Does your team collaborate? It’s a key component, as collaboration creates high-performing teams.
This is Chris from Level Up as a Leader. For this week’s newsletter, let’s talk about collaboration!
Effective leaders recognize that a cohesive and collaborative team brings positivity and success. In fact, the best leaders recognize success comes via a collective effort.
Of course, there will be variation in how exactly different teams in different industries collaborate. But the sharing of information, ideas, and resources will be an unchangeable part of its core.
Here are four reasons to encourage and improve collaboration within the team:
Enhance Productivity and Efficiency
When people ask questions and exchange ideas, they are more likely to avoid potential pitfalls. They struggle less, which means their efficiency and productivity increases.
Tip: Create a shared channel accessible only to the team in Slack, Teams, or a similar tool. Encourage asynchronous communication as a regular habit. Whenever someone asks a question, they know there will eventually be shared insight or experience, as well as an opportunity for conversation, by the team.
Pro point!: Collaboration fuels learning!
When your team collaborates, they share expertise, ideas, and knowledge. As a result, they also learn from one another, promoting a culture of continuous learning as well.
Improve Innovation
Encouraging collaboration has the potential to spark creativity. Diverse perspectives, experiences, and skills give rise to innovative solutions which would not have been possible working in isolation.
Tip: Consider monthly brainstorming meetings or talking about wins/losses. For the latter, it’s not a status update, but rather each team member brings something with which they needed help or were struggling. Others can then provide guidance, leading to new and innovative ideas.
Empower Team Members
When team members feel heard and valued, they are more likely to contribute their best work. Collaboration creates high-performing teams by fostering a sense of ownership and empowerment. This leads to increased job satisfaction and retention.
Tip: Use a documentation tool that serves as a repository of knowledge, such as Google docs or Confluence. Answers to questions which pop up in meetings, processes, and how-tos empower teams to find their own answers, as well as contribute their own expertise and knowledge.
Build a Positive Team Culture
If you lead with vulnerability, you foster a sense of camaraderie and shared purpose. By this, I mean you should ask questions and seek insight by being humble enough to know that you don’t have all of the answers.
Tip: Be sure to ask questions on the asynchronous channel. Be sure to bring your own issues to the brainstorming meeting. Be sure to add information to the shared documentation tool. It shows that you are an equal participant not an overlord in collaboration.
Wrapping Up
Remember: Collaboration creates high-performing teams. Fostering an culture of collaboration isn’t just a strategy, but rather a necessity in the competitive landscape. Its importance cannot be overstated!
Until next week, enjoy the summer weather!