What?I can remember many conversations during my time at Virginia Tech about the best way to achieve team goals and to me collaboration was most always more effective than any other form of cooperation or teamwork. One of the most collaborative groups I was apart of was a facilitation team that I worked with during the summer of 2015. I was hired to facilitate conferences for State FFA Officers in 12 states and work with two other folks to accomplish the objectives of each conference. While the curriculum was already developed it was our job to bring that curriculum to life in a team effort to motivate students in a fun and enjoyable atmosphere. While there were definitely obstacles, our ability to challenge each other’s thoughts and always work to improve was key in the collaboration of this conference. Foundationally, we respected each other enough to be open and honest and in the end truly put on something that was way better than any one of us individually could have put together.
|
So What? |
People always question whether or not teams are more effective than individuals. While in many instances they aren’t, in cases such as facilitating NLCSO’s they absolutely are as long as teams can collaborate. The common purpose that our team shared and the ability to act upon that purpose through challenging each other’s thoughts and pure respect proved to be so valuable in delivering a product to our students. While it definitely took time, energy and effort in the end we developed something that was fun and worthwhile. This sense of collaborative spirit was vital in our success as a team.
|
Now What? |
The collaborative spirit that we had when facilitating these conferences is a fundamental concept and idea that all teams should discuss. When we collaborate we don’t settle for one option or another but rather we use individual ideas to help grow ideas and create the best solutions for problems. This experience and understanding of collaboration will be essential in my career and rest of my college experience as I will be putting it to the test in many situations. As someone who is interested in marketing, it will be vital to understand that there isn’t always one correct answer but that by challenging teammates and building on ideas we can develop a successful solution to any problem.
|