Collaboration is a hot topic in business at the moment, but what does true collaboration for growth actually look like, and how do we develop collaborative relationships?
In a mini-series of blogposts, we’re exploring the different keys to collaboration, and what each of them means for your success.
You’ve got a great idea and you know exactly how to execute it. It’s going to be THE THING this year that will propel your business forward. All you need is to bring everyone on-side and to go for it. Chances are, you’ll succeed. There’s nothing more contagious than passion.
Passion brings clarity
When you have a passion for what you’re doing, it gives you focus, and a vision to work towards. Your goals are clear, the steps you need to make are clear, and you talk about what you’re doing so much, that you are able to communicate your passion clearly too. People love certainty, they love excitement, and they will want to share your passion and become part of your story.
Passion is contagious
When you’re excited about what you do, it makes the hours you spend doing it, the stress and the hard work make sense. Passion makes the people around you look at what you’re working towards and choose to lend their strengths to you to be part of it. Once they catch your vision, they catch the excitement of what you’re doing too. It’s a good job passion is contagious. Because without other people to collaborate with and to add their strengths to what you do, those long hours and stressful situations would be very lonely and dispassionate indeed. With passion and a clear goal, your organisation will attract the kinds of people who WANT to be a part of what you do. And that’s a very potent force in business indeed.
Passion is the key to success
The truth is passion is what pushes you through the obstacles and challenges. Without it, frankly you’d quit. You can’t fake it. When you meet someone who loves their job, they gain your goodwill much faster than someone who you suspect is just going through the motions. When times get tough, it’s passion that gets you through. And when times are good, you know it’s your passion that’s got you there. Passion is what makes you good at what you do. It helps you play to your strengths, acknowledge your weaknesses, share your story, and collaborate with like-minded people.
Find your passion, and you’re set for life. Going back to where we started with this series, Nelson Mandela, a great and passionate leader, sums it up: