Is co-operating a dirty word?

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Athletes are competitive by nature with both themselves and their opponents. They establish goals, create plan on how to achieve these goals, and then begin executing the plan. Regardless of how we phrase it, whether it’s setting stretch goals, establishing reach goals, going head-to-head with your competition, humans, by nature, are competitive. Even those who “think” they are not competitive soon realize that anything meaningful they have achieved in their lives involved pushing themselves outside of their comfort zones and being competitive.

One of the realities of high performing people and teams is a strong sense of co-operation. It is not often discussed or even noticed because co-operation is not considered a “sexy” performance term; it usually gets lost somewhere in phrases like “team dynamics”. But the simple skill of co-operation is essential for people, teams and organizations who desire to be competitive within their market space.

Here are some performance habits that will ensure strong levels of co-operation:

Remain Humble

High-level performers are very confident in their skills and abilities to perform at their best. However, they are also very humble and always seek feedback on how to become more proficient at their craft.

Foster Open Communication

High-level performers know the value of being able to communicate openly and authentically within a team and/or an organization. They understand that this skill is a daily essential for developing high levels of co-operation throughout organizations.

Values Diversity

With a growing global economy and competitive markets across the world, high performing organizations value the diversity among their employees. They understand that in order to remain competitive, they must utilize the unique skills and backgrounds of their employees. In order to level diversity these organization never under estimate the value of co-operation.

If you feel your organization can improve its level of co-operation, start using these skills and you will soon see considerable performance improvements.

All the best in achieving your highest performance.

Paul