There’s a powerful concept in the field of coaching called co-creation.

It’s also useful in the world of leadership because it says so much about aligning teams and engendering buy-in.

The traditional view of leadership is that the leader is the one who tells people what to do. If you have any significant experience at all, you know that this definition doesn’t hold water. Why? Because if you respect peoples’ humanity, you have to give them the ability to make their own decisions.

So leadership becomes a role of building peoples’ buy-in and support. So they WANT to go where you’re going, and not just because they’re told to.

So co-creation is about building something together. For example, maybe you want the group to get behind something which entails a little risk. People don’t like risk, so there’s going to be a bit of resistance.

We’ll sit down with the team – as individuals, as a whole, maybe both – and work through the concept you’re trying to get them to support. It’s kind of like selling them on your idea, but more collaborative.

Because you’re listening and incorporating what you learn.

And, surprisingly enough, you might even come up with something better than your first proposal!