YOUR RANT: How do you get everyone working off the same page?

911 REPAIR: Optimizing performance is important, but during tough times it's essential. Which reminds me of the Sufi story about a group of blind wise men that came across an elephant. They want to figure out what it is, so one feels the legs and says it must be a column of a building. One feels an ear and thinks it must be a sail. Another feels the trunk and thinks it must be a hose. You get the picture.

Our organizations are often like that, with people having a sense of their immediate function and often unable to grasp the whole operation. That's why I've included three Do's and one Don't to help you to create a strategy to get everyone engaged and focused on the big picture at work. For more, check out "Collaboration: How Leaders Avoid the Traps, Create Unity and Reap Big Results" by Morten T. Hansen (Harvard Business Press, 2009).

-- DO redefine success. Each one of us contributes to the mess by hyper-focusing our efforts on a very narrow agenda -- OURS! That's why it's so important to pull back and see the larger goals. I've heard from many readers who talk about how they are encouraged to maximize their function at the expense of the organization as a whole -- for example, when a sales team decides to dramatically cut warranty prices, which boosts sales but pushes the costs off to another department.

-- DO involve others. Most bosses feel very comfortable in just closing their door and making decisions. Isn't that what an MBA is supposed to do? But that approach robs the organization of the opportunity to gain new insight from all of the smart front line people who are much closer to the action. Decision-making is best that gets closest to the actual customers. Seek to involve others in the decisions that are made -- not as a show, but to see if they can actually help you to come up with better decisions.

-- DO be accountable. Many managers believe that whenever you admit a mistake, you are showing weakness. I couldn't disagree more. Let's face it, when mistakes are made employees often know all about them. To dance around like you had nothing to do with it does two things, both bad. It encourages people to lie, and it tells them not to trust you. If you ask for accountability, please don't forget to offer it personally.

-- DON'T just think of today. Every leader's job should involve developing the next generation of leaders for their company. That's why it's so important to always be consciously growing and developing your people. Giving people a chance to shape the direction of the organization not only helps them, but it helps the organization too. There is an elephant in the room of most organizations -- the lack of engagement and trust that most people feel. Hopefully, these tips will help everyone to recommit to a real collaboration at work.

WORKPLACE911 EXECUTIVE POINTS Getting People Working Together:

-- DO redefine success.

-- DO involve others. Continued...