Empowerment: The effective Rainbow comes to their role as leader in their organization through a particularly distinctive and important strength. They are always primarily concerned with the active involvement of all members of an organization in its ongoing operations. They wish for (and work toward) something even more ambitious. They are intent on Empowering all members of the organization. This requires attention to communication flow, management of conflict, effective problem-solving, and deliberative decision-making. Put together, these four areas of attention constitute the Empowerment Pyramid (see graphic portrayal)—and relate directly to the four stages in the formation of an empowered team (see Chapter Twelve).
Communications: Specifically, the collaborative Rainbow leader first seeks to expand and improve communication, both up and down the organization. Here is where Best Practice 4 community-building comes to the fore. Information flows both up and down the organization. Opinions also flow both ways—accompanied by processes and settings that enable information to be further clarified and opinions to be challenges (especially with regard to biases, assumptions and narrow silo perceptions). Some basic communication skills—such as are identified and described by Robert Bolton[xxi] in his classic People Skills—can provide invaluable (even if usually under-appreciated).
Conflict-Management: Rainbow-based attention next turns to management of the conflict that inevitably arises from a more open flow of communication. Even without increased diversity in an organization, increased communication up and down the organization will itself crate some “good trouble.” The effective Rainbow leader knows something about the management of conflict and differences among those people with whom she works. In Best Practice 3 we see an emphasis on “emotional intelligence.” This intelligence is particularly important with regard to conflict. If she is not herself an effective conflict-manager, then the effective Rainbow leader will bring in someone who is skillful in this regard—or she will hire an executive coach to assist her in this management.
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