Squad Goals: Lessons on Collaboration

Deep knowledge about one area, or shallow knowledge about many areas? An age-old dilemma for anyone pursuing a meaningful career, determining an area of focus, selecting the right classes to take, etc.

Cracking the code on this one can be challenging, until you figure out it’s all about #SquadGoals… build your own team of Super-Friends.

Surround yourself with wickedly talented people, with different skill sets, all deeply committed to one key ideal: collaboration.

It’s more than just agreeing to disagree, or reaching consensus. Being able to work with a group of people in an additive way requires a commitment to reaching mutually beneficial solutions that leverage the best thinking, regardless of who initiates. With expertise in a variety of disciplines, it respects the thinking that makes the most sense for the project. It’s about the sum being better than the parts.

It’s harder than you think.

Successful squads also focus on the following attributes:

Trust — Have each others back, and look for team wins not individual spotlights.

Conflict Resolution — Disagree, discuss, resolve, move forward. Leave the baggage at home.

Transparency — Say what you’re thinking, don’t keep secrets, make it always about the team.

Ambiguity & Change — You may not know or understand everything, and you will definitely have to quickly iterate multiple times. That’s okay.

Communication — Talk to each other, share updates, over-inform.

Recognition — Give credit where it’s due and celebrate individual breakthroughs as contributors to overall success.