Monday, October 8, 2012

Collaboration Thanks.


I can live for two months on a good compliment - Mark Twain.



It’s Canadian Thanksgiving and a tinge of gratitude is felt in the Fall-time air and a notion of holding appreciation is infused in family meals and friendly gatherings. This spirit of thanks has us wondering what would happen if it was also infused within people’s collaboration and working together environments.  

In the book Heart at Work by Jack Canfield and Jacqueline Miller, entrepreneurial visionary Ronald E. Guzik writes of the benefits of praising your way to team success. He relates three ways to increase team confidence and sustainability:




  1. Recognize yourself and your own accomplishments.  (Doing this makes it easier for you to appreciate others)
  2. Cultivate the habit of looking for what people do right.  (Extend this to what groups/teams do right)
  3. Speak up when you see something good.  (Don’t just notice how others are contributing – tell them)

It seems quite simple really, to motivate and empower people to work together, make sure they feel appreciated!  So today, in honour of Thanksgiving, take a moment to reflect on team morale boosters. Stop and acknowledge what you bring to collaboration, what you notice others doing “right” in their collaboration and think of creative ways you can authentically praise one another.

As the above Mark Twain quote implies... there is something nourishing about being noticed by another. The appreciation payback is guaranteed to last longer than any turkey leftovers. Happy Thanksgiving all!

Village Raising Question:

 What part of collaboration are you thankful for? When will you tell others?

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