The inspiration of my post today arises from experiences in corporate governance practice when actors seek to work together to achieve shared objectives.
I must hasten to point out that working together is an indication of active minds at play with a view of resolving issues. This in itself is healthy and progressive.
One thing that has been helping me in such situations is coined in one word which may have several off shoots. Imagine how the biggest star in the universe, the sun, is illustrated by early learners… A circle in the middle with off shoots in the circumference to show the glory of the whole sun!
The word…” recognition” sums it up for me. As we interact with one another as actors in the organization, it is important to recognize the different roles we play. It is not enough to simply nod your head at the fact that you have team members. You are required to be empathetic towards the nature of roles and how the team is expected to bring value by cooperating with each other. This could entail a brainstorm or even fiery debate on a matter.
There should be a general understanding that professions are unique and sometimes may have different interpretations of issues. This in itself is not a bad thing at all. What is required is empathy towards one another. Seeing each other’s points of view makes agreement and even disagreement to be based on a sound foundation of appreciation and information.
The recognition that you are or are not the anchor of an assignment is also a powerful tool in positioning yourself to effectively support a cause. Whereas your input is important, knowing that it is only part of an assignment that requires more specialized skill and knowledge than what you are able to give is sobering as well as progressive. The converse demands that you recognize that whereas you may be the anchor, the quality of your work depends on input from differently skilled professionals, which input you should not dismiss without good cause.
Recognizing that the corporate needs to shine as bright as possible and from time to time you may be the circle or the rays of the sun is priceless!
Let’s share!
