5 Tips to Collaborate Successfully

If you plan to be successful in your career you will need to effectively collaborate with others. Rarely are projects undertaken by one individual.

Some collaborations are sustainable and last for the long-term (think of the musical collaboration between the members of U2), while others start strong and burst into flames (think of the brothers in Oasis).

In order to make your collaboration a success pick partners with the following qualities (and be sure to exemplify the traits yourself): 

Open to new ideas. Close-minded individuals who already have all the answers seldom make good collaborators and likely never scored highly on “plays well with others” ratings on their report card. Curiosity for new ideas and new ways of thinking is imperative, along with the humility to recognize that you don’t have all the answers and can learn from others.

Good listener. Someone who is open to new ideas will strive to effectively listen to others and gain a new perspective and view on a situation. Practice active listening in order to fully understand the other person and the solution they propose.

Disagree effectively. One can disagree without being disagreeable. Successful collaborations need the freedom to differ without resorting to rude behavior or shouting. It is often through disagreement that real breakthroughs and solutions can be developed. Don’t be afraid of conflict but manage it constructively.

Reliable. Can you rely on the individuals you are collaborating with? Will they fulfill their responsibilities? Are they hard-working or will they leave work undone? These are questions you need answers to when it comes to selecting those you collaborate with.

Honesty and Respect. These are the basic traits you want in a collaborative partner and they should underlie who you are and how you interact with others. By developing honest and respectful collaborations you make it more likely your team will find effective solutions to the problems you encounter and create a successful and impactful project, product, or event.

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: 8 Simple Words Great Leaders Use Daily

This is our weekly roundup of some of the best career-related articles, interviews, blogs, etc., we've read during the week. We share them so you have some great resources to prepare you for the coming week. Enjoy!

• 8 Simple Words Exceptional Leaders Use Each & Every Day: "Asking for help shows vulnerability, respect, and a willingness to listen--all are qualities of a great leader. And all are qualities you hope your employees exhibit."

• 7 Effective Ways to Initiate & Cultivate Business Referrals: "It is crucial from the start of any new business relationship, that we establish it to be reciprocal. We must be prepared to ask how we can refer business to others as well."

• The Painful Cycle of Employee Loneliness, and How it Hurts Companies: "loneliness is different from depression, being alone, or feelings of solitude. It has more to do with a person’s quality of social relationships rather than their quantity."

• 8 Tips to Improve Team Collaboration: "If teams are important for your organization, you need to do what you can to facilitate their effectiveness. Make sure open communication exists. Create opportunities for all voices to be heard."
• 4 Tips for Listening (That Even an Extrovert Can Master): "Now, in every meeting, whether I’m with a group or in a 1:1, I make it a point to ask questions instead of make statements. It has drastically changed the dynamic in the room and has allowed me to grow closer with my entire team."

4 Ways to Develop and Demonstrate Leadership Skills

Perhaps nothing is more necessary to advance in your career than the development of leadership skills. Sure we've all worked for bosses and managers who were not effective. They had the title but they were not leaders. No one wanted to follow them in anything and it's likely their influence was limited, along with their opportunities for further advancement.

So, how does one develop or demonstrate leadership skills? Consider the following four points as basic steps to get started.

Be curious and inquisitive. Leaders are not afraid to show they don't have all the answers. They are interested in learning as much as they can and so they become good at asking questions and taking advice and suggestions, without becoming defensive as a way to mask insecurity or lack of knowledge.

Become good at listening. To supplement their curiosity, good leaders are good listeners and they hear what others are telling them without the need to interrupt, correct, or express their own opinion. They take a genuine interest in how others view a situation or a problem and integrate these opinions to formulate their solutions or to take action.

Try new things and fail well. Effective leaders are not afraid to take risks, tackle new opportunities, and experience failure. Success in your career, and in all areas of life, requires the ability to understand that failure is simply one of the steps toward success and your ability to respond to failure will greatly influence and lead to future success.

Become clear about your values and take a stand. Great leaders are clear on the values, priorities, principles, and ethics that guide them and are willing to take a stand, even when it's unpopular. The strength and courage to do so increases the respect others have for you and makes it more likely they'll want to come alongside you and join the effort.

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: 6 Steps to Prepare for a Job Interview

This is our weekly roundup of some of the best career-related articles, interviews, blogs, etc., we've read during the week. We share them so you have some great resources to prepare you for the coming week. Enjoy!

• 6 Steps to Prepare for a Job Interview: "Before the interview, research competitors, financial performance, culture, management style and who your colleagues may be. Thanks to the Internet, you can uncover a treasure trove of information about companies and people."
• Young Job Seekers and Inexperience: "Inexperience is an asset and will allow you to think in original, unconventional ways."
• How the Most Successful People Ask Questions: "Asking questions not only keeps you engaged, it allows you to contribute to the conversation and learn something new."
• 5 Overlooked Habits of Great Leaders: "The primary reason great leaders lead themselves first is their unwavering commitment to being the best version of themselves. Their passion to be great in every situation and at all times comes long before they gain recognition, titles or positions."
• 5 Ways to Make Your Company's Hiring Process More Fair: "Diversity is important in the workplace because it builds a company with a unique dynamic and a strong ability to adapt."

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: 3 Ways to Be More Likeable at Work

This is our weekly roundup of some of the best career-related articles, interviews, blogs, etc., we've read during the week. We share them so you have some great resources to prepare you for the coming week. Enjoy!

• 3 Ways to Be More Likeable at Work: "Listening is like a superpower, and people who are likeable tend to intuitively understand this. They make time to listen to what others have to say."
• Why You Should Stop Going to Networking Events: "Networking events almost never lead to business. And I have been to hundreds of them. It was a way for me to think I was being productive, but it wasn’t. It was a distraction."
• How Serving Others Can Help Make You a Great Leader: "The more I help people, the more it comes back to me in some way—we get ahead by helping others get ahead. Don’t lose sight of that, ever."
• How to Manage Distractions: "While you probably can't disconnect for the entire day, as little as 20 to 30 minutes of focused time can take you much further than two hours spent on the same task filled with constant interruptions."
• 4 Tweaks to Rev Up a Stalled Job Search: "While you might view flexibility as a virtue, it may at the same time be self-defeating. Remember that employers hire people who answer their needs."

Where Good Advice Should Come From

Wednesday morning I was in the gym on a rowing machine, going through my repetitions, when I was approached by a woman. She approached me because, she said, she noticed some errors in my form; specifically, I was putting all of the work in my arms and flailing my elbows out from the sides of my body. She recommended that I keep my elbows in, and work harder to pinch my shoulder blades back to really focus on my back. I thanked her and told her I appreciated her advice. She smiled and went on her way.

The woman who spoke with me didn't look like Jillian Michaels, Denise Austin, or any other female health guru that you might have heard of. She was actually older (about a grandmother's age), short, and-to be completely honest-slightly plump. You wouldn't expect her to know much about exercising, let alone how to properly row. But she did, and after I made the adjustments that she suggested, my back muscles were burning in a way that I didn't expect.

We have the notion that good advice-espeically career advice-has to come from a source that meets some kind of visual, experiential, or aesthetic standard. Those who look thin and healthy are the best at giving health advice. Those with PhDs are experts in their academic fields and the best at dispensing advice in those areas. A government agency-like the Food and Drug Administration-is the highest authority on what do eat. 

But, oftentimes, we can dismiss good advice because it comes from a source that judge to be unworthy: an annoying coworker, a younger person, a neighbor, or someone outside our career field. The "package" that the advice comes in supersedes what is said…and we miss lessons that could propel us ahead much further than we had anticipated.

This week, challenge yourself to open up to new sources of advice or guidance. We are being sent messages all the time, important messages that can significantly shape our careers. What messages did you receive? Please share them in the comments below. 

Are You Forgetting the Importance of Listening?

It seems as though we spend our lives preoccupied these days. How often do you see two people sitting at a dinner table both looking at their smart phones? Whether we are distracted by our phones, our problems, or too focused on what we want to say next, many of us could stand to take a deep breath, focus, and follow these rules of listening better.

Be Present and Attentive
Put down the cell phone, turn off the ringer, and promise yourself you will not look around the room at other people when listening. Take a moment before you start a conversation, take a deep breath, and make a conscious decision to be an active participant in the conversation. Don't be preoccupied with how the other person wants you to react. Be yourself and react with authentic emotions.

Listen as an Equal
When having a conversation with someone, what they often want most of all is a sounding board or an ear. Don't approach the conversation as though you are an expert - or someone above them - who needs to fix their problem. Try to approach conversations without an agenda or a plan in mind which will often taint what we hear and how we hear it.

Confirm What You Hear
Ask questions to clarify what you hear, ask the person to elaborate or explain, and confirm what you hear by stating what you heard. By actively listening to the other person and providing immediate confirmation of what you are hearing, and whether you are hearing correctly, you can clear up any misunderstandings before they grow into bigger issues.