Enablers

“Leaders that have a vision, inspire, provide a direction, simplify a course of action, smooth the way, and reach out. They are catalysts: They make things happen in complex situations. They have the courage to take calculated risks.”

A collaborative champion needs to be the type of leader that is less concerned for individual credit, power, and achievement and more concerned for the success of collective energies, accomplishments, and the collaborative process.

A Higher Purpose
His/her communication is purposeful, transparent, and respectful. His/her motivation for the collaboration is not a desire of personal gain as in an ego-centric approach, but a fundamental aspiration to move a partnership forward that will contribute to a systems level benefit. For this collaborative champion, there is a higher purpose in this individual’s communication.

Consensus-Building
The formal systems leader is an expert at consensus-building and forging relationships beyond sector borders. This individual is able to establish and develop heterogeneous teams that include both public health and primary care stakeholders and provide clear role definitions. The systems-level leader can navigate complex relationships with finesse and promote an agreed-upon common purpose.

Discovery and Exploration
The formal systems leader is a champion for milieu of discovery and exploration. This individual embraces public health-primary care diversities and viewpoints. He/she encourages the discussion of powerful and controversial issues in order to share ideas and fully understand issues in an intelligent fashion.

Champion of the Cause
The collaborative leader is a champion of the cause – to this individual it is the process that is inclusive of all stakeholders that are involved in an issue. He/she addresses set-backs or disappointing results in an open, straightforward way for the purpose of improvement and progress. When there is a success, the collaborative champion celebrates by sharing the credit with the collaboration partners.