Generosity, trust and collaboration
The role of generosity in building trust, relationships and effective teams.
We talk a lot about the importance of trust and the role of trust in improving team effectiveness at Kaya. And in Working Out Loud: For a better career and life by John Stepper, we have a resource that can help you nurture trust, collaboration and conversations, promoting the engagement and innovation we’re all seeking – as organisations and individuals – in our work. All it takes is a little generosity of spirit. But are you ready to feel vulnerable?
From trust to collaboration to innovation
Most people would agree that we all feel more engaged, productive and fulfilled when we’re collaborating in our work. Most would also agree that collaboration is the key to innovation.
So why is it, then, that so many of us and our employers are happy to invest in deepening our knowledge and extending our skillset, but not in deepening our working relationships and networks?
Perhaps it’s because we’ve fallen into a competitive mindset.
Maybe it’s because there’s something missing: generosity.
More give, less take
The basic premise of Working Out Loud can be reduced to this core idea: if we’re more generous – in our work and relationships, within our team, but also in our external networks – good things happen.
We feel good. We feel connected. We enjoy our work. We achieve more – individually, but also as a team, as an organisation. We learn to trust and share and create a positive, constructive feedback loop where everyone in our team grows and learns and benefits by:
- Sharing a common goal. Setting an objective as a team and working towards it – as a team. Continually learning and improving together. Creating a culture of continual constructive feedback.
- Sharing openly. Our ideas. Our work. Our successes. Our failures. There are myriad technology platforms for social sharing, collaboration and networking – Facebook, LinkedIn, Slideshare, Google Drive, Dropbox, Slack, the list goes on – so use them. Together.
- Sharing a common mindset. Assuming a growth mindset and accepting that there’s always something we can learn from others in our team, and that others can learn from us.
Make yourself vulnerable. And indispensable.
At first, the generous approach to work we’ve outlined here can make you feel exposed, even vulnerable.
However, by leading with generosity, you’ll be the catalyst for trust and collaboration that will ultimately enable you – and your team – to grow and succeed, far more so than any of you would without trust and the generosity that underpins it.
If you would like to learn more about building trust, relationships and a working environment that’s defined by a culture of collaboration and innovation, please get in touch.
Yolanda de Beer is an organisational psychologist with extensive experience in talent development programs, psychometric assessments and facilitating developmental workshops. She has a specialist interest in graduate talent development and sourcing strategies and has delivered a range of talent development solutions for clients spanning a broad range of industries.