Uncommon Collaboration: The Missing Link in Execution, Engagement, and Adaptability
Throughput Show Episode 7 featuring Mark Kenny (originally aired 10/17/2025)
Today I’m joined by Mark Kenny, a speaker, facilitator, and expert in team collaboration. Mark works with leadership teams across industries, and the work he does is grounded not just in the mechanics of meetings and alignment, but in the human behaviors that either bring teams together or quietly tear them apart.
Mark opened the session with a story—an unexpectedly hilarious one—about his 0–10 city-league basketball team, and a teammate who threw a behind-the-back pass at the worst possible moment. That moment became the foundation for this episode: collaboration doesn’t break because we lack tools or strategy. It breaks because people don’t “pass” what their team actually needs. They withhold presence, truth, grace, or belief—often unintentionally.
Today’s conversation explores how to reverse that.
1. The First “Uncommon Pass”: Uncommon Presence
Mark defines Uncommon Presence as stepping into someone else’s world without trying to fix, argue, or convince. It’s the discipline of listening with full attention instead of positioning, steering, or preparing your next point.
He shared a deeply personal story about visiting his mom as she was declining from Alzheimer’s. In a moment when he pushed his reality onto her—correcting, arguing, and trying to get her to see things his way—he realized he wasn’t actually present. Presence isn’t agreement; it’s connection. It’s the ability to sit in someone else's experience without needing to control the outcome.
This same skill is the foundation of healthy collaboration inside companies. Teams fail not because they disagree, but because they stop listening.
We even practiced this live, when Mark asked for a volunteer and Barry shared one of his passions while the group was allowed to do only one thing: ask questions. Not react. Not insert our own opinions. Not relate it back to ourselves. Just curiosity. And as Mark pointed out, even in that small moment, the group connected differently.
2. The Second “Uncommon Pass”: Uncommon Truth
This is the courage to name what’s real—even when uncomfortable. As Mark says, collaboration often breaks down because people avoid the conversations that matter. They nod along, soften the truth, or wait for problems to resolve themselves. Meanwhile, teams lose alignment and momentum.
Mark introduced three practices for passing Uncommon Truth:
Speak it: Say what needs to be said with clarity and care.
Invite it: Ask for feedback directly, consistently, and sincerely.
Create it: Build a culture where truth is safe to express—no defensiveness, no punishment, no retaliation.
He shared how asking his own team for feedback was terrifying, but ultimately freeing. Once the truth is out, you no longer waste energy wondering what people think. You can start growing.
We also discussed how leaders often hold onto the outcome so tightly that they avoid telling the truth. When you let go of controlling the reaction, it becomes easier to do what is right instead of what is comfortable.
3. The Third and Fourth Passes: Uncommon Grace and Uncommon Belief
Mark briefly introduced the final two passes toward the end of the session:
Uncommon Grace: Loving people for who they are, not who you wish they were. Giving others (and yourself) room to grow without perfection.
Uncommon Belief: Planting a vision in people before they can see it themselves—believing in their capability and potential even while they’re still developing it.
When teams experience presence, truth, grace, and belief at the same time, collaboration becomes not just functional—but transformational.
4. How Presence and Truth Work Together
Presence without truth becomes niceness without change.
Truth without presence becomes honesty without care.
But when leaders hold both at once? People feel seen and challenged. And that’s the combination that moves teams. As Mark put it, “People feel seen and called up.”
This balance is what unlocks execution, retention, conflict resolution, and innovation.
Key Takeaways / Best Practices
Collaboration breaks down when people withhold presence, truth, grace, or belief—not because they lack tactics.
Presence means stepping into someone else’s world without forcing your own agenda.
Truth must be spoken, invited, and created as a cultural norm.
Let go of controlling the outcome; it frees you to lead with courage.
Grace allows space for imperfection—both yours and others’.
Belief activates potential and creates upward momentum on teams.
Collaboration improves when leaders model curiosity, humility, and consistency.
Q&A From the Episode
Q: How do you ensure you don’t violate psychological safety once you’ve built it?
A: Safety is built over time and can be broken in an instant. Leaders have to be consistent—once you begin creating the culture of safety, you can’t regress or behave in ways that contradict it. And when someone does slip, grace matters too. Leaders and teams need space to be human.
Q: How do you approach uncomfortable conversations with courage and care?
A : Start by understanding the other person’s world instead of leading with your own agenda. Ask questions, seek context, and meet them where they are. When you do speak the truth, call out the discomfort directly—it disarms defensiveness and keeps the relationship intact.
Q: What does it look like to respond with belief when someone falls short?
A: Lead with understanding instead of judgment. Give grace for imperfection, and help people reconnect to their potential. When leaders believe in people before they believe in themselves, it becomes a catalyst for growth.