How do you collaborate with others?

Everyone agrees that collaboration at work is important! Yet, few people know how to collaborate effectively. Here are the four collaborative strengths that exist. Do you know them?

When you know your strength, how to use it and what your team members’strengths are, that’s when you can truly unlock your team’s potential.

Working around a shared goal

People with this collaborative strength easily find commonalities between different colleagues, teams, projects or ideas. They work for your organization (with a capital “O”), are community-minded and know how to rally the troops. They like to strike two birds with one stone: combining and converging the efforts of several others with the same actions. They’re known for their ability to unite forces towards shared goals.

Building bridges

If your strength is to build bridges, it means that you fully experience the power of networking. You understand that it’s better to build bridges than to burn them. If the organization was a spider web, we’d find you at the heart of it. You have connections with many people, and easily orient yourself within the organization – some would even say you have the map! Others naturally come to you to ask, “Do you know anyone in this sector?” And if you don’t know the person directly, you undoubtedly know someone who knows someone.

Contributing to others’success

People with this collaborative strength possess the distinct ability to simultaneously perform in two ways: results in their own work AND results through collaboration within the organization. They’re willing to ask for support and also ready to give it when the opportunity arises. They’re weary of people who work more for their own benefit than for that of the organization. They enjoy working within multidisciplinary teams, where everyone can bring a unique and complementary perspective.

Getting things done

The strength of their commitment and sense of responsibility makes things happen. They’re “anti-standstill”: they take matters into their own hands and make sure the projecrs move forward. They are reliable and therefore trusted. Collaborating with them is well appreciated because as a collaborator, they don’t shy away from responsibility. They enjoy accomplishing tasks and getting things done. We can count on them to set the record straight – it’s no good trying to hide from one’s responsibility!