Episode #162. Interview with Grayson James on effective collaboration

In this episode, Shelley speaks with Grayson James, a seasoned expert with over three decades of experience assisting Executives, Boards and Senior Management teams in enhancing their collaborative business performance.

A common misconception is that effective collaboration hinges on the level of cooperation exhibited by our colleagues—a notion Grayson opposes, considering it a costly oversight. To Shelley, the term 'collaboration' is often carelessly tossed around in many workplaces. Grayson simplifies it to 'working together with other people to get important stuff done,' an essence critical to the existence of organisations.

Delving deeper, they consider whether the rising emphasis on collaboration aligns with a decline in hierarchical structures. Grayson has seen a shift over recent years in the nature of interactions and expectations, steering away from the top-down command and control model, which does not fly anymore, especially by the younger generation.

Embracing a collaborative leadership approach, Grayson acknowledges the necessity of command and control, consensus, or even no consensus, depending on the given context.

The true challenge lies in how we discern what is needed at this time and to pivot and respond effectively in the given situation’.

Grab a copy of Graysons book: Full Contact Performance: The Internal Art of Organizational Collaboration. Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Full-Contact-Performance-Organizational-Collaboration/dp/1803412518

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/full-contact-performance-grayson-james/1142627370?ean=9781803412511

Indiebound Books: https://bookshop.org/p/books/full-contact-performance-the-internal-art-of-organizational-collaboration-grayson-james/19039197?ean=9781803412511

Connect with Grayson: linkedin.com/in/graysonjames Connect with Shelley: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/shelleyflett/⁠⁠ Work with Shelley: ⁠⁠https://shelleyflett.com ⁠