If you want to go fast go alone.
If you want to go far go together.
This African proverb is posted front and centre on the bulletin board in front of my desk. It is a constant reminder about the power of collaborations and team.
I’m a bit of a speed demon – I eat fast, talk quickly, generate ideas wildly and some days I even find myself trying to meditate at a good clip. At the beginning of 2016, I set an intention to slow down, enjoy more stillness and find joy in working together.
I couldn’t be more proud of our InVizzen Team – Reinhard, Rob, Katie, Adam and Kathryn. We’re a bit of a motley crew. We span generations from baby boomer to generation X to millennial. We represent several different countries and cultures. We all find working in traditional organizations rather constricting. We like to make a difference. We all love to learn. We like making connections. We cheer when the teams we support experience collaboration breakthroughs.
Because of our different ages, experiences and talents we have a different beat than any other team I’ve collaborated with. A beat, a rhythm that blends everyone’s strengths, work styles and passions so we can do great work. This unique hum propels us through challenging times when we just can’t seem to get a grip on exactly what a client wants, when deadlines loom large and we struggle to find the right tools to bridge a knowledge to action gap. I believe it is essential to have fun while working on serious matters and our team laughs a great deal.
Here are some questions to ask about your teams and collaborations:
- Currently, what’s our team’s rhythm? How in sync do we need to be?
- In what ways do we use each person’s strengths? How can we get even better at this?
- When it comes to your team/collaborative what are you most proud of?
- Are we having fun yet? If not how can we switch things up?
P.S. You can use these points to ponder for your own reflection and/or to discuss as a group.