“Competition makes us faster. Collaboration makes us better!”
Remember growing up, when your teacher would walk to the front of the classroom and announce, “Today we are going to begin a group project”?
If your grade-school classroom was anything like mine, this announcement was probably met with a variety of responses. Were you the student who cheered at the prospect of working with your peers, or the one who groaned?
I’ve been both.
Working with a group or team has the potential to be an incredibly transformative and effective process or an annoyingly painful one.
As a leader, your mindset and approach when it comes to collaborating with your team have the power to shape the experience for everyone. Not to be too cliche, but what you put in, really is what you get out.
If you want to be a truly effective leader, it’s important to recognize this essential truth: strong leaders collaborate.
Why?
Ken Blanchard says it best: “None of us is as smart as all of us.”
Effective leaders recognize that combining the thoughts, expertise, and insights of multiple people will always lead to greater growth and accomplishment than simply relying on their own limited knowledge and abilities.
There is only so much you can do on your own because each of us has a limited:
- Skillset
- Amount of Time
- Access to Resources
On the other hand, when combining the skillsets, time availability, and resources of multiple people, your capacity for growth and results is infinitely greater.
Alright, we all agree collaboration is important…but where should you start?
Collaborative work is more than holding a team meeting every once in a while. Truly collaborative work environments require structures and routines that foster cooperation. As the director of your organization, it is your responsibility to ensure that these structures are put in place.
KEYS TO EFFECTIVE COLLABORATION
- Clearly Articulate The Mission
Collaboration requires unity towards a common goal or mission. Take time as a group to clearly define the goals and vision of your team. - Identify Expectations
Clearly communicate your desires and expectations for collaborative work. How do you want your team members to contribute or participate? - Utilize Individual Strengths
Collaboration works best when each individual is working from a place of strength. Guide your team members in identifying their unique strengths and place each person in a role or position that best utilizes their unique gifting. - Be Open To Innovation
Offer opportunities for team members to brainstorm new ideas or implement new practices. Work on having a truly “open-minded” approach to ideas shared by your colleagues.
Improving the collaborative nature of your team is an ongoing process. It takes time to build authentic collaborative environments because it requires laying a foundation of trust. A foundation built through consistently demonstrating the shared values and agreements.
Although it takes time, the benefits of collaboration are well worth the effort.
For more resources and support in developing your leadership skills, you are invited to join our Intentional Nonprofit Leaders Membership Community waiting list.
In this group, we work through the ultimate guide to design and implement a stress-free, systematic planning process that creates a strong board and staff teams and frees executive directors to do more of the work of leaders.
Click HERE to join the list and get more information. We close the doors for the Summer 2020 enrollment for executive directors on June 25.
Article was contributed by: Maria Lees, Team Writer with Sarah Boxx
