5 Areas You Need to Consider for Successful Collaborations (with Questions) | by Jennifer Britton

Two Coaches Collaborating
Collaboration is a key skill set for coaches. We not only partner with our clients, but we also collaborate with other businesses and practitioners. Whether it's creating a joint venture for marketing or co-leading a group or team coaching session, it's important to consider HOW you are collaborating.

Collaborating across distance and time in the virtual, remote and hybrid space can be challenging. We must be intentional and proactive in our approaches in this online and remote space.

As you design your partnerships, here are five practical questions to explore to frame your reflection and discussion.

1. Why are we collaborating?

It's important not to collaborate "just to collaborate". In fact, it's key to be clear on WHY you are collaborating.

Perhaps it's because your skills are better when you fuse them together. Or maybe you bring different insights into a core topic.

Questions to consider:

  • What's important about doing this together?
  • What's your WHY around collaboration—individually? Collectively?

2. What's your core stance and common ground around the topic?

Perhaps you're both passionate about educating around a topic. Perhaps you want to create a new approach to looking at an issue.

Being clear on where you align is important. This is going to help you articulate the purpose of your work, and also explain it to others.

Questions to consider:

  • What are you both committed to, no matter what?
  • What is the common ground you share?

3. How are your work approaches, values and styles different?

Partnerships can be weak if the partners are too similar. Think about where your work is not only the same, but complementary.

Explore how your differences can add strength to your collaboration.

Questions to consider:

  • What's different about you and your work?
  • How do these different approaches complement your partner's and vice versa?
  • What adjustments do you need to make in order to work together best?

4. What will your end result be?

Results, especially in the remote space, need to be specific. You must define what success will look like in clear and focused terms.

Questions to consider:

  • What outcomes and end results are you looking to achieve?
  • How will you measure success?

5. How will you provide feedback?

Feedback is critical to any partnership and collaborative experience. You must be clear on what's working, what's not and what needs to change. And you must have a framework in place for how to exchange this feedback.

Questions to consider:

  • What feedback opportunities are you creating at the start? Midpoint? End?
  • How often are you meeting?
  • What type of feedback are you both providing and receiving?
  • How do you each want to receive feedback?

Wrap-up

Collaboration is an essential ingredient for completing and expanding your work as a professional. What's going to help your partnerships flourish in the remote space?

​For more on this topic, check out Chapter 12 of Effective Virtual Conversations.

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Jennifer Britton

Contributing Author:

Jennifer Britton, MES, CHRP, CPT, PCC, is the author of seven books and has influenced a generation of coaches in the realms of team and group coaching. You may have read her writing, including Effective Group Coaching (Wiley, 2010), the first book in the world to be published on the topic of group coaching; From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching; or her latest, Reconnecting Workspaces: Pathways to Thrive in the Virtual, Remote and Hybrid World (2021).

Since 2006, Jennifer's Group Coaching Essentials and Advanced Group and Team Coaching Practicum programs have become known as the must-do training in the area of group coaching. Focused on providing coaches with best practices in designing, marketing and implementing group coaching, these programs have helped thousands of coaches launch their own group and team coaching programs in a wide variety of settings (public, corporate, non-profit). Together both courses are approved for 18.75 ICF CCEUs. These are the first two of 10 course pathways leading to certificates in Group and Team Coaching.

Potentials Realized's ICF-CCE programs are geared for aspiring group and team coaches, especially those wanting to work toward the New Advanced Credential in Team Coaching (ACTC) with the ICF.

Also check out our neuroscience course for group and team coaches (NLE-A), Team Coaching Essentials  and ACTIVATE Your Team and Group Coaching Superpowers. Prefer podcasts? Listen in to the Remote Pathways podcast, which explores the many different pathways to remote work, business and leadership.

Learn more about Jennifer & see all their articles here >>

Image of Two Coaches Collaborating by Lookstudio via freepik

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