"The Power of Collaboration: Lessons Learned from Working with Different Personalities"

Collaboration is a key ingredient for success, but if we're being honest, it is not always a cakewalk.

Over the past few months, I've been working on three projects with two colleagues of mine. These two ladies have completely different approaches to tackling tasks than I do. I'm what some people might call Type A - the minute a problem gets presented to me, my mind starts calculating the different strategies we could use to solve it. I immediately want to jump in and start solving the problem. But my colleagues are different. They're very much Type B - laidback, "the work will get done when it gets done" kind of ladies. And if I'm being honest, it's been my most challenging season yet in a collaborative environment.

At first, I found myself getting frustrated. Why couldn't they just see the problem and start working on the solution right away? But over time, I realized that their approach had its benefits. While they find more interest in being flexible with their time and work engagement, I made a conscious effort to adopt some new habits. I learned to take a step back and communicate more effectively with my colleagues. I learned to be patient and flexible, even when things weren't going exactly according to plan. And I even learned to appreciate the benefits of collaboration, even when things weren't going smoothly.

Looking back, I can say that this experience has been a valuable lesson for me. It's taught me that beneath these challenges lies a spring of growth and learning. And most importantly, it reminded me that with every obstacle we face, we have the opportunity to develop new skills, gain new perspectives, and become better versions of ourselves. So, instead of being discouraged by challenges, I try to embrace them and view them as opportunities for personal growth and development that I get to share with you.

Transformation starts here 

To be truly collaborative, the first step is to realize that we don't have all the answers and that others can offer different, valuable perspectives. It requires a lot of patience to work with others, but there’s great power in having a shared vision or goal - it can truly transform the way we approach our tasks.

Here's why:

We can’t see all the angles 

It's important to keep in mind that we may not always have a complete understanding of a situation. There may be angles we haven't considered or information we're not aware of. By remaining open-minded and inviting others to the table we can gather as much information as possible to make more informed decisions and come to more effective solutions. 

Companionships offer different perspectives 

Have you ever been inspired by a comment or story someone shared? It's truly fascinating to see how people from different walks of life can offer unique insights and ideas on certain topics. This is what makes our interactions with others so valuable and enriching. By sharing our experiences and learning from one another, we become more aware of our differences and similarities which leads us to approach situations with more patience, empathy, and understanding. After all, we're all in this together.

We gain wisdom together

It's all about cultivating wisdom and patience as we navigate the different perspectives and personalities that come together. When everyone is aligned around a shared vision or goal, the results can be positively enriching. Have you ever heard that iron sharpens iron? The ancient proverb holds a powerful truth that we should all take to heart. When we exchange knowledge and ideas, we fuel our curiosity and gain new insights that can lead to even better problem-solving capabilities. This kind of growth mindset is the key to unlocking our full potential and achieving great things. So let's sharpen our minds together and see what amazing things we can accomplish!