"Clearly there are a number of critical skills and capacities collaborative leaders should possess. The work of the Turning Point Leadership Development National Excellence Collaborative, however, has illustrated six key practices that are unique to the practice of leading a collaborative process. They are: (1) Assessing the Environment for Collaboration: Understanding the context for change before you act. (2) Creating Clarity Visioning & Mobilizing: Defining shared values and engaging people in positive action. (3) Building Trust & Creating Safety: Creating safe places for developing shared purpose and action. (4) Sharing Power and Influence: Developing the synergy of people, organizations, and communities to accomplish goals. (5) Developing People Mentoring and Coaching: Committing to bringing out the best in others and realizing people are your key asset. Self-Reflection Personal CQI (Continuous Quality Improvement): Being aware of and understanding your values, attitudes, and behaviors as they relate to your own leadership style and its impact on others". (Turning Point, Collaborative Leadership: Self-Reflection Participant's Guide, 2004, p. 1)