*Episode hosted by Radu Palamariu*
In this episode, I interviewed Dr. Heidi K. Gardner, author of “Smarter Collaboration,” where we discussed the concepts in her book. We explored the topics of collaboration in teams, breaking down silos, and their importance in hiring and M&A. We also delved into the challenges that hinder collaboration, ways to address them, and how they assist their clients in this aspect. Aside from that, we also discussed the importance of trust- defining and differentiating competence trust and interpersonal trust.
In addition, Heidi shared some of the key moments in her career – including her fellowship in Germany, living in Europe, joining McKinsey, and her academic career at Harvard. She also offered insights on starting your career and discovering your unique strengths.
More details about Heidi’s work on smartercollaboration.com.
Listen to the full discussion here:
Connect with the Guest:
Dr. Heidi K. Gardner is a sought-after advisor, keynote speaker, and facilitator for organizations across a wide range of industries globally. Named by Thinkers50 as a Next Generation Business Guru, she is a Distinguished Fellow at Harvard Law School and a former professor at Harvard Business School.
The author of more than 80 books, chapters, case studies, and articles, Dr. Gardner is a co-founder of the research and advisory firm Gardner & Co., a recognized thought leader in “Smart Collaboration,” and a highly acclaimed keynote speaker. Her work empowers executives in every environment to drive change by harnessing the innate strength of every team member.
Dr. Gardner’s book “Smart Collaboration: How Professionals and Their Firms Succeed by Breaking Down Silos” (2017) became a Washington Post bestseller. Her next book, Smarter Collaboration (2022), captures new research, case studies, and practical, tested applications of the concepts in industries ranging from healthcare, banking, government agencies, technology, manufacturing, media, retail, and more.
Questions I Asked:
- What were some of the inflection points in your career?
- Why did you choose to focus your books on collaboration and breaking silos? What led you to focus on this aspect of teams?
- What are two or three principles you use to solve occurring problems in the business?
- In Greek, there is a saying that states, “Give me a lever long enough and I can move the world.” How do you get that lever for the organization? What is that lever?”
- How do you apply smarter collaboration in hiring and M&As? And what was the outcome?
- You talked in your book about how pressure undermines collaboration and the illusion of inclusion. Tell us more about these and can you share some examples?
- What advice would you give young professionals as they build their careers something that helped you the most in your career?
- How did you figure out what makes you different or unique?
Show notes:
- [01:13] What were some of the inflection points in your career? What were those moments which made a difference in your career? And what were the stories behind those moments?
- [02:40] “The first inflection point of my career was when I left Procter and Gamble to take a Fulbright Fellowship, and I applied for one in East Germany.”
- [05:27] “The topic that I was studying in my PhD: “Why are some teams so much more effective than others at harnessing a full complement to their members’ expertise?”- that led me to get my PhD and academic career at Harvard.”
- [06:20] You mentioned teams, specifically narrowed it down to collaboration. When writing your books, how did you narrow it to this specific word? And you also mentioned silo- breaking down silos, how did you narrow it to this label, specifically when it comes to teams?
- [08:14] “How do you bring together the pieces of your team’s expertise to allow you to craft a solution to a multifaceted problem? That’s what we mean by smarter collaboration.”
- [08:56] What are the top two or three principles you use that will fix the problems that occurred by 90%? Is there such a thing? And if there is, what are those things?
- [09:42] “One of the issues is that we are driven as humans to do what we are comfortable with and where we believe that intersects with what we are rewarded for, and it creates some real challenges there […]”
- [11:37] “When working together for the first time, you will want to look at two things: one, could you trust my abilities and competence? And two, can you trust me as a human?”
- [13:38] “My co-author on the book, Ivan Matviak, and I wrote an article in Harvard Business Review called “Performance Management Shouldn’t Kill Collaboration.”
- [16:07] “What often happens in the hiring process is when somebody who is a great defender leads the process, they end up with a whole team of defenders. And this mini-me syndrome is really problematic.”
- [17:53] In Greek, there is a saying that states, “Give me a lever long enough, and I can move the world.” How do you get that lever for the organization? What is that lever?”
- [19:17] “Leaders by dint of power that they hold and a whole number of other factors don’t understand what is truly standing in the way of collaboration.”
- [22:16] You talked about hiring in your book. How do you apply smarter collaboration in hiring, and what was the outcome?
- [25:56] How do you use smarter collaboration in M&As, given that it needs to be done at a cultural level?
- [26:52] ”We can find ways to help people think very tactically about what they’re trying to accomplish, how that fits into the bigger picture, and then create opportunities for them to engage in real work with those individuals. “
- [27:54] You mentioned in your book that pressure undermines collaboration. What do you mean by that?
- [28:47] “Performance pressure is when you’re working on something that’s really high stakes. Some people are counting on you. The outcome has serious consequences associated with success or failure, and that kind of pressure drives people, ironically, to become more insular.”
- [30:33] You also mentioned the illusion of inclusion. Can you share examples and what you meant by it?
- [33:22] What advice would you give young professionals as they build their careers something that helped you the most in your career?
- [35:31] Knowing and finding out how you’re different takes time. How did you figure out what makes you different or unique?
Quotes from the Episode:
Soundbite from the Episode:
About the Host:
What an exciting conversation with Heidi! I am your host, Radu Palamariu, Managing Director of Alcott Global for APAC and Europe, working on C-level and top management executive search assignments with Top Fortune 500 companies and local conglomerates in value chains for manufacturing, logistics, transportation, supply chain management, and e-commerce and also the co-author of “From Source to Sold – Stories of Leadership in Supply Chain”.
Alcott Global provides executive search solutions for key positions at all pillars of end-to-end value chains, from general management to overall supply chain operations, including non-executive board roles.
In our Makers & Movers face-to-face events, we bring together value chain executives to connect, collaborate, and innovate – a forum focused on business value creation.
This month, we awarded the Top 30 Leaders in Supply Chain of 2024, recognizing their achievements in digitizing operations, decarbonization, and sustainability and creating a diverse and equitable environment for supply chain teams to thrive and excel.
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#193: Holistic Sustainability for a Greener Supply Chains
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