Stop and think for a second. Is there a boss, mentor or colleague that has inspired you, someone you’d go above and beyond for? What is it about them?

They…
  • Are Honorable
  • Engender Trust
  • Help You See How You Fit
  • Clarify Your Role and Impact
  • Dare You to Believe in Something Bigger
  • Encourage You to Do Something Bigger

 

They are there when you don’t think it can be done, yet continue to positively challenge you. In business, relationships matter. Invested relationships between colleagues foster trust, the willingness to engage in open conversation and are hugely impactful to the organization’s bottom line.

Yes, it sounds fluffy but it’s also at the core of high-performing teams. Good team collaboration only occurs where good relationships are present.

Individuals Don’t Create Success

Individuals don’t make a successful organization, teams do. Working independently leads to the inability to make decisions and execute quickly, with impact. Team collaboration allows individuals to align around common goals, leverage individual talent and expertise and increase effectiveness. Collaborative teams welcome strategic and tactical insights from multiple perspectives and create ideas that build off one another.

As a leader, in order to tap into the true potential of your organization you must inspire collaboration:

  1. Create a clear vision. Lay out a clear vision and strategy everyone can work towards. Then, help your team understand their place as it relates to achieving the vision. Clarity of role oftentimes forces collaboration lending to the mentality, “I am only successful if I leverage my resources.”
  2. Show appreciation. Make people feel secure and appreciated. Collaboration is also intrinsically inspiring because it has an emotional payoff when you’re part of a winning team.
  3. Build trust. As a leader, you must show an authentic willingness to change and project your eagerness to reveal untapped potential within the organization. Be consistent, candid, open and supportive.

Heed This Warning…

Communication is not synonymous with collaboration. Many times communication is one-directional. You can communicate your opinion, your thoughts, your feelings or share information. Collaboration opens more of a two-way street, a give and a take – all hinged on trusted relationships.

Pathmakers can assist your team in collaboration, helping them reach the next level of leadership.