In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Rob Cross. Rob is the co-founder and chief research scientist at the Connected Commons business consortium. He is also the Edward A. Madden Professor of global leadership at Babson College. Rob Cross has been researching the underlying networks of influential organizations and the collaborative processes of top achievers for more than 20 years. Rob Cross shares research and examples on how the most effective organizations and executives approach collaboration. Rob also shares strategies and techniques for overcoming collaboration overload.  Some highlights:- Rob Cross on how networks and collaboration have changed over time.- How to deal with collaboration overload in the workplace. - Why a servant leadership approach can lead to greater collaboration overload - Rob Cross on how leaders can avoid contributing to the overwhelm caused by unnecessary collaboration in their organizations  - How to effectively engage with new networks   Also mentioned:James Heskett, UPS Foundation Professor of Business Logistics, Emeritus at the Harvard Business SchoolConnect with Rob Cross:Rob Cross on robcross.orgRob Cross on ConnectedCommonsConnect with Mahan Tavakoli:MahanTavakoli.comMore information and resources available at the Partnering Leadership Podcast website: PartneringLeadership.comConnect with Mahan Tavakoli: Mahan Tavakoli Website Mahan Tavakoli on LinkedIn Partnering Leadership Website