09-07-2025
3 Actions That Drive Trusted Partnerships Even In Hard Times
Internal quarreling bickering, arguing, shouting, blaming each other - destroys collaboration and ... More wide scale success.
According to Jennifer Thompson, Executive Director of the Partnership for Sustainable Development, 'Collaboration brings forth remarkable teamwork, where the combined efforts of multiple entities create an impact greater than the sum of their individual contributions.'
While we know teamwork and partnerships improve outcomes, we've all been there. The push and pull. The reticence. The fear of doing. For example:
For each individual that embraces the mantra, 'A rising tide lifts all boats,' there are those most comfortable with the opposite side of that coin. A world where winning solo outweighs the notion of growing as partners. Where 'look at me' replaces 'look at everything we've accomplished together.' And, in most instances, these days the desperate clamor to sole star-shining is often frowned upon and decidedly outdated. I mean, does anyone reach all-caps BIG SUCCESS these days without prioritizing teamwork?
While an office environment at times might display moments of hierarchal, top-down and control-heavy leadership, focusing on mostly transactional tasks, 2025's secret sauce to professional success relies on much more.
Collegiality, collaboration, sharing of experience, and a near ruthless cadence of communication continue to prove their worth and hold ever-increasing value.
Are we stronger together? For optimal impact, we know that we are.
Are we just saying we're stronger together? I sure hope not.
These days very few of us are chasing 'that's the way we've always done it' outcomes. And our colleagues are coming from much more experientially diverse backgrounds than ever before. Once we identify those work partners that seem to magnify our lens on success, innovation and transformation, it behooves us to keep them. Even in moments where our fight or flight instinct might hit level all caps flight.
So, how to start?
Keep communication lines open
Even if the last interaction was an uncomfortable one, rise up to the occasion and keep the lines of communication open and receptive. Not everyone will agree all the time, but setting egos aside and respecting all sides of any recommended path forward is a great next step. How?
When one door closes, find another door. Or window. Or pathway. Don't give up, keep trying.
Could there a be a better, more mutually satisfying way to express the underlying intent? Is there a hint of blame in your delivery? Reframe.
Your way may not be the highway. If you look at it from various perspectives, you might be able to better discern the reaction(s). If your way is the highway, share the ownership of that.
Get creative. Use broad examples. If you know your partner's business - which we all should learn - an example that appeals to you might also nicely complement a facet of their struggle as well.
Once again, to the tune of, 'there's no crying in baseball,' declare there's no throwing in the towel. When things get rocky, keep going.
Offer a hands up - or take an offered hand up
When you see someone make a critical error, don't grimace and stay quiet. Sometimes colleagues don't know, haven't fully experienced the culture, can't yet fully identify the nuances of the business.
Take the time to offer the help. When it's declined, offer again.
After all, when it's you making that miscalculation, trust that you'll want the same shared investment of action and words.
Successful work tends to come to life in the difficult moments. It's rarely easy.
Keep your eye on the collaborative prize
Can we get there without teamwork? Sure. But not unlike widening a talent pool for a critical position, the more input and expertise you have around the table, the easier it is to facilitate large-scale success. Why? Different viewpoints matter. Different experiences refine cleaner, therefore more successful outcomes. If you represent your views, how do you plan to influence those with different viewpoints? Is your work inclusive? Attractive to most or limited to attractive to you?
Stay mindful of the desired outcome and remind yourself that every moment invested in building those reciprocal relationships results in far more dividends than going rogue.
In closing
Why must we do these things? Because we have goals. And given we spend on average one third of our lives in the workplace, how we spend those 90,000 hours over the course of a lifetime matters.
Can't we just be stronger together? Of course we can. But it's always important to embrace Steven Covey's words, 'Strength lies in differences, not in similarities."
Newsflash: It can be a challenge to work with people that are slightly-to-wildly different than ourselves. It's important to profoundly want to work with others - despite differences, and almost always ultimately it's those differences that get us to excellence.
As shared previously, influence is a key component to getting things done and, as leaders, partnering and collaborating must be continuously modeled behavior. It might be faster to go solo, but it will be stronger and more sustainable and scalable when locking arms together.
