How You Show Up
♦ If collaboration is outside your comfort zone, start small. Ask someone to review a document or project plan, then co-create an outline or framework, and then co-author.
♦ Ask others to join you in collaborative projects. Ask for help. Ask for what you need.
♦ Be open to the ideas and input of others. Looking for feedback makes it easier to accept.
♦ Know yourself, your needs, talents and goals for the collaboration.
♦ Be willing to hear and participate in someone else’s agenda.
♦ Be respectful of the people who have to manage the systems that the collaboration operates in (i.e., interests and stakeholders at each organization, processes for approval and funding, etc).
♦ Be fearless.
♦ Listen beyond just the words.
♦ Manage your own feelings. Notice resistance as well as excitement. Be introspective.
♦ Do your homework about your collaborators: who they are and their history. Understand what’s in it for them, their agenda, and their needs.
♦ Watch for an MMFI sign — Make me feel important. Look for ways to acknowledge others.
♦ Be willing to do more than your share of the work, especially at first.
Collaboration Pays Off 