can control (and often folk try to control stuff they can't). One area we can manage is our rituals, so being intentional about them becomes important for our wellbeing.

Space and how we use space; dress; exercise; food -  are a big part of our usual rituals.

For many the rituals around work place and home space have been blurred. Clearing your desk and going home; changing out of your business suit into jeans; hitting the gym at the end of a long day or similar are not happening.

Most of us are "travelling" to the fridge and kitchen more frequently than usual. We are moving in and out of our business conversations and private conversations constantly through the day. All of this can be exhausting and is taking its toll - so creating new rituals and rhythms becomes important. Even as we go down in Levels -  restrictions may continue for some time yet. 

Here's some stuff that's helping us in our bubble...

We've created individual work spaces - do whatever works for you and your whānau with the space that you have...even if it's only the end of the dining room table or somewhere really small in the corner of a room. I understand, that's easier for some of us than others. My daughter and her partner are busy professionals working out of a small one bedroom apartment - I've worked from home for a number of years and that means I have the privilege of a home office. It'll be different for each of us. When I'm  not working I walk out of that space - I can close the door, but not everyone can do that ...so it may just be something as simple as a quick tidy up or closing your laptop and re-purposing the dinning room table for eating again, when your work day is over.  Keep it simple. Do something physical that will help your brain to shift gear. 

We're trying to keep being kind to ourselves and to be okay with things not being as they were. If you have little ones at home and they walk into a meeting - be okay about that. My children are older now - but when they were little there was always a space near my desk where they could "work" too. We have many fond memories of those times together and only the other day my daughter shared one of those memories - referring to her "hang out with Mum office chair".  Some of my best Zoom experiences during lockdown have been when little ones unexpectedly entered the room and Mums comfortably nursed their babes during the meeting.  Everyone present was comfortable and unexpectedly we built deeper connections.

In our bubble - we are all trying to include some form of exercise into our daily rhythm. Some days, like today, when it's wet and cold and dark and a bit miserable, I just didn't feel like doing anything - but I did. I lit a candle, rolled out my yoga mat and had an hour of practice. It was good. Our minds and bodies and spirits are connected - we need to continue to be intentional about nurturing and nourishing our whole selves. 

We are also weekly menu planning - partly out of necessity and the desire to limit supermarket visits, but also to try and eat regularly and well. Of course, I've baked a bit more  than usual (plus side - I've totally cracked baking sourdough!) and there have been treats too...like a good glass of wine at the end of the day :-)

Throughout lockdown I have also been intentional about "pausing" and "breathing". Sometimes we think being busy busy is the answer - but honestly just taking a bit of space (whatever you need: a moment, an hour, the day...) will help make the rest of the time more fruitful. You'll be a better version of you, I promise! 

I'm being more leisurely with my schedule and approach to meetings. Which means booking all my usual 30min meetings for 40min - because everything takes just a little longer "virtually". No back-to-back meetings for me ...at least 15min break between conversations.

To manage how I show up at the meeting and after the meeting for my whānau -  I have a small post-it personal prompt stuck to my screen that says,
"Check-in/ Moment of Silence --------------Check-out, Hum of stillness." 
 
And, maybe this might be a good time to consider some new daily rituals. Many years ago, in "My Grandfather's Blessings" (one of my all time go-to books), Rachel Naomi Remen introduced me to a daily ritual for letting go, acceptance and gratitude.
​
Fill a bowl with water, place it somewhere safe, then at the end of the day, empty it. I believe it has its origins in Buddhist practice.

A symbol of accepting all that the day will offer - letting go of anything we need to -  giving thanks for all that the day has brought. 

ps If you want to learn more about "Pause" - I highly recommend Robert Poynton's book and work.

pps Yep, some have had the experience that virtual meetings are fast and in a recent webinar on collaboration, I heard others say decision–making has been much faster. So I've been thinking about this one a fair bit- here are some of my "musings" on that...

The questions I would ask ...How does this translate into engagement from everyone at the virtual table and leadership style? Are all the voices being heard? My thoughts are - where speed of decision-making is concerned -context matters and Cynefin is a key framework I use to help with this. Chris Corrigan's post "A tour around the latest Cynefin iteration" might help shed some light on this. 

Notwithstanding some great leadership examples through the pandemic, I had a senior HR manager get in touch: she was concerned around the leadership styles she was observing on virtual calls and that got me thinking about our behaviours when we are under stress.

Then, last night I was interviewed by a UK researcher/journalist who indicated the leaders she was speaking with were saying they couldn't reach out to their people at this time, which surprised me.

It seems, here is an opportunity for many leaders (not all, some are really busy!) to pause - slow down – be generous – be kind – listen, to the said and unsaid stuff. That takes time.

The Growth Faculty's recent interview with Leadership guru and best–selling author Patrick Lencioni, where he outlines "9 top tips for leadership in lockdown" - is one of the best I've heard. My top two of his tips:
  • This is not a time for efficiency. It's a time for effectiveness. We have to linger on these video calls with our colleagues.
  • Be exceedingly human.
​Copyright ©2020 Nazanin Jenkin Ltd. | www.nazaninjenkin.com | nazanin@nazaninjenkin.com | +64 21 478253
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Lest we forget

25/4/2020

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These are deeply human-centered  times. 

​Despite physical distancing in our immediate environments, there is growing global social connectedness and sharing of the most personal of human experiences. Paradoxically, i
n many ways it has been and continues to be an entirely personal experience. We can't assume we understand what's happening for others.

Grief - Loneliness - Anxiety - Fear - Joy - Doubt - Overwhelm -Living with Paradoxes and Questions (you can add your own here...).
For some it's been an "exciting" time, embracing opportunity.
​
For me it's been a part pause, part re-design and re-frame time. Living with the paradox of needing to work and the desire to embrace this opportunity to pause and consider what a better, kinder more collaborative future might look like and how I can add value in turning those possibilities into realities. 

On a personal note, it's also been a time of intentionality - managing my own emotions and anxieties. Nineteen years ago, during this same period, our family were in isolation in a different way - supporting my eldest through his cancer treatment bone marrow transplant. It was a roller-coaster ride and after a five-year journey Jahan lost his battle and died in 2001. In just a few weeks would have been his 27th birthday. These days, as a volunteer hospice biographer, I am around grief and the dying a fair bit. It's not an uncomfortable subject for me. Now, as I remember and reflect on the nature of grief, my grief intermingles with the grief of others, unknown to me personally, across the world. Part of me wants to run away from the suffering and part of me knows that this is important, I can learn from this and I can use it to help others to have a voice.   
 
Today, on ANZAC day, again we remember together. There were no parades or formal gatherings, but there were gatherings of a different sort - bringing together thoughts and experiences of the deepest and most personal nature across our nation.




Quite a few of our neighbours woke early to pay their respects together. Like others, we stood at the end of drives in the pre-dawn darkness, in silence. My husband, Tim played the last post on his flute and someone nearby was playing it on a trumpet, which ended up being like a sort of echo. In the darkness, it was really poignant - especially with our recently widowed neighbour on her drive across the road in front of us. Grief right there staring at us. I got up to record Tim and ended up having a totally unexpected special reflective experience.

A deeply personal yet collective experience. It would be remiss of us not to take some space, in these unprecedented times, to pause and reflect and really consider what a better, kinder future might look like.

We know there is much that is unknown -  any and all models are incomplete and subjective - but we know the future will be different. In part, we can choose what that might look like and whatever that might be - I am confident "collaboration" is going to be integral to moving forward.  I am also aware that some people are thinking, let's wait until we are all together, but that might well be some time away and we would be missing a unique opportunity.  My take is - let's prepare together now, so we are ready to deliver a kinder, better, more collaborative new future. 

A wise person I know said recently, "People will be remembered for what they did during these times" - what do you want to be remembered for?

What we do now (as ever) - matters. 

​
​Copyright ©2020 Nazanin Jenkin Ltd. | www.nazaninjenkin.com | nazanin@nazaninjenkin.com | +64 21 478253
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Content vs. Connection

9/4/2020

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Photo by Linus Nylund from Unspalsh

(originally posted on LinkedIn late 2019...but totally relevant right now, in the midst of a pandemic!)

Some stuff I've been thinking about ~

We all learn and grow through our life experiences - well, if we pay attention and are intentional about capturing the learning and then really grappling with what to do with that learning.

As we mature in our experiences and delivery (or as someone recently described me, morph into a person who "artfully mixes stuff!"), I think this is when we move head knowledge into our heart and allow stuff to flow through us, rather than from us.

​This is when we are comfortable to slow down, pull back on content and give space for something great to happen, which is well beyond any individual!


Copyright ©2020 Nazanin Jenkin Ltd. | www.nazaninjenkin.com |nazanin@nazaninjenkin.com | + 64 21 478253
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COMPLIMENTARY MASTERCLASS APPETISERS            ​

9/4/2020

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I hosted a one hour zoom complimentary Collaboration 101 Masterclass Appetiser last week.

The lighting was meh, the mic was okay – but the conversation….well, that was                                                                       GREAT!
Ngā mihi to those that joined in.

​Here's what folk said about the
1 April Masterclass Appetiser session ...

I am energised!
I love the set up and models - lots in them.
You identify collaborative principles; and, a set of behaviours and skills that sit well under them.
Lots of opportunity here - both for service delivery and policy development.
The alignment with leadership, culture and Te Ao Māori values resonates very well.
Love the metaphors! Really make sense.
There is a clear trajectory between issues and solutions.
A number of good new ideas in terms of setting up and operating a collaborative initiative.
Because the set up has clarity, there is more opportunity to be effective and deliver outcomes.
Here's why this is a really important wānanga for right now...

The decision to collaborate and work together across traditional boundaries sets the strategic intent and strategic direction.

Extreme events, such as the Christchurch Earthquake and a Global Pandemic are burning platforms that bring specialists, service delivery providers and policy developers together with a particular focus. A coalition of the willing, working together towards an agreed collaborative strategic intent - often in an intensive, time limited manner. 

We can learn from these events, but replicating the specifics is unlikely to be sustainable for long-term change.


In New Zealand, the  Wellbeing Budget provides a strategic long-term direction with an explicit collaboration agenda, that goes wider. There are mega opportunities that will need our attention even more intentionally post the COVID-19 crisis.

Climate change, regional economic opportunities, population health and inequities, child poverty, sexual abuse are some of the many complex opportunities facing us. We can prepare now, to build capability and create environments where we can innovate, together, for the post-pandemic future. 

It is evident that putting the words “collaboration”, “collaborative working” or similar in a strategy document or on a post-it sticker in a workshop generally leads to no more than talk about the latest “buzzword” from which no real change results!

So how do we close the gap between what is now essentially a popular buzzword and working together?

Collaboration as a business discipline is something deeper, more complex and an entirely new approach that requires new competencies.


In my Collaboration 101 Masterclasses, I bring together many years of experience and research - simply.

I help position you to be the next success story.


Next complimentary one hour virtual "appetiser" session
Wednesday, 29 April, 12.30-1.30pm. 
Email me or comment below with "yes" and I'll send you the meeting ID/password (you don't need to have a Zoom account).


Would love to have you join us.

ps I now have some new lighting, a new mic and other stuff to improve the experience!!! We're all improvisers and experimenting together 😀

Copyright ©2020 Nazanin Jenkin Ltd. | www.nazaninjenkin.com | nazanin@nazaninjenkin.com | +64 21 478253
He waka eke noa
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Community & Connectedness

7/4/2020

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Picture by Clint Adair from Unsplash
We must be willing to get rid of the life we've planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us. Joseph Campbell
We are finding community and connectedness in the midst of lockdown isolation.

On our daily local walk with the dog yesterday, we saw a few folk - not many, as we try to go when it's quiet. Everyone was careful to adjust their route and keep appropriate distances. But, most made an effort to shout out a greeting, smile, nod their head or raise their eyebrows! A recognition of my humanity and yours. A shared moment of connectedness that was meaningful.

There was healing and love in that connection. Everyone is hungry for connection and belonging - always. This is more evident now than ever.

Hubby said, "It feels like the "old" New Zealand" and shared stories of his childhood in the South Island. I shared stories of whānau gatherings in the midst of the curfew of the Iranian Revolution.
We've been married thirty years, yet our moments of connectedness with (mostly) strangers, led us to deeper connection with each other.

I don't think we can emphasise the importance of connectedness and community enough during life's extreme journeys. Chaos, grief, change and times of urgency - when the "burning platform" is close and in our face - are all times when connection becomes critical. Be it in our personal lives or our business world - the need for community, connection and belonging are constant.

We're heading into the third week of lockdown. So let's be intentional about going beyond self and connecting.

Being intentional: Pick up the phone, send a text, message someone, host a virtual gathering - do what you can. I am focusing on service for my clients, hosting virtual small group gatherings for my peers and reaching out to my loved ones - here and across the world. Everyone needs connection: let's be here for each other.
​
Daily Rhythms: For me, the work day is shorter and more focused. My focus is adding value where I can (often that just means listening) and work projects (my first book and virtual/online delivery options). I am also being intentional about daily exercise, eating well (nailed homemade sourdough!) and finding moments of stillness to reflect and be present. Mostly, I'm out of my comfort zone and it's not easy, but it's rewarding and exciting to practice in new arenas.
The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek. Joseph Campbell
I read an article from a home detention officer, who said week three can be a hump week. I seem to remember a similar conversation during my son's 8 week isolation of   bone marrow transplant.

How are you finding ways to connect and manage your daily rhythm during lockdown? What's helping?
​
Share it with us in the comments and let your light shine!

I truely believe there are opportunities to thrive. History is full of examples of innovations at time of constraints (e.g. Sir Issac Newton during the Great Plague). In collaborative design - we know innovations are at the margins, rather than BAU but it's likely that BAU as we knew it is the past.

So we need to be Collaborative Futures Thinking - NOW.

Ngā manaakitanga, Nazanin
Copyright ©2020 Nazanin Jenkin Ltd. | www.nazaninjenkin.com | nazanin@nazaninjenkin.com | +64 21 478253
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building collaborative cultures

1/4/2020

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Everyone would agree that culture is the secret source, the competitive advantage, that connects, unites and makes communities happy – despite this importance we rarely bring an intentionality to culture…(Research Participant) 
This is one of my favourite research participant quotes.

I am committed to bringing an intentionality to culture and in particular to help build "collaborative cultures", so this is a real focus in my collaboration & partnership joint venture workshops.

We look at developing:
  • shared agendas
  • shared language
  • shared measures
​To deliver:
  • shared outcomes

When we are intentional about culture, we realise that it’s really not about big mega changes; it's about "shifting" cultures by “nudging” change.

Intentionality about culture is about changing the paradigm through the stories we tell, the symbols we use, the daily rituals, the degree of reliance on power structures and the control systems in place.

​A move towards empowering leadership and decision-making across the organisation is a significant positive step forward.


Life after the pandemic, will be a call to more and more collaborative cultures and ventures! 

Let's talk if I can help you with building capability, programme set up or help getting an existing programme off the bottom rung of the ladder!

Copyright ©2020 Nazanin Jenkin Ltd. | wwwnazaninjenkin.com | nazanin@nazaninjenkin.com | +634 21 478253

(adapted from two earlier LinkedIn Posts)
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life in lockdown

31/3/2020

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kererū visiting the kowhai in my garden
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flowers from my daughter arrived on doorstep before lockdown
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Vid19 conference organised by Julia Steel (Simon Dowling's session)
(originally posted on LinkedIn)
Kia ora tātou. How are you going friends? We're day 6/28(for now!) of lockdown in NZ.

In our area, folk seem to be adjusting into a new rhythm - reimagining what we do & how. If you know me personally, you'll know I've had a bit of experience at isolation living (having been the primary carer for my son over his five-year cancer journey)-so, a personal perspective:
  • Listen to the experts' advice.
  • Stay connected. A short message can go a long way. I'm using online video liberally for meetings, as well as connecting with loved ones outside of my bubble e.g. “virtual sisters happy hour”+online family board games
  • Let's watch out for the most vulnerable in our communities.
  • Set up your space at home for work/home schooling/ DIY projects/whatever you need. Consider what energises you & create with what you've got. (My “standing desk” for presentations is a coffee table on top of my main desk!)
  • Plan your day to include a balanced rhythm: service, exercise (walking & yoga practice fro me), work, connecting beyond your bubble (without physical contact).
  • Let go of the small stuff …be kind, be gracious, be gentle.
  • Practice gratitude.
​​​
He waka eke noa. Take care of yourselves, Nazanin

ps I am busy pivoting my workshops to online delivery options – so I’m ready to do stuff together, when you are

Copyright ©2020 Nazanin Jenkin Ltd. | www.nazaninjenkin.com | nazanin@nazaninjenkin.com | +64 21 478253
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From Diversity and Inclusion to belonging

22/7/2019

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(originally posted on LinkedIn)

At the heart of collaboration is "diversity and inclusion"; so it’s core to my values and professional work.

​Not surprisingly the 15th March 2019 events in New Zealand have brought the conversation to the surface and it’s an area I've been getting a few calls about.

For me, as a diaspora, a Persian Kiwi, with experience living and working across countries, this is also a deeply personal conversation.

So have you ever wondered why despite some effort and investment, it feels like we’re treading water?

In today’s Australian Financial Review article “Companies wasting millions on diversity programs”, the author notes that recent research from BCG showed that despite policies and investments
"...only  11% of women, 14% of people from different ethnic backgrounds and 18% of LBGTIQ employees felt they had benefited from the schemes. More than 30% said they had experienced discrimination.”

So maybe we need to change the focus from numbers & tangibles.

Maybe with a deeper focus and intentionality on listening to the stories and capturing the messages we will begin to see changes in the cultural paradigms and a move towards a culture of belonging.

It’s like the difference between being invited to the party & asked to dance!

It's time to go beyond Diversity and Inclusion and talk about "Belonging".
Copyright ©2020 Nazanin Jenkin Ltd. | www.nazaninjenkin.com |nazanin@nazaninjenkin.com | + 64 21 478253
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Successful collaborations: top tips

3/6/2019

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Photo by Nathan Dumlao from Unsplash
(originally posted on LinkeIn) 

​If you are leading or considering a collaborative joint venture here are a few of my top tips for you to consider:

❇️What's your why?
Collaboration is not necessarily suitable or wise for all projects and outcomes. It's best suited to complex problems that demand effort to achieve a change.

❇️Leadership
Be prepared to engage in the collaborator's dance of moving between leading and following.
Come with an understanding of what you bring, coupled with a deep humility, and respect for what others bring.

❇️Finding the solutions
Spend at least 80% of your time together coming to a shared agreement of the problem and then work together to co-design the solution. Don't come with solutions and don't hold on to any idea too tight, too soon.

​...go ahead & post your thoughts and additional top tips in the comments below.
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Collaborative leadership

3/6/2019

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(originally posted on LinkedIn)
​
The call to Collaborative Leadership is akin to the call to Servant Leadership.

What is Servant Leadership?
"The servant-leader is servant first… It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first.” -Robert K. Greenleaf

It requires: a growth mindset, adaptive behaviours, an openness to vulnerability, empowering approach, oodles of humility, readiness to learn and a "dance" between leading & following.

The best test according to Greenleaf - did those served grow and prosper?

For the public service, it is about reimagining the spirit of being a public servant.
 

Copyright©2020|Nazanin Jenkin Ltd.|wwwnazaninjenkin.com| nazanin@nazaninjenkin.com | +634 21 478253


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Psychological Safety

10/4/2019

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(originally posted on LinkedIn)

Collaboration and creativity are possible only where there is a comfort with ambiguity and “unknown unknowns”, where we can safely learn from failures, in environments that embrace diversity & inclusion. This necessitates “psychological safety”.

“Psychological safety is the biggest distinction in innovative teams” says, Frederik Pferdt, Chief Innovation Evangelist at Google.

In this talk Pferdt and IDEO CEO, Tim Brown come together to talk about fostering creativity and the importance of “psychological safety”.

“They’ve [Google] found it’s not so much who is on the team but how they communicate. It’s essential they have empathy and communicate openly and honestly. To promote psychological safety, leaders can be vulnerable and role model what trust looks like in a team.”
 

They include the attached infographic from the World Economic Forum, comparing behaviours when there is “psychological danger” vs. “psychological safety”.

​What are the paradigm shifts needed to ensure “psychological safety” in your workplace?
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holiday reflections

10/1/2019

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Picture by Paula May from Unsplash
You only know yourself when you go beyond your limits. Paulo Coelho
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(originally published on LinkedIn)
​
​Through December our son completed his 21-day OutwardBound journey, which led me to reflect on my own 8-day OutwardBound journey - Discovery Masters, 2006. This was a journey I entered into at a critical point in my professional and life journey. Here is a pictorial of my rock climb - I was petrified and exhilarated simultaneously (the photos are not great quality, but I am so thankful someone picked up my disposable camera and captured this journey for me

In the first picture I am about a third of the way up the rock face. Clearly things are going well and probably better than I had expected. I'm obviously a "bit" excited!

But close to the end, I froze - see me below straddled and unable to move. I was tired and from my vantage point I couldn't see the summit's closeness! It's so clear in the picture that I am really close to the top, but at the time I couldn't see it. I remember this well – how I felt & what I yelled. I said, "It’s been fun up ‘til now, I’d like to come down now!” Afterwards, my instructor said he would put it down as one of his favourite quotes and I recorded it in my journal :-) Thankfully, with some encouragement & time to recoup I made it to the summit. This was my pivotal point, where I discovered there was far more in me than I imagined.

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Then,  I am at the summit (picture below) - but the conquered rock face is more visible than me. You can barely see me, though to this day I can feel the sense of excitement & accomplishment.
​
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​As I reflected I saw many analogies to strategy and my professional journey, so I thought I'd share some of my take homes:

  • agree why/where you're going on your "strategic" journey & have a plan - I didn't sign up for a Masters OB course lightly. I knew why I was going and what I hoped to get out of it (of course, it ended up being much more). I invested significantly in preparing and communicated clearly with my family and colleagues, who supported me throughout.
  • get started and enjoy catching the “wave” - timing is important
  • take one step at a time - keep your eyes forward and reflect on the past for learning (we all have ups and downs)
  • don't journey alone - surround yourself with trusted advisors, mentors and support systems
  • enjoy the journey - have fun along the way, life is way too short not to
  • capture and reflect on your pivotal points and your leadership summits
  • take time to rest and recoup - manage your daily, weekly, monthly and yearly calendar: book in time for family, friends and exercise (I've stopped seeing "I'm busy" as a badge of honour! Personally, I'm only as "busy" as I choose to be.)
  • when you reach the summit you are going for, it's likely the focus will not be on your personal input - be okay about that and let your successful work/mahi be the story
  • and, be confident the summit is closer than you may imagine. The view is magnificent!
​

My son climbed the same rock face -  twice.
O
nce blindfolded and then one-handed. WOW!
​I could not be more proud of him.

Final reflections: enjoy your successes, but don't seek the glory and be ready to share what you learn. Rejoice when those you have mentored conquer the “rock face” quicker and better. That's the best legacy we can leave :-)

Here’s to a successful 2019!


Copyright ©2020 Nazanin Jenkin Ltd. | www.nazaninjenkin.com | nazanin@nazaninjenkin.com | +64 21 478253
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    Nazanin jenkin

    Nazanin Jenkin is a Persian Kiwi - a Persian by decent and a diaspora by circumstance. She lives in New Zealand; along with her husband of thirty years and two surviving, adult children. 
    Nazanin believes the key to unlocking untapped solutions and hope for mankind is for us to be willing to work collaboratively, across all kinds of differences - silos, sectors, cultures and disciplines.
    ​She is on a mission to build a collaborative movement that delivers shared value.

    The future may be uncertain, but one things is for sure - success is dependent on learning to work together!

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