Like so many others, I started in business without clear self-created boundaries around the process of collaboration.
And yet, I had a talent for collaboration at an early age via my traditional family upbringing. A key insight was the realization that I didn’t need to collaborate with everybody - that I had a choice of who to collaborate with. (It was such a gift to learn this. We so often forget that we are always at choice!)
What I had missed was how to manage those relationships. This had many negative consequences, including having some intellectual property taken by another organisation.
As I developed my understanding of myself, so my career blossomed. These days, I now collaborate with clear and specific intent, so that all my business relationships are created as win/win agreements, with written contracts that clearly express any partnership details prior to the beginning of a new project.
Service to others can only enhance your business success, once functional and balanced connections are made. I believe that we are here to serve others.
Self-service is not a trait that proves beneficial to any creative and collaborative journey.
My loss of IP was a tremendous gift in my career development, as it helped me to remove my ‘invisibility cloak’ and show up with more presence in my own life - and thrive!
So, how do you collaborate freely and effectively?
My Four Tips for Successful Leadership
Collaborating and Forging Partnerships is something I really believe is important. We can’t do everything alone. Our choice of partners and allies often decides if our goals and projects come into being.
Further, you must plan to win. Winning is not an accident! If you plan, prepare and expect – and then act once you have created the right partnerships, you can, like myself, achieve great results.
I have done some amazing things in my career, and I would like to share some of my Tips for Success with you:
TRUST –build rapport and follow your instincts. It’s who you – and your partners - are when no one is watching that makes the difference. Partner with people aligned with your values.
INTENT – questions are important, and asking yourself ‘why?’ is one of the most crucial. When you create business relationships, check they are for the ‘highest good of all concerned’. Agree on the rules before working together. Prepare a contract, to keep that clear. Remove any grey areas. This ensures the relationship and trust are respected.
PARTNERSHIPS – 2 + 2 = 72 if you work together! A combination of brainpower, networks and funds achieves extraordinary results. Appreciate your dream team. When you encourage others, you are encouraged. When you share, others share. If one has an issue, you can both create a win/win resolution. Equality energy is when everyone on your team wants to succeed and work together to achieve a shared vision
PREPARATION – Planning for success is not an accident. Keep records, write down a two-page plan, work out who is doing what, envision forward and think things through. Prepare and track budgets. Develop a 90-day work plan to capture what needs to happen (and when). And, keep learning! Be a lifelong student of success. Spend time each day learning something new.
If you apply these tips, your business and personal relationships will thrive, and your projects will work out. Mine have, more than I expected.
Need specific tools to apply these tips? Want to find out more about collaborative leadership?
Click here to learn about Mary Anne’s next online training program, The Master Certificate in Business Success.
Watch one of my students share her experience from my course.
Collaborating and Forging Sustainable Partnerships Like so many others, I started in business without clear self-created boundaries around the process of collaboration.
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She inspires businesses when she mentors them and individuals when she speaks to them. Mary-Anne inspires synergies, partnerships and sponsorships, and the creation and production of pioneering events.