Collaboration skills are crucial for success. When you know how to work well with others, it’s easier to build trust, tackle problems and create strong connections. When you’re collaborative, you can also boost your productivity, with 70% of employees agreeing that collaboration leads to better results.
Whether you’re brainstorming with your team, interacting with another department or working closely with your clients, collaborating lets you share and receive insights, learn new approaches and ultimately drive better results.
How can you improve your collaboration skills? A blog post from FranklinCovey outlines some practical ways anyone can become a more collaborative professional. We highlight the key points in this issue of PromoPro Daily.
1. Become a pro at active listening. This is one of the most impactful collaboration tips, but it’s often overlooked. It isn’t about hearing what other people are saying, the post says, but fully understanding the intent and emotions behind the words. To get better at active listening, eliminate distractions by silencing notifications or setting aside your devices. Also, try to refrain from turning the other person’s story into your own. Give them time and space to say what they want to say. Then, you can share your thoughtful perspective.
2. Embrace feedback. The FranklinCovery post notes that feedback is essential for personal and team growth. To get more comfortable with it, shift your mindset. Begin to view constructive criticism as an opportunity rather than a threat. Aim to seek feedback and give it to create a culture of continuous improvement.
3. Strengthen communication. Without clear communication, you can’t expect to collaborate. There are many ways to improve your communication skills, from using meeting agendas to outline objectives to removing industry jargon to make your messages more readable. The post recommends aiming for clarity while considering your audience’s perspective.
4. Keep a win-win mindset. This can lead to mutual respect in all your interactions. The post says it’s about thinking in terms of abundance and opportunity rather than scarcity and competition. To cultivate an abundance mindset, make it OK for your team to share their ideas and try new things. No one should feel worried about failing or that there won’t be enough opportunities for them.
5. Build trust. This means trusting in yourself and trusting your team members. Ask yourself if you are living your values and if you keep your commitments to yourself. The post also recommends asking if you are genuinely concerned about others’ well-being. Establishing trust, the post says, requires demonstrating integrity in all you do.
Whether you work in sales or in another role, every promo pro can benefit by enhancing their collaboration skills. By becoming more open-minded and adaptable, you not only contribute to a positive work environment, but you also provide even better service to your clients and prospects.
Compiled by Audrey Sellers
Source: A blog post from FranklinCovey, a global performance improvement company.
