The Art of Collaboration

Beginning with too many intentions is similar to trying to learn how to juggle for the first time but starting out with five balls. You soon learn that it’s easier to master juggling two balls and then begin to introduce additional balls as you become more comfortable with the process.

5. Catch yourself feeling negative emotions.
Hold yourself accountable to noticing when negative emotions begin to surface. When you catch yourself feeling a negative emotion, take steps that bring you back to a positive place where clarity and progress prevail. Start with a question to yourself: “What do I most want now in this situation?” Because you’ve recognized that collaboration is your desired intent, it might be helpful to reiterate that getting along with your colleague(s) and having a harmonious relationship is far more important than the issue that’s creating the negative feeling.

Many times, negative emotion is created by a person who is pushing your buttons. That can be an extremely tough challenge, especially to control that natural instinct to protect yourself. But again, remembering what is most important to you will help, and you can honor your intention by disarming the other person with a statement such as: “Wait, let’s talk about this. I don’t want to argue. I want us to work together to get the job done.”

6. Believe you can achieve it.
No matter what action you take, good things cannot happen unless you believe your actions will produce good results. In other words, you must fully believe in what you’re doing if you want to realize your desires. If you allow doubt to enter into your thoughts, the groundwork is being laid for disappointment simply because you’re giving doubt room to expand by giving it attention. Usually doubt begins to manifest itself and take over once the word “but” is spoken: “I want this to be a successful meeting about collaboration, but everyone involved is always so negative.” It is at that precise moment where the seeds of doubt are planted.