Collaboration

The collaborative approach is something that seems to be elusive to many. After reading numerous blogs, it seems even those writers struggle to put together a set of good tips. Collaboration is about team building. It's about discovering and unleashing the strengths of each member and helping them achieve more for themselves and for the team.
If you feel the responsibility or carry the designation of "team leader", you are then tasked with discovering and unleashing the strength of every member of the team. It's your responsibility to know and understand what they can do and help them to do it. You had better first understand them and where they are in their mind. Your expectations need to be in line with theirs. Your understanding of what they can achieve needs to be in line with what they can actually achieve. If your expectations and your understanding are not in line with theirs, you will break the spirit of the team.
In a collaboration, all parties feel heard, valued, and understood. Expectations are clear on both sides. There are words and phrases that lead to collaboration. "What if we", "Why not include", "Let's try", "Let's add," "Perhaps we could", "How about doing,".
Collaborative people offer to listen and exchange ideas. Collaboration offers an understanding of effort. Collaboration focuses on value of the other person. It's an approach that lifts everyone that's involved in the effort. It creates energy and motivation toward a common cause. If you're feeling that you are tugging a rope all by yourself, perhaps you need to consider how you are motivating - or not motivating - potential collaborators. In a successful collaboration, everyone feels valued.