However, for Apple to create truly collaborative relationships with outside entities they will have to make serious adjustments to their famously prickly culture.

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Being named a White House Champion of Change is a strong validation for our work to build collaborative relationships between government, academia, and industry.

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Leadership, when practiced correctly, has always been a two-way street requiring give and take, and collaborative relationships built-on a solid foundation of trust and respect.

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Collaborative relationships may seem sensible, but it is often difficult to make them work - especially within a dog-eat-dog environment such as the motor industry.

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In fact, given the rapid rate of change impacting every aspect of our industry, there never has been a better time for marketers to build strong, collaborative relationships with academic institutions.

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When these traveling capitalists gather in over-air-conditioned hotel conference rooms to hear motivational speakers, they are looking to get a little adrenaline rush to keep their creative juices flowing and find new ways to build trust with the people around them--ways to establish "collaborative relationships, " "two-way dialogues, " "enduring partnerships"--or whatever thelatest buzzwords happen to be.

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The outcome of any collaborative effort is dependent upon well-developed relationships among participants.

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But if your organization is headed toward a collaborative structure and philosophy, then effective leadership becomes less about projecting power and more building relationships.

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