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PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
Hello Friends,
May message topic: Collaboration
It’s great, go do it!
The end.
At least, that’s what it feels like sometimes. I’ve never come across anyone who stood in solid opposition of collaboration and yet, I don’t often hear about it outside of the meetings, podcasts, seminars and such that encourage it as a way to achieve workplace success. It’s the Bermuda Triangle of good intentions. I’ve been considering why this seems to happen (at least in my work, if you’ve found your way through please send a beacon…or the Navy!).
What I’ve landed on, for the moment, is that I need to be more intentional about bringing others into my work, and about encouraging them to do the same. I may be willing to offer up my fledgling ideas to a group, but unless other departments see the value in lending out their talent, my room will be empty.
So what now? {shrugs} Time to experiment! What works in one organization may not work in another. In my case, I plan to pick one or two of our goals/strategies and start socializing the ideas I have with my colleagues. I’ll chat with other departments to highlight where our goals cross paths with theirs and recommend building a cross-functional work group to explore how to maximize our efforts. Once convened, I’m committed to finding new and exciting ways to broadcast our shared successes throughout the organization. Wish me luck!
I’m fully convinced it’s worth the effort. It’s absolutely beautiful to watch how one idea sparks another, which sparks another, and so on! It’s also remarkable to see how diverse perspectives really amplify the whole. As we go through Strengths Finder later this month, consider how your strengths would amplify the contributions of a collaborative team. What strengths in others bring out the best of yours?
On a side note, one of the currents that brought me to this topic was an article sent to me by my mentor expressing how important it is to be clear about the true nature of a meeting. The article (Collaboration vs. Consensus by Dr. Rob Sheehan) does a great job of reminding us that meeting participants have an expectation before they walk through the door and it’s the job of the organizer to make sure it’s the right one!
May the Force be with you on the 4th and beyond!
Elizabeth Garrabrant
VAN Central Ohio President
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