How I Would Sustain a Collaborative Culture

I chaired (or co-chaired) four permanent committees at a previous employer:  Joint Health and Safety Committee, United Way Committee, FISH! (Social) Committee and the Recognition and Awards Committee.

As a Job Seeker, I’ve never been asked in an interview what I learned from chairing those committees.

In this post, I would like to share what I learned.

I learned how to work really well with people and how to collaborate. 

Here are some thoughts about adapting to a collaborative environment:

1.  Step up in some situations and take the lead, or let someone else take the lead in other situations – I knew what I did well and so I stepped up in certain situations. Examples:  I liked to present, so I would volunteer to present at the United Way Kick-Off.  I liked to plan, so I would draft a plan for all the elements that would go into our United Way campaign.  This plan served as a springboard for further discussion and refinement.  I knew what I didn’t do well (like decorating a room, operating a gas BBQ or putting up a tent for an event).  In these instances I deferred to the expertise of other people.  The point is that I didn’t have a “Mister-know-it-all” type of persona.  I chipped in when I could and let others take the lead when I didn’t have the expertise.  I suppose that the lesson here is to give and take in a team situation where sometimes you step up and take the lead and sometimes you let others take the lead.  Play to everyone’s strengths. 

 2.  Don’t ask anyone to do anything that you’re not willing to do yourself – We had about 10 people on our committee to plan the annual Canada Day BBQ. For the actual day of the BBQ, we would solicit volunteers from the employee population to help out.  All of us employees did everything ourselves for this event.  One of the tasks that needed to be done was to transfer tables and chairs from inside the building to the outside parking lot.  This was heavy work!  I volunteered to do this task because I didn’t know how to barbecue.  I’d have 3-5 people helping.  The point is that when you get down in the trenches and you’re humble, you form relationships, trust and camaraderie with people.  I knew that anytime I needed to move tables and chairs for any event, that I could rely on 3-5 other people to help.  When you form relationships with people, it becomes easier to have conversations.  I didn’t do this too often, but I knew that if I wanted to get an employee’s perspective on a company policy, I could casually ask anyone I worked with on a committee for their opinion.  As well, when you work with colleagues from other departments, you get to hear a little bit of what it’s like to work in these departments and to understand their challenges.

 3.  Treating people with respect and being authentic help to form collaborative relationships – As chairperson I learned a number of things early on. It’s best to be open and transparent.  At our United Way Committee meetings, I’d share with the committee information that I received from management.  By doing this, they understood what our parameters were for our campaign and they understood where I was coming from when I made certain suggestions.  Second, I always valued the contributions that I received from committee members.  This meant being patient, listening and asking questions.  I couldn’t think of everything and so I relied on the committee to examine all sides of an issue.  Committee members represented colleagues from their own department.  I relied on committee members to give a heads-up as to what their colleagues may or may not like about an event.  Over time I began to develop a sense of empathy from talking to committee members where I gained a sense of what would fly or not fly with employees.   In all the committees I worked on, we were always able to come to a consensus, because we took the time to listen to everyone’s perspectives, adopt people’s ideas and to compromise when necessary.

 I read an interesting article by Aaron Hurst called “What Happens If We Start Hiring for Purpose, Not Skills.”  The basic premise suggests that employers should hire a candidate on the basis of potential or need (like ability to adapt) rather than on a specific set of skills (which are themselves subject to change). 

 I suggest to employers that I can adapt because I learned to adapt within a collaborative environment.  

And, I can help companies to sustain their collaborative culture.

Originally Published on LinkedIn:  June 28, 2016

Image Credit: iStock