Collaborate or go solo? - SmartBrief

All Articles Leadership Management Collaborate or go solo?

Collaborate or go solo?

Collaboration is a necessity in today's workplace, and it's a personal matter.

2 min read

Management

Teamwork

Stefan Stefancik

Collaboration is the way of work today.

Our workplaces require collaboration because we work in teams. But working in a team need not subject individuals to collectivism. That is, you don’t need to sublimate your creativity. You can have the freedom to inject your ideas when appropriate.

At the same time, individuals can set limits on how they collaborate. Doing such is not being anti-social, or even anti-team; it is an act of setting parameters on what you do so that you can do your best work.

Writers, designers and craftspeople are by nature soloists; managers who supervise others must be collaborators, otherwise nothing ever gets done.

Collaboration is an exercise by which you can get the best out of others by working with them. The result is that you produce something better — be it a service, a product or a comedy sketch.

Team leaders need to be especially attuned to the needs of individuals. Knowing how they like to work as well as how they can work better enables them to succeed for themselves and for the betterment of the team.

Knowing how you prefer to work is the secret to being a successful collaborator.

[video: https://youtu.be/iYtmla9-uhw[/embed]

John Baldoni is an internationally recognized leadership educator and executive coach. In 2018, Trust Across America honored him with a Lifetime Achievement Award in Trust. Also in 2018, Inc.com named Baldoni a Top 100 Leadership Speaker. Global Gurus ranked him No. 22 on its list of top 30 global experts, a list he has been on since 2007. In 2014, Inc.com named Baldoni to its list of top 50 leadership experts. He is the author of more than a dozen books, including his newest, “MOXIE: The Secret to Bold and Gutsy Leadership.”

If you enjoyed this article, sign up for SmartBrief’s free e-mail on leadership and communication, among SmartBrief’s more than 200 industry-focused newsletters.