Re-examing My Insights!
Enrolling into COHAP LAB this summer, a global collaborative workspace based in Paris, which calls for self-starters was a decision that changed my mindset about working with teams, building my idea, and ultimately starting my projects.
Currently, I am an International Business student based in New York City, with endless curiosity on how to improve my ideas. At the moment, my project surrounds the creation of a new podcast that I am a part of with my husband and his best friend. This podcast focuses on comedy, politics, social dilemmas, etc. However, it’s been clear that we work more as individuals than a team, so with some much-needed framework from our COHAP LAB sessions, I was able to transform our project into a collective effort. The framework that gave me the most meaningful insights were the four steps of collaboration and dreaming vs being.
Four Steps of Collaboration
When thinking about the four steps of collaboration, it’s not about putting two like-minded skilled people together. It is about creating a meaningful path that is conquered by those who choose to collaborate together. The four steps are: freedom, emotion, trust, agreement. It is essential to have all of these qualities in order to ensure fluidity and open communication while working on a team. After learning this, I realized that I have a hard time with the emotional aspect. While working on projects, I tend to keep my feelings bottled up when I am frustrated rather than communicate directly with my team. However, by addressing this, I realized that having constant communication between all parts of the team and checking in about how we feel matters for the expansion of the project. I learned to put my pride aside because how we feel determines the quality of our work and the power we bring to our project. Having these four steps, we are able to dive into our true potential and continue our exploration into our project.
Dreaming vs Being
Additionally, the framework surrounding the idea of dreaming vs being was an important part of my journey throughout COHAP LAB. Since establishing our podcast, we have been in a mindset of just moving forward and churning out content without stepping back, reflecting and dreaming about how we can achieve greater. But how can we evolve without dreaming and inventing new ways to reach larger audiences and provide well-thought-out content? When I discussed this question with my COHAP LAB team, their suggestions ranged from scheduling weekly “dreaming” meetings, understanding our market now and how to expand, and just not being fearful of taking a moment to dream and step away from constantly submerging into the being state. Of course, stepping away from this mentality is difficult, but slowly I have been making changes to return to the dreaming state, such as writing daily and having open conversations with my team that focus on changing our paths.
After these four weeks, I was able to get a handle on my project and strategize the next steps to build my brand. I felt a sense of clarity and it was refreshing that Carrie continued to support my journey even after I completed the program. The COHAP LAB allowed me to create real relationships and I am thankful for the opportunity to have such a powerful team in Paris.
