RFL: Collaborative Leadership

Collaborative leadership is a non-traditional way to address organizational development. By training leaders and those they lead together, this approach allows skill development in philosophy, inspiration, and motivation.

This approach focuses on collaborative ways to create effective relationships and effective teams. Using emotional intelligence (EI) and empathy, leaders get in touch with those they lead. They look to master their own emotions and those of others. This approach relies on effective engagement, and it fosters the pursuit of win-win situations that create shared understanding. In addition, organizational relationships improve as trust develops, and as cultural developments are observed.

NOTE: The Right Fit Leading (RFL) Process addresses the need to change the focus of training from the traditional leader-centric philosophy to one of engagement, interaction, and collaboration. This creates an atmosphere where leaders and those they lead have equal opportunities to affect the leader-follower relationship that is required in effective teams. The RFL Process promotes the creation of effective teams because it is based on emotional intelligence and empathy for all members, regardless of their position or level of responsibility.

The RFL Process addresses a consistent philosophy of how we lead and follow. It suggests that we must inspire ourselves and others. It also demonstrates the need to motivate ourselves and others to take on challenges that we might not attempt otherwise. We use emotional intelligence (EI) and empathy, engagement, LMX Theory, and knowledge about the meaning of trust and how it is developed and nurtured. At this point, development can turn its focus to what is needed for each leader and member. We use the principle of engaged interaction to help leader and team development subjects arrive at a shared understanding.