Table of Contents
James Tamm - Want Better Collaboration Dont Be So Defensive
Premise
Jim's keynote will challenge you to look at yourself through self-critical eyes. Entitled “Want Better Collaboration? Don't be so Defensive!”, Jim will discuss skills essential for effective collaboration. In particular, he will focus on achieving success even during difficult interactions. He will show how your own defensiveness is a key factor in resolving conflicts and building collaboration. He will share practical tools designed to help you manage your own defensiveness.
For most of his career, Jim was a Senior Administrative Law Judge for the State of California. He had jurisdiction over public sector disputes in the workplace. He mediated over 1,500 labor disputes, including more school district labor strikes than any other person in the United States. For several years he was a member of a collaboration special task force. They designed and taught collaboration skills to highly conflicted public sector organizations. The project was wildly successful. It helped build trust, reduce conflict and create more collaborative working environments.
Jim is President of RC Group, LLC. He maintains offices in South San Francisco, California, Cuernavaca, Mexico and Stockholm, Sweden. He specializes in building cultures of collaboration within organizations. He also trains other consultants and trainers how to teach collaborative skills.
Summary
- Content rating (0-no new ideas, 5 - a new ideas/approach, 9-new ideas): 7
- Style rating (0-average presentstion, 5 - my level, 9-I learned something about presenting): 6
Useful presentation that helped me personally. And well presented with interaction.
Action / Learning
Presentation
Notes
Chicken story Breeding 1 year aggressive 260% increase in eg laying, 55% less mortality
Red zone - produce more red zone behavior Green zone - same for green More eggs and lower mortality
Can be applied to humans
See stats for green and red companies over 11 years Kotter and hasket
Cannot compete externally if you are competing internally
5 key skills to improve collaboration Mindset and practice
Collaborative intention Stay focused on mutual gains in you relationship Stay in green zone and get curious or go in the red zone and get furious
Are you operating in the red zone on the green zone? Start in red zone Just by paying attention every day got to green zone
Notice if you are in the red zone / green zone
What pushes you into the red zone? Pulls helps you return to green zone?
Truthfulness Safe enough to raise difficult issues
Death by 1000 cuts is way it manifests itself
Self accountability
What choices are available What choices are being made
Not - the made us do it
Be accountable for unintended and intend consequences
Self awareness
Build awareness about your own self defensive
Negotiating and problem solving
System of negotiation would not help if you arrive at table with wrong attitude
Could help with individuals as well
Biggest killer to collaboration Better managing own defensiveness
Defensiveness budget More meetings Revisiting Triangulating People not tell the truth
Think about defensiveness. What does it cost.
If reduce defense you increase ability to solve problems
Therefore stay in green zone
Become one with the piece of paper Deep breath in out Scrunch up (lead) - anyone want to collaborate with me See how quick it changes
Defensiveness does not protect us from other people It defends use from fears we don't want to feel
Big areas My competency
I might start blaming
Putting whipped cream on dog poo Look between but doesn't deal with underlying issue
Not always aware of our fears therefore look at the defensive behaviors
What are your defensiveness See list Check which ones apply to me Circle top 3
Share with neighbor Not secret information
This is a human condition
Useful also to know what the defensive behaviors of colleagues
Personalized warning system To stop you becoming less effective
What do about it Acknowledge that you are getting defensive (perhaps let others know as well) Slow down (your phisoloogy - eg go for walk, visualize calm place) Check negative self talk - turn into something a little less toxic for yourself Create a personalized action plan Start over
Start noticing if in red zone / green zone Look for defensiveness Practice your action plan