Collaboration is Key

Collaboration is an essential part of successful leadership, but it is also one of the most challenging aspects because it involves working with others and developing the same ideas and goals.  With collaboration there can be no dominating individual whose ideas are pushed forward without the support of the rest of the group.  Collaboration is challenging because it is not meant to be a compromise amongst individuals.  Instead, the whole group should develop the idea together.  This is difficult because most people have differing opinions and desires.  It is hard to please everyone, which makes collaboration challenging.

Sometimes one or more members of the group do not want to work collaboratively, which has the potential to destroy all momentum built up by the group as well as the success of the group.  It is easiest to simply say too bad to these individuals and continue on with what the rest of group wants, but this is not collaboration.  Collaboration also does not mean that the group tries to incorporate some of the individuals’ ideas into the group’s ideas.  This is compromising, which is also not a part of collaboration.  The best way to work with these individuals is to try and show them why the group’s ideas are the way to go.  The group can also steer in another direction in which both the group and the individuals are on board.  Forcing collaboration will never lead to production, though, because members of the group will really not be a part of the group as they are not fully on board with the project.  At the very end, sometimes the only option is to remove the individuals from the group.  If they are not on board and no future can be established with them, sometimes they need to be left behind.