The Collaborator
Despite my best intentions, it's been several months since my last post...but somehow quite appropriate, for in that time, I've found myself reflecting on my colleague's comments on a tendency to be a bit self-postulating in my writing style, finding out I was anonomously "discovered" by my hero, re-org'ed into an overly matrixed leadership role, and frankly just too damn tardy in following up on my own posts (I should probably blame the house building or my new son Diego--now 6 months--but nonetheless, I've simply been a little lax).
So it's probably timely (and were it not for this post, even a bit cliche) that the topic of this Web Analytics post addresses the Collaborator. As an Analyst, I show up in every personality, leadership, and insights test as being in the "upper right" quadrant. "Blue" to those who are familiar with the Leadership Insights, "Analytical" (duh) for the Senn-Delaney-ites, and ENTJ for the Meyers-Briggs folks. In short, I and my team are your best partners in data, analytics, root cause, and driving for results. But I'm not so great (so far as I think) at the charismatic qualities of inspiration and support. So this is my segue into the topic.
When I think of great Collaborators, I think of leaders that could garner support from various areas--often with conflicting agendas of their own--and somehow help them to align on the common qualities that can focus on their similarities, in support of the mission. Teams and organizations that trive on "turf issues" get stuck in their routines and don't progress. Without the litmus test of Collaboration, you have no way of knowing how efective you can be in a truly flat and cross-functional environment.
In my days at Dell, I was put into a role that required advocating an Online Controlled Experimentation program to a Sales and Marketing organization. Imagine the look of 100 top B-schoolers looking back at me as if I could help be more efficient - who the hell was I anyway, an engineer, who may as well have been from another planet than tell a Harvard MBA they had an opportunity in their supply chain(!)
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