Rob Cross

My latest @HarvardBiz article co-authored with Jean Singer and @KarDillon identified 12 common “relational” drivers of stress that are likely taking a significant toll on your well-being. #burnout #stressawareness #wellbeingatwork hbr.org/2020/07/dont-l…

Effective collaboration — especially for innovation — builds on openness and authenticity. #innovation #collaboration

How can you reduce the likelihood of performance misses? Keep your emotions in check. By managing emotions, you will be able to give measured guidance on what’s important to your team so they, in turn, don't overreact or propagate #stress. #burnout #collaboration #microstress

How can you reduce the likelihood of performance misses? Remember that situations where individuals can’t deliver because of outside pressures need a different response from situations where people may not have the personal capabilities. #burnout #teams #solutions

this depersonalizes discussions about small misses, sets a norm of accountability and places responsibility back on the correct parties. #collaboration #stress

How can you reduce the likelihood of small performance misses creating excessive work for you? Take a few minutes at the end of meetings to ask where everyone is in terms of progress...

Your relationship will improve as you’re better able to anticipate their needs and understand what drives them. #relationships #network

Invest in your relationships with people who drive unpredictable surges in work, by being very deliberate about how you respond to them, and develop your network to lessen the negative impact of the unpredictable situations they face.

Inefficient communication practices are everywhere in organizations today. More efficient collaborators find ways to shape norms and expectations to streamline interactions and reduce everyone’s time and effort.  #collaboration #meetings #teamwork

When struggling with a misaligned team, consider using a visual artifact (like a process model or flow chart). When you reach an agreement on where your priorities differ, re-focus the conversation on a principle that unites everyone’s efforts.  #collaboration #burnout

Develop your own “sensor system” so that you can engage quickly to fix problems. This might mean using the last 5 minutes of a meeting to ask people to state back what they’re taking away, to make sure there are no misinterpretations.  #meetings #teamwork #groups

Misalignment in teams often happens in predictable ways. One example is goal misalignment where functional leaders steer people’s efforts toward their own goals that sometimes don’t align with the team’s mission. #leadership #success #collaboration

Looking for a smarter way to network? Read more to hear about the Four Step Process my colleague Robert J.Thomas and I created that will help any executive develop a successful network, via @HarvardBiz: hbr.org/2011/07/managi… #network #businessrelationships #success

Pay attention to your intuition; an uncomfortable feeling that arises after a meeting might be a sign that everyone might not be on board. Consider writing a detailed follow-up email to ensure alignment on goals, responsibilities, and time frames. #collaboration #burnoutsolution

Exploring synergies creates network leverage as collaborating teams become aware of capabilities and sources of future work and referrals. The most successful leaders in our study do so to drive innovation, efficiency, and engagement. #collaboration #success #leadership

When you're facing burnout, it's easy to become a "Yes" person without taking a moment to ask any follow-up questions. Always make sure when you are committing to a project to lay out a clear timeline for delivery, along with performance expectations. #teamwork #collaboration

"Overwork is not necessary for professional success"; and yet, we live in a work culture that all too frequently leads to burnout. @DrAliceBoyes gives great insight, via @HarvardBiz: hbr.org/2022/05/resist… #burnout #overwhelm #collaboration #leadership

Specifying the magnitude of the ask is crucial for knowing whether you have the time and capability required. And, it matters for ensuring that you have the commitment of time and resources from colleagues you’ll be relying on to accomplish the work.  #managingmisalignment

Who are the most valuable people in your network? Age-old wisdom suggests it is not what but whom you know that matters. Read more, via my article for @HarvardBiz: zcu.io/SfMw #network #collaboration #teams #communication #leadership

Misalignment on teams often happens in predictable ways. One example of this is Unclear Requirements: Poor project management leaving well-intended team-mates unclear on what they were supposed to have completed and by when. #collaboraton #burnout #teams

and any other colleagues contributing to the effort can go a long way to reduce stress from misalignment. #misalignment #teams #research #collaboration

Take five minutes to ensure that you reach an agreement on the “what” and “when” of the work. In today’s fast-moving context, you can’t be overly detailed on this – but spending five minutes to clarify specifics for yourself, your stakeholder, (cont.)