"I'll do the 3-hour drive at 4am." ~ me to my project partners
The relief on their faces was unmistakable. This project was a big step forward in a larger effort that had been conceived years before. We had spent months planning and now it was finally time to execute.
Why 4am? We were performing a prescribed set of steps that had time constraints imposed on them. For this phase of the project there were two sets of activities that needed to happen simultaneously...one of which required someone to drive to a location 3 hours away.
The activities were being conducted in California. I'd come from the other side of the country. I reasoned that if I stayed on eastern time while I was there, the 4am would feel like 7am in my body, which seemed like a much more reasonable time to be on the road.
I had many moments like this with my project partners before and after the 4am drive. They had expertise in technology that had been in place for many decades. I had knowledge and contacts in an industry in which that technology had not been previously used.
Through big and small collaborations with these people, we successfully introduced the technology to that industry. Said technology provided significant efficiencies to a routine process my customer base used regularly. It was also the solution to a different problem for other stakeholders in the industry. While those impacts are big from a business standpoint, our collaboration has had longer lasting and farther-reaching impacts.
The work that we did together has saved countless thousands of gallons of chemicals from being dumped into wastewater systems around the world. If you have flown in the last decade plus or plan to in the coming decades, chances are good that your experience is a little bit safer because of our collaboration.
We live in a society that puts a lot of focus on competition, is obsessed with who is the best at something and fosters an "every person for themself" way of life. So, it is not surprising that many people approach leadership from this angle. It's not uncommon in emerging leaders, both because it's a leadership style that is frequently modeled for them and because it's often what they've been rewarded for as an individual contributor.
As a leader (of an effort or of a team), my biggest successes have come through collaboration, not going it alone. Collaboration has many benefits, including:
- Fosters New Ideas and Creative Solutions - Bringing folks together to collaborate fosters ideas for new ways of doing things and creative solutions to old challenges. Think about your favorite musical artist and the magic that happens when they collaborate with someone from a different genre.
- Knowledge Transfer - Collaborations are a great opportunity for team members to share knowledge with each other. It's always fun to watch a pairing between a new graduate and a more senior employee. The junior person brings fresh new energy and knowledge of new tools or ways of thing things. They are also sponges for the knowledge that the more senior person has gained through their years of experience.
- Thorough Vetting of Ideas - Working solo, we often get trapped by our own blind spots - it's human nature. When we work with other people, we have an opportunity to bounce ideas off each other and mutually cover each other's blind spots.
- Building Connection - As humans, we are built for connection. When people get pigeonholed or siloed it can foster a feeling of isolation. Through collaborations, we can build connections with team members, making our work more meaningful, fun and fulfilling.
I went back to school in my late 20's for Engineering. After the first semester, almost every homework assignment was assigned in pairs or groups. All my school life, homework was an individual activity, so this was a major adjustment for me. Once I found my people and got used to collaboration, I couldn't imagine doing it any other way. I learned more, accomplished more, had more fun than I would have on my own and I made dear friends along the way.
How often do members of your team work together? What opportunities exist for new collaborations?
I'd love to hear from you. Please comment below or send me a note via the Connect section of the home page.
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