— To follow is a bullet of wisdom on leadership. It comes from Tom’s rifle, named Shot, who has seen it all. You’ll get the drift by clicking Blog in the menu above. —
RUDY TOLD OF HUNTING RABBITS when a youngster. Fifteen to 20 farmers and their kin with shotguns would circumvent 20 to 40 acres and spread apart. Picture a circle. Then they would walk forward shooting at any rabbits that emerged before them. The rabbits, congregated in the ever-narrowing center, were eventually exterminated. Yes, terrible for the rabbits, but in those days their proliferation endangered crops and, thus, the farmers’ existence. With shotguns loaded with shot, not slugs, and pointed forward and downward, the risk of ricocheting was minimal. Mission accomplished.
Well, leaders, we’re talking collaboration today—sideways collaboration, that is, with your peers. When you are organized and operating together, you can accomplish things you could never do alone. It’s teamwork, right? And there’s no “I” in teamwork, right? Yes sir, with true collaboration, you work together in support of one another in order to accomplish the organization’s goal. So, what about departmental walls and silos? You have to break them down! You can’t let a sub-team—even if its yours—get so focused on its own objectives that it doesn’t see or care what the others are doing or why. You’re a leader among leaders. If the overall team fails, guess what? You fail. But visa versa is awesome!