LEADERSHIP

28 • LEADERSHIP
tions we must first improve collaboration. And to improve collaboration,
we must first improve interaction. The project
leader's foremost role is to bring people together, increase interaction,
facilitate collaboration, and thereby create an environment
of effective communication. Let’s turn that around
and pound this point deep into the frontal lobes: more interaction
yields better collaboration; better collaboration yields improved
communications. Don't expect this to be a quiet
process—it’s going to get noisy!
Choosing the most effective interaction strategies and tactics
depends on many factors: the people and their personalities,
their physical locations, cultural norms, the group’s
feeling tone, their experience with one another, the nature of
the project ... the list goes on. To improve a cross-functional
team's performance, trust the CAPE: Clarity, Action, Purpose,
and Enthusiasm. Let’s see how leaders can build highperformance
teamwork within key stakeholder groups.
Leading Extended Teams
In terms of communication, commitment, and engagement,
the most problematic stakeholder group is typically the
extended team. Capable of throwing simultaneous knock-yoursocks-off,
super-sucker punches, extended teams are dangerous
for several reasons. First of all, they are essential. Secondly,
they might not care about your project. In other words,
they have something your project or initiative needs that you
can’t readily gain elsewhere; and unfortunately, your project
doesn’t command 100% of their attention. They were already
busy before your project butted in—their “ordinary” work already
dominated 100% of their time and energy. Your project
may be viewed as an interruption to what they believe is most