By Blanche Sheppard
Working in a collaborative office results in one of the most valuable aspects of a team – sharing knowledge and resources. As a team, you not only lean in when you need help, but also contribute to one another’s personal growth by sharing articles and books you find interesting or helpful.
In our office, Natasha mentioned a book called Death by Meeting by Patrick Lencioni, recommended to her by someone who called it “life-changing.” Our internal book club is reading another book by Lencioni called The Ideal Team Player. I enjoyed both books, but I focused on one particular theme from both: the necessity of being willing to learn from everyone on your team. Understanding how your employees view the company’s biggest opportunities can be eye opening.
Further personal development research led me to this article from the Harvard Business Review. “Fix the Process, Not the Problem” reviews how a paper company turned around from certain disaster to success by drawing upon the ideas and problem solving of all of their employees, not just the top brass. Sirkin and Stalk describe the company’s evolution from putting out fires to preventing the sparks.
