Meaningful Partnership at Work : How The Workplace Covenant Ensures Mutual Accountability and Success Between Leaders and Teams

Why are some work partnerships exceptional while most are not? How can we establish and sustain an enhanced level of cohesion, connection, and collaboration in the most important work relationship, the one between a manager and team? What could remedy the high levels of isolation and anxiety so many feel at work these days? Silver and Franz explore the concept of ‘meaningful partnership’ in the workplace. They present meaningful partnership as a __mindset__ where both leaders and their teams are fully committed to ensuring the support and success of the other. Then, they describe a __model__ called ERTAP, which stands for Empathy, Respect, Trust, Alignment, and Partnership, which is the foundation for meaningful partnership. Finally, they detail a practical yet transformative relationship-building process referred to as the __Workplace Covenant__. This enables leaders and teams to create mutual commitments with obligatory weight that help them to feel accountable for the success of the relationship and each other. The book includes real client stories that illustrate the dimensions of partnership and the __Workplace Covenant__ process. Silver and Franz also outline other work relationships that can benefit from meaningful partnership, pitfalls to avoid, relevant research, and insights derived from years of consulting experience. This book is a must-read for leaders interested in a better working relationship with their team; for teams who have critical work partnerships with other teams; for individuals who work closely with other individuals and need an exceptional 1:1 partnership; and finally for third-party experts in HR or continuous improvement who are seeking a new powerful way to help clients feel supported and be more successful. Cover Half Title Endorsements Title Page Copyright Page Dedication Contents Acknowledgments Authors Introduction Two in a Canoe – A Metaphor of Partnership Big Picture – Why Meaningful Partnership Matters What This Book is About What It is Not About Brief Overview of the Book Goals of This Book Finally, Who Should Read This? Why Conduct the Workplace Covenant? What Some Executives Had to Say Chapter 1: The Need for Meaningful Partnership The Basic Problem in Our Workplace The Manager-Team Relationship is Crucial Customer Relationships Matter, But Manager-Team Relationships Mostly Ignored The Need for Partnership Chapter 2: What Is a Workplace Covenant? The Origin Story Unstated and Therefore Unmet Expectations The Problem and the Solution This Goes Deeper Than We Thought Improving the Process – A Few Important Lessons Learned What is a Workplace Covenant? The Process in a Nutshell Why Is It Called a Workplace Covenant? Will Teams and Managers Adhere to What They Sign? What Do Real Workplace Covenants Look Like? Sample Workplace Covenants Chapter 3: A Covenant Story Covenant Story I: Roy – ̋From Great to Superb ̋ The Initial Session Reviews and Breakthroughs Lessons Learned from Roy and His Staff How Did the Workplace Covenant Session Go? What Some Executives Thought Chapter 4: What Is ERTAP? Describe Your Best Team Ever What Do We Mean By ERTAP? How Does ERTAP Develop from Creating and Using a Workplace Covenant? What Happens Over Time Given Workplace Covenants and ERTAP? Chapter 5: Another Covenant Story Covenant Story II: Mick – Breaking Cliques, Improving Trust and Alignment The Initial Session Reviews and Breakthroughs Lessons Learned from Mick and His Staff Chapter 6: How the Process Works What are the Main Process Steps to Develop and Use a Workplace Covenant? Step 1: Initiate and Create Step 2: Compare and Contrast Step 3: Combine and Refine Team Steps 2 & 3: Compare and Contrast, Combine and Refine Step 4: Confirm and Sign Check/Adjust: Embrace & Integrate, Review & Calibrate, Evaluate & Validate Step 5: Embrace and Integrate Step 6: Review and Calibrate Step 7: Evaluate and Validate Chapter 7: Show Me the Evidence Research that Supports Practice Research, ERTAP, and the Workplace Covenant A Summary of the Social Science Literature on ERTAP Empathy and Teamwork – The Research in Brief Respect and Teamwork – The Research in Brief Trust and Teamwork – The Research in Brief Alignment and Teamwork – The Research in Brief Meaningful Partnership and Teamwork – The Research in Brief Our Pilot Study Our Longitudinal Study Conclusion How Did the Workplace Covenant Enhance Meaningful Partnership? What Some Executives Noticed Chapter 8: Covenants in Times of Crisis (and During Virtual Work) Covenant Story III: Marie – “Keeping Together in Tough Times” The Initial Session Reviews and Breakthroughs Working Virtually Lessons Learned From Marie and Her Team Chapter 9: Other Applications for Workplace Covenants Typical Applications Between a Manager and Team Other Useful Applications Summary Chapter 10: What Could Go Wrong? Problems and Predicaments at the Beginning Problems and Predicaments Later On Chapter 11: Wherever You Are, How Do You Start? Managers and Teams: Getting Started Plan for the Session Share and Prepare Do: Conduct the Initial Workplace Covenant Session Initiate and Create Compare and Contrast Combine and Refine Confirm and Sign Check/Adjust: Post-Session Follow-Up With Covenants Embrace and Integrate Review and Calibrate Evaluate and Validate HR and Third-Party Experts: Quick Suggestions Benefits of the Workplace Covenant? What Some Executives Shared Chapter 12: A Last Covenant Story Describing Elephants Covenant Story IV: Julie – From Hurt to Healing Lessons Learned from Julie and Her Team Chapter 13: Final Thoughts Back to the Big Picture - Why Meaningful Partnership Matters Closing Arguments Appendix I: Slides to Run a Workplace Covenant Session Appendix II: Measuring ERTAP Measuring ERTAP: Brief Best Practices References Index "Why are some work partnerships exceptional while most are not? How can we establish and sustain an enhanced level of cohesion, connection, and collaboration in the most important work relationship, the one between a manager and team? What could remedy the high levels of isolation and anxiety so many feel at work these days? Silver and Franz explore the concept of ‘meaningful partnership’ in the workplace. They present meaningful partnership as a mindset where both leaders and their teams are fully committed to ensuring the support and success of the other. Then, they describe a model called ERTAP, which stands for Empathy, Respect, Trust, Alignment, and Partnership, which is the foundation for meaningful partnership. Finally, they detail a practical yet transformative relationship-building process referred to as the Workplace Covenant. This enables leaders and teams to create mutual commitments with obligatory weight that help them to feel accountable for the success of the relationship and each other. The book includes real client stories that illustrate the dimensions of partnership and the Workplace Covenant process. Silver and Franz also outline other work relationships that can benefit from meaningful partnership, pitfalls to avoid, relevant research, and insights derived from years of consulting experience. This book is a must-read for leaders interested in a better working relationship with their team; for teams who have critical work partnerships with other teams; for individuals who work closely with other individuals and need an exceptional 1:1 partnership; and finally for third-party experts in HR or continuous improvement who are seeking a new powerful way to help clients feel supported and be more successful."--Publisher's description