There’s an African proverb that says, “If you want to go fast, go alone.  If you want to go far, go together.”  Going together means delegating to or collaborating with others. But doing so successfully can be challenging.  Executive coach Helen Baxter-Southworth and team dynamics expert Russ Forrester say these five values and behaviors hold the key to working well together.  

  • Focus on collective results.  All team members are aware of and working toward the same stated goals.  
  • Commitment to decisions.  Simply put, each person delivers what they promised.  
  • Exercising accountability.  Employing ways to ensure everyone honors their commitments. 
  • Trust.  The cornerstone of successful collaboration.  You and your team have faith in each others ability to do what needs to be done.  
  • And finally, constructive conflict.  If things go sideways, working well together means engaging the team without judgment or negativity.