Beyond Collaboration Overload Lib/E

Companies have no idea if collaboration benefits corporate performance, individual productivity, or employee well-being. Collaboration, that seemingly Good Thing all companies encourage, is creating an epidemic of overload and burnout. It crushes our vitality and well-being, prevents us from being innovative, and blocks our companies from being the most successful organizations they could be. To some this is surprising. It's assumed that it's always better to collaborate more--and faster. But the toll of all this collaboration is far more severe than companies know. So, what can be done? Using network analysis, Rob Cross has found the answer to collaborative overload: Precision collaboration. This step-by-step guide will show you the practices that the best collaborators prevent overload from derailing their careers and, often, their lives, including: mobilizing a broad network, creating "pull" by drawing people and ideas to you, and engaging in renewal activities to promote well-being. Precision collaborators create enormous impact through their networks while, amazingly, spending the least amount of time on collaborative tasks. You can do it, too. And by applying these collaborators' best practices, you can reclaim a whopping 18 percent to 24 percent of your time--a workday every week--to reinvest in activities that contribute to your success and your overall well-being.

About the Author :
Rob Cross is the Edward A. Madden Professor of Global Leadership at Babson College and the cofounder and director of the Connected Commons, a consortium of more than 150 leading organizations. He has studied the underlying networks of relationships within effective organizations and the collaborative practices of high performers for more than twenty years. Working with over 300 organizations and reaching thousands of leaders from the front line to the C-suite, he has identified specific ways to cultivate vibrant, effective networks at all levels of an organization and any career stage. He is the author of Beyond Collaboration Overload: How to Work Smarter, Get Ahead, and Restore Your Well-Being. Brian Holden grew up in Traverse City, Michigan, went to college in Ann Arbor, and lived in Los Angeles just long enough to forever hate the winters in Chicago. In addition to running his theater company, StarKid Productions, he performs improv comedy. But no, he can't tell you a joke. Only by responding truthfully in the moment is he absolutely hilarious. He loves reading and is happy that he's gotten to lend his voice to some great stories so far.