2.4 Preparing Yourself for Collaborative Mentoring
Skills and Characteristics of Great Collaborators:
- Team focused. To successfully collaborate, you need to be a team player and think about “we” rather than “I”. A great collaborator is mindful of shared goals and group success.
- Generous. A great collaborator is willing to take the first step and pitch in, even if they won’t get the spotlight. Generosity is also an incredibly desirable leadership characteristic.
- Curious. Great collaborators are good at asking the right questions. They don’t interrogate; they simply follow their natural curiosity because they want to understand.
- Appreciative. The best collaborators express sincere appreciation for all that team members have contributed. They’re not shy about expressing this appreciation and they give credit where credit is due.
- Listens to understand. Great collaborators listen attentively to what is being said. But more importantly, they listen to understand.
- Gives and expects trust. More than anything, highly successful collaborations are built on safety and trust. Great collaborators help create and maintain that trusting environment. They give their trust freely and expect to receive trust in return.
- Builds relationships; breaks down walls. Collaboration is all about working together. Great collaborators see the value in being usually well connected and work hard to build and maintain relationships with others.
- Diplomatic. The best collaborators are diplomats. They know that relationships are built on mutual respect.
