Working with others is typically more difficult than just doing it yourself.  Frank Sintra’s iconic anthem which struck a chord with millions of fans “My Way” really describes how most of us prefer to operate.

The song celebrates the joys of doing things “My Way”.  My own experience is the extra time and effort required to find collaborative solutions is much more likely to produce sustainable results over the long term.

Let’s All Just Work Together

Cooperation versus competition leverages the skills of everyone and provides the opportunity to leverage the diversity of the group without contention.  Relying on an individual creates the potential for a single point of failure.

Given the benefits of working together, one might wonder why it is not the default approach but rather something we must work at.  Humans are social animals for sure, the majority of us seek, in fact, require contact with others.

Social interaction is not the same as working together which requires us to suppress the natural urge to do things my way.  This behavior trait may be stronger in some but to some extent it exists in everyone.

Worth the Effort

While difficult and time-consuming putting in the effort needed to listen (really listen and pay attention to others) has been demonstrated through numerous psychology studies to provide higher quality and longer-lasting results.

The benefit can be demonstrated intellectually but is not always apparent to us from an emotional perspective.  Hence high performing groups are more the exception than the rule.

The next time you have an opportunity to collaborate put in the effort to be cooperative you will probably be surprised by the excellence of the outcomes.