Here's how you can improve your collaboration and teamwork skills.

Completely agree that empathy is a foundation. Empathetic leadership skills help understand and share the feelings and needs of anyone you work with. These help improve communication, build trust, enhance performance, and navigate through conflicts effectively.

I agree 100% remaining open minded and aware of the fact that others have had diverse experiences different than your own is an important component to emotional intelligence. I think it is important to understand that we are all impacted differently in life because of the circumstances that we face in life. We as individuals transfer the feelings from our situations in our daily lives and it shapes who we are and who we become. Awareness is the first step in gaining control over ourselves and how our actions impact others. This allows us to present others with grace, kindness, and compassion. Empathy empowers & presents us with the opportunity to positively impact, influence & improve the lives of others.

To improve collaboration and teamwork through empathy, actively listen to your teammates and encourage open communication, making everyone feel valued and understood. Invest time in understanding their backgrounds and perspectives, and practice patience and emotional intelligence to manage and respond to emotions thoughtfully. Build personal relationships to foster trust, provide support when needed, and reflect on team experiences to identify areas for continuous improvement. This empathetic approach will enhance cooperation and create a more cohesive and effective team environment.

Clarity and conciseness are closely related. Many people start out with a clear statement, but then muddle it when they feel the need to over explain. Catch yourself when you feel the urge to add more, and more, and more, to your idea. Give the recipient of your communication time to process the idea you just put in front of them.

Most of the time, conflict arises in teamwork situations when someone does not feel that they have been truly heard or acknowledged. Usually, people can handle it if they are overruled. However, if they feel like their contribution was never fully acknowledged, they're going to keep bringing it up over and over again until they feel satisfied. Taking two minutes to engage this person, and ensure them that you have heard them, but you're going in a different direction for X reason, can go a long way.

There are times that even as leaders we have no idea how to help out the team. In that case I like to sit one-on-one with each member and talk to them, understand how they want to go ahead, what do they want to learn, and what are their goals. This helps me build trust in them that I truly care about them and their growth.

Building trust takes time. I think one of my favorite tips on how to build it and maintain it would be to share your vulnerable side. As a leaders, we are humans as well, we go through our own struggles, we have our problems and there are things we dislike. When we openly share these with our teams not only it builds trust but also encourages them to do the same! Other tips: - Be reliable, show your team they can count on you, deliver your promises. - Admit mistakes and take responsibility, say 'I am sorry' when needed. - Be supportive toward your team, offer help and encouragement. - Let everyone to have their own opinion, let them speak, encourage that. - Be transparent about what is happening behind the scenes it the project and company.

Building trust is a continuous process that requires ongoing effort. Beyond demonstrating reliability and transparency, actively seek opportunities to support and empower your team members. Show genuine interest in their success and well-being by offering assistance, guidance, and recognition for their contributions. Foster a culture where individuals feel valued and appreciated for their unique strengths and perspectives. Encourage open communication and constructive feedback, creating a space where everyone's voice is heard and respected. By investing in the growth and development of your team members and fostering a supportive environment, you reinforce trust and strengthen the bonds that drive effective collaboration and teamwork.

In my experience trust between leadership and team holds the team together. At the stages of growth journey of any Bussiness specially in Manufacturing sector recruitment should be more selective and should not distrubed the current Team wrt to individual growth and vis-à-vis financials .

Newsflash: you don't improve teamwork and collaboration skills by academia. Go and join more teams and collaborate more. You don't even need formal teams. Every task you are about to do ask yourself: could I include someone else? It doesn't matter if it's making a cup of tea or developing a new product; you can invariably do the task with someone else to practice your teamwork and collaboration. Once you have someone else on board, ask more questions, listen more and then reflect. You'll probably find it a bit frustrating but you'll definitely come on leaps and bounds