Collaboration

Business is ever evolving and how we interact with clients, employees and vendors is a critical part of making sure our endeavors are profitable, sustainable and enjoyable for all the people we work with.  Focusing on your employees and helping them to develop their skills while fulfilling their needs to grow and feel a part of the “big wins” is crucial.  As a leader, the culture you create within your professional environment will resonate and its habits (good or bad) will be recognized by your clients and duplicated by new hires.  What image or impression do you hope people receive when they think about your company?  If you project well, but others in your organization do not, the lesser will be the view people will eventually garner.  

Collaboration: the action of working with someone to produce or create something leads to greater achievement and broader opportunities.  As a business owner I always knew I had to be the spearhead driving the company forward.  But as we grew I realized I could not continue alone and by more and more consideration for insights from others the capabilities of the firm became exponentially greater.  

The greatest asset any business has is its people.  The brain trust that can come together in any company can have more to do with success than almost any other factor.  How are you managing your team?  Are you stressing (in thought, word and deed) the importance of each individual and what they can possibly bring to the table?  Today there are more collaboration tools than ever and implementing them into the day-to-day operation of your organization is of tremendous value.

How well does your team work together?  Collaboration is essential and the greater levels achieved in this area, the stronger the company or organization will inevitably become.  Of course, every group has those individuals who stand out and hopefully you have a way of rewarding them for their extraordinary efforts.  The question is what are you doing with that energy and those talents?  If shared properly (and enthusiastically) by leaders/coaches with the entire team amazing things can happen.  Giving members of your staff a way to learn from each other and feel empowered to offer suggestions and ask questions (at the right time and place) enhances the flow of ideas and can reinforce whatever vision you have for your success.

If collaboration is not happening in your enterprise, give serious thought about how you can “stir the pot” and energize your people to engage with each other.  If this is already a part of your business endeavors, kudos to you, but know there can always be more done in this area.  Provide the right tools and incentives to your team and I believe you will be pleasantly surprised at what comes your way when the dynamic innovation within your people flows with excitement.

“If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself.” - Henry Ford