PR agencies are not looking for the world’s next genius – they are looking for their next team player.

In fast-paced, results-driven fields, the best ideas and innovations are often developed by teams. While some people may prefer working by themselves, those who can collaborate well are of great value to colleagues and business partners.

Collaboration is defined as allowing individuals to work together to achieve a common purpose or goal. This requires networking, communicating, and brainstorming to create a cohesive and fully-realized idea, product, campaign, etc. What better way to create something than to do it with others?

Even though working with a team is not always easy, dealing with complex ideas and personalities is a challenge that can be met and also rewarding.

Collaboration is compromise

The exciting but often difficult aspect of collaboration is working within a highly mixed and multifaceted culture. Along with personality differences, your teammates may come from very unique backgrounds, causing challenges such as language barriers or cultural misunderstandings. However, what could appear frustrating at first should be seen as a window of opportunity for learning. Compromise, in the face of practical or personal differences, can result in a final outcome that not only showcases the diversity of your team but also the respect you have developed for each other.

Collaboration is difficult

My favorite part of working with a team is coming up with solutions to the difficulties and challenges you face. The heart and passion of collaboration lies in overcoming these diversities. When your team comes face to face with a problem, this is when you can use innovation and creativity to your advantage. Sharing ideas, getting feedback in real time, and shaping concepts as a group is an exciting part of public relations. If you don’t find collaboration difficult, you aren’t challenging each other hard enough! Build off of your team’s energy and motivation to create an exciting but challenging experience for everyone.

Collaboration is success

Without a team, the development behind many of the greatest ideas in public relations would be lost. The core values of collaborative teamwork such as trust, patience, and compromise can be the driving forces behind success.

• To earn success, be aware of how your team works best and get a sense of your own strengths and weaknesses as well.
• Reflecting on what works and what doesn’t can open doors to new alternatives and opportunities for improvement.

Collaboration emboldens the structure, methodology, and mission of a team, and makes teamwork a rewarding experience. This formulates a framework for success – the best teams will make everyone look like a genius!