This week I was asked to speak at the Victorian Tourism Industry Council conference on the subject of Collaboration Matters. (I share more about what I spoke about in the video above).
There’s no doubt that when talented, highly motivated individuals with their diverse ideas, experiences and opinions work together on a shared objective, great things can be achieved.
By working together, we can build upon one another’s strengths—we can minimise one another’s weaknesses and imperfections to create robust, highly productive and cohesive teams that can move quickly together.
But true collaboration is more than bringing a team of people together to brainstorm ideas.
It’s more than a collation of sticky-note ideas on a wall or motivating words on branded coffee cups.
It’s more than joining forces to get something done and it’s certainly more than simply sharing resources and opportunities.
For collaboration to work like a well-oiled machine it requires everyone to be connected on the same goal, whatever that may be: developing a go-to-market strategy for a new product, running an event, developing an innovative training program, recruiting a new team, writing a book or creating a social media campaign.
Every project requires everyone involved to bring their brilliant selves to the project being done. It requires the removal of all bullshit and pretence.
If self-doubt enters the system, if comparison-itis, blame, denial, imposter syndrome, worries about imperfection and showing our weaknesses become elements that we hide behind rather than push through, then all we’re doing is faking it till we make it and the opportunity that exists within the potential collaborative work will never happen. It will ultimately create tension within ourselves and among the people we’re working with.
Collaboration is fundamentally hard because it needs everyone involved to be brilliant, too.
Get curious – what’s getting in the way of making collaboration work for you?
Until next week.
