Saturday, July 14, 2007
It Takes Two
I’ve just spent a full day with a wonderful friend that was planned yet filled with surprises. It required us to choose a day and make our relationship a priority.
Now, I did all the planning (yes, I can be a control freak), and was a bit taken aback when asked about those plans. In the busy-ness of checking a task off my To Do List, I managed to keep all plans a secret.
What completely slipped my mind was remembering the enthusiasm that is generated through collaboration. This became obvious when we encountered road construction - our exit ramp was totally missing, being padlocked into a parking lot at the Gerald R. Ford museum, and the Never Lost GPS system telling us to make illegal U-turns.
Arthur R. Pell, Ph. D has defined collaboration as “the act of working together by sharing information, ideas, and actions.”
It was our willingness to be flexible in our thinking that allowed the flow of ideas to turn us from misadventures toward action. Active listening, reserving judgement, and sincere dialogue allowed us to discover:
* the value of being authentic
* the courage it takes to trust
In your team leadership role, remember to make time to develop the spirit of collaboration. It will serve you well, and spur your team to achieve higher goals.
Until next time...live like you mean it!
Marjorie