We-Q: Next Level Leadership

First, it was IQ, then we learned to appreciate the value of EQ in leadership, today it’s all about We-Q or CI (“Collective Intelligence” or “Collaborative Intelligence”) – I’m going with We-Q, I like the way it sounds.

We-Q is a measure of our ability to think with others who think differently on behalf of a shared purpose or goal.

Two leaders in this space, Dawna Markova and Angie McArthur, co-authors of Collaborative Intelligence: Thinking with People Who Think Differently, share their twist on a famous quote:

            “Great minds don’t think alike…but they learn to think together.”

Leaders with strong We-Q create high-performing teams that leverage the sum of their parts.

We-Q is largely about mindset coupled with the right technology and design thinking that supports and facilitates collaboration. Yet, it is always grounded in a shared purpose.

4 Key Components of We-Q

Inquiry

Aka a Curious George! A leader that is open to new ideas and perspectives and actively engages his or her team to collect diverse knowledge, experiences, and perspectives. Leaders with high We-Q are open to learning, discovering new possibilities, and changing the status quo.

Too often leaders are stuck in the established way of doing things, what may have worked in the past, or ideas that may have become stale.

Accessing collective intelligence lies in how you frame questions and appreciating how others frame questions. Asking interesting, open-ended questions invites responses you would never see coming.

It is also about body language. Do you come across as receptive? For example, uncross arms and legs; lean forward; keep palms open; face the person squarely; nod your head, etc.

Information Flow

Do your teams work in silos? Or, perhaps, certain individuals? Are employees encouraged, given opportunities and the technology, to share information?

Often employees, or departments, associate the knowledge they hold as their value to the organization. Therefore, if that information is shared, somehow, they become less valuable or lose leverage. Information becomes the source of power struggles.

An individual who has this “silo mentality” may also be rigid in their thinking, sticking to the way things have always been done. They don’t have the capacity, or willingness, to think outside the box. Or they fail to connect what they are doing to the work of other individuals or departments.  

How Does Your Mind Work?

People have very different ways of processing information. What McArthur and Markova refer to as “mind patterns”. Different ways of learning, communicating, and processing information.

They take this tenant a step further to “thinking talents” which is the unique way we approach challenges. Really, it is what makes our brains fire on all cylinders.  For example, when I need to find connections between ideas or see the broader framework for a blog or talk, I pace around (or take a shower!).  

 Maybe your team needs to walk and talk, or sit outside, maybe they need a whiteboard because the best way to communicate and ensure a shared understanding is by drawing it out. Maybe music helps some people be more creative with their thinking.

Mindshare Mentality

Finally, a mindshare mindset facilitates the sharing of ideas, increasing the bandwidth of thinking and collaboration.  

Leaders with a mindshare mentality appreciate that all ideas carry value, and that their role is that of “host” or “bridge”.  They bring people together that don’t normally interact. They champion and promote the shared goal and provide a common context for idea exchanges. They are not the hero. It’s not about their idea being the winner, rather the goal is expansive thinking that synthesizes the most important information and best ideas.

In this new world, everyone has a piece to the puzzle and the winning leadership skill, I think, is the ability to make the thoughtful connections between seemingly disparate challenges, key information, and diverse ideas. Today’s companies are building a group gestalt, whose currency is shared information and expansive collaboration.

Want to up your Q count? Setup a 30-min, no commitment, strategy call.