If you want to say “IamVincent,” you have to be collaborative. There’s no other way. In an article on leadership at the Training Industry blog, we read,

The word “collaboration” is thrown around a lot these days. What do organizations mean when they tell their leaders to use a collaborative leadership style?

When it comes down to it, we all want to be collaborative, but sometimes it’s just plain hard. It’s a skill that is very rarely taught. In school, teachers frequently assign group projects, but students often aren’t given guidance on how to work collaboratively. In fact, one or two people usually end up doing all of the work.

Collaboration is something people learn on the job in a hit-or-miss fashion. Some are naturals at it, but for many, genuine collaboration requires you to make an effort to leave your ego at the door. Being collaborative means getting outside of yourself — not just listening to other ideas, but really hearing them. Furthermore, collaboration only happens within certain environments. This means that some cultures foster it while others simply don’t. It isn’t something you can just direct, but something that must be modeled.

Despite these challenges, the word “collaborative” continues to be used all over the place: collaborative leadership, collaborative tools, collaborative learning, collaborative brainstorming … the list goes on. But the question really is: What do these applications look like in organizations?

As we wind down the Year of Vincentian Collaboration it’s good to evaluate. What does collaboration look like in your group, community or conference today? Describe it. Then read about more ways for your organization to truly embrace collaboration at the Training Industry.