5 tips for better collaboration

Over the past 3-4 weeks, we worked with countless others : and created a series of webinars to support organizations and employees get some insights and inspiration during what possibly have been the most trying time of our entire lives... What dawned on me was that 'collaborating' and simply 'working together' are quite different : and though I don't want to get into the semantics of this : it IS important to make that distinction at the outset...

The issue is that collaborations are NOT easy : and to make sure you truly make the most of a collaboration : here are some tips :

1. Everyone MUST have a clear end in mind : a clear objective : and clear direction. If the end is NOT 100% agreed on, collaborations become notoriously difficult to manage : and often becomes rather messy affairs...
2. You must be FLEXIBLE to accommodate different working patters and personalities. If you are RIGID and JUDGMENTAL and always want YOUR WAY chances are the collaboration will become a tug of war. Remember, HOW you do things is personal but WHAT needs to be achieved needs to be the unifying factor. Everyone needs to be able to accommodate subtle nuances, wide gaps in approach and be willing to compromise
3. EACH person in the collaboration must be a SUBJECT MATTER EXPERT and be knowledgeable and skilled in the area of expertise the person is brought in for. Unless the entire group who are collaborating are equally knowledgable and skillful it becomes difficult to hold your own - and built trust and confidence within the collective.
4. A framework is important. NEVER forget the importance of having a structure around the work you are about to embark on. DON'T get RESTRICTIVE with the framework - keep it lose - and be adaptable - BUT have one none the less. Collaborations will sap time and energy without it.
5. Be willing to let go of ego. Unless you are perfectly ok sharing credit : and being 'one of the team' collaborations don't work. Most collaborations fail for this very reason : simply because it becomes difficult to 'share' the glory : and people fight over 'bragging rights' ! For collaborations to work the WORK itself must be rewarding enough - and EVERYONE must be less concerned about who gets the credit !

Collaborations are ESSENTIAL to succeed both personally and professionally. Organizations who are able to harness the synergies created through solid collaborations often leapfrog - because they have the ability to bring people together and really get things done. However, remember : collaborations are only possible when you are willing to make it work !