Just like any other skill, collaboration skills need to be practiced.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s face it. Attempting to be a lone wolf business owner who won\u2019t rely on anyone else is a one-way ticket to burning out.<\/p>\n
Combining talents and working together with others will often result in solutions that individuals probably would never have found on their own. But managing egos, staying respectful, and knowing how to communicate with different types of people isn\u2019t always easy.<\/p>\n
So, training yourself to be a better addition to any team is a worthwhile goal\u2014especially in business.<\/p>\n
In this post, we\u2019ll look at:<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n Here\u2019s the definition of collaboration (thanks, Oxford English Dictionary):<\/p>\n Collaboration<\/b> (noun): the act of working with another person or group of people to create or produce something.<\/p>\n We could say that collaboration itself is a skill, and that would be true. But in order to improve it, you have to recognize that collaboration is made up of many different skills. You have to know how to openly communicate, how to actively listen, and how to learn about and better understand your teammates\u2014the list goes on. We\u2019ll get into the specifics below. Great endeavors are the result of effective teamwork<\/a>.<\/p>\n If you own a business, you\u2019ll need help. It\u2019s impossible to be an expert in every field and<\/i> do every single task well. You can\u2019t be your own accountant, salesperson, cleaner, developer, marketer, and lawyer. (Well, most of us can\u2019t.)<\/p>\n Speaking of lawyers, let\u2019s use a popular TV show as an example: Suits, <\/i>USA Network\u2019s drama about lawyers at a top-tier law firm in New York City. In Suits, <\/i>the two leads (the senior partner and his associate), along with other lawyers at the firm, are constantly going behind each other\u2019s backs to find evidence, confront witnesses, and solve cases.<\/p>\n Instead of keeping each other informed, discussions usually end with snappy lines like this:<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/i> \u201cWhere do you think you\u2019re going?\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/i> \u201cTo fix this.\u201d (Character is already striding away as they say this line.)<\/i><\/p>\n Sure, that makes for great dramatic TV. But can you imagine working with someone like this in real life? You\u2019d probably end up shouting something like \u201cJUST TELL ME WHAT YOU\u2019RE GOING TO DO!\u201d at least three times per week.<\/p>\n Instead of dealing with that, most people would prefer to know what their teammates are working on and keep communication channels<\/a> open. Fostering a collaborative environment will encourage employees to stay accessible to each other, so that they can solve problems together instead of alone. Collaboration is made up of many different skills. In this section, we\u2019ve identified five of the most important ones\u2014and supplied concrete tips for how to improve each skill.<\/p>\n We\u2019re starting with openness because it impacts every aspect of building a collaborative culture<\/a>.<\/p>\n Being open to new ideas and suggestions is an essential aspect of teamwork. If you go into a discussion with your mind already made up, then you won\u2019t be listening to your teammates, even if they have a better idea. This kind of single-mindedness is not great for business in the long run. It hinders your ability to adapt and evolve\u2014and if you\u2019re managing a small business<\/a>, you\u2019ll need to be able to do that. Often.<\/p>\n When ideas or solutions are proposed, look at them from different angles instead of immediately seizing on the negatives. Try this: next time you\u2019re in a meeting, and a colleague proposes an idea that conflicts with yours, take a moment before you say anything. Ask yourself, \u201cHow is this idea better than mine?\u201d<\/p>\n By objectively examining alternate proposals, you\u2019ll see them more clearly. Maybe you\u2019ll agree that it\u2019s a better idea than what you had come up with. Or, maybe you\u2019ll find that the best solution is to merge the two ideas, combining the best aspects of both. Which leads us to our next skill\u2026<\/p>\n Communication is also a pretty broad term, but we\u2019ll try to narrow the focus for the purpose of this article.<\/p>\n Respect is a building block of communication. In any exchange with any of your team members, if you\u2019re not being respectful of them and their ideas, you might be creating problems down the road.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s say a colleague has an idea that just isn\u2019t good. Instead of refusing it without an explanation (or even worse, being condescending about it), it\u2019s better to objectively explain why it won\u2019t work in a manner that\u2019s both respectful and honest. If you\u2019re not able to do that, perhaps the idea isn\u2019t as bad as you think.<\/p>\n Along with respect, clarity is the other building block. No matter how clearly you think you\u2019ve explained yourself or how good you think your communication techniques<\/a> are, it never hurts to go the extra mile to make sure that your teammates understand instructions or ideas.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re able to explain your ideas and instructions clearly, you already have a big head start on improving your collaboration skills. And this goes both ways: if a teammate isn\u2019t articulating their ideas well, make an effort to understand them. There could be a few different reasons for their <\/i>lack of clarity, as you\u2019ll see in the next section on our third skill.<\/p>\n Here are a few virtual team building activities<\/a> to help you build those communication skills with your teammates.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n It can be easy to forget that people have different styles of communication. Meetings tend to be dominated by extroverts, so team members who are less comfortable with public speaking might not want to challenge the status quo.<\/p>\n So, enablement is another great building block for engineering collaboration<\/a> on a team. Learning how to empower your teammates will end up enriching the whole team\u2014especially if you need cross-functional collaboration<\/a> for a certain project.<\/p>\n An easy first step for this is making sure, during meetings, that everyone\u2019s voice is heard. If you have a colleague who you know is nervous or shy, you could also talk to them before or after a meeting and give them the choice of letting you speak for their idea. They can then chime in with support if necessary.<\/p>\n Sometimes, colleagues might prefer typing out their thoughts via email or messaging app. Try this: if you\u2019re a manager and have a shy colleague, ask them which communication style they prefer\u2014being encouraged to speak up at meetings, talking one-on-one outside of meetings, or writing text-based communication. This will show them that you care about them and want their voice to be heard in whatever way is best for them.<\/p>\n Do you work remotely or are you running a remote team<\/a>? You need a collaboration hub<\/a>\u2014or at the very least, some kind of remote working tool<\/a>.<\/p>\n RingCentral\u2019s desktop and mobile apps<\/a> give you multi-channel communication across different devices\u2014from messaging and phone calls to video conferencing<\/a>\u2014to suit any style of collaboration:<\/p>\nWhat do we mean by \u201ccollaboration skills?\u201d<\/h2>\n
\n<\/a><\/p>\nWhy is collaboration so important?<\/h2>\n
\n<\/a><\/p>\n5 key skills to improve collaboration<\/h2>\n
1. Openness<\/h3>\n
2. Communication<\/h3>\n
3. Enablement<\/h3>\n