Good morning & happy snow day here in Ontario!

I trust all you mothers enjoyed Mother’s Day and some smiles and laughter with your family this weekend.

Bob Marley wouldn’t see those three little birds on his door steps this morning --- buuuur!

The weekend was full of news on the global front, Trump and China tariff tiff starting up again, which could bring some enhanced volatility to the markets this week, but the world seems to be on the path to reopening, a process that we’ll likely see accelerate over the next few weeks.

I believe that one of the biggest impacts this situation we find ourselves in today will have on us and our lives is how we collaborate as I feel that it will accelerate the shift towards ways for us all to leverage technology to communicate and collaborate --- at work and at home we’ll become more efficient as we speed up the adoption of collaborative technologies. All very exciting in my view!

Bob Marley once said that “you never know how strong you are until being strong is your only choice.” Think about how your strength has been tested, challenged by social distancing and the impact this challenging time has had on you and your family and friends. You are strong --- - and through collaboration we’ll continue to thrive through recovery and beyond.

As we begin our work week, I thought it would be interesting to highlight the Top 5 benefits of collaboration from Inc.com, why collaboration is important for the growth of your role and your business:

1. Self-awareness. Nothing crystalizes what you bring to the table more than when you're forced to articulate your competencies. Collaborating challenges you to articulate and distill what you are great at, and what you do poorly. That honesty about your strengths and weaknesses can force you to ask for help when necessary and be brazen about how you can help others.
2. Scale. The old adage, "two heads are better than one" has been around for over four centuries for a reason. More effective problem solving happens when you combine resources in talent, experience, finances and infrastructure. Sharing and leveraging those resources means that your reach to new markets increases and re-energizes the connection you have with established customers. Ecosystems rule, and as in nature, our social organizations thrive where there are diverse and complimentary systems that enhance the lives other firms. Understand that your firm is part of a greater whole, and that there is power in that.
3. Creative Abrasion. This term was coined by Jerry Hirsch when he was an executive designer at Nissan. "Abrasion" is a process of wearing down through friction. We typically associate friction with something negative, but friction in its purest form, is energy. So why not convert that energy that comes from working with people who are different from you, into something positive? Leverage the differences and work to identify what can be complementary about them. Which leads me to this next point...
4. Take the long view. Sometimes things don't work out well when you collaborate with others, no matter how hard you try, how patient you are, and how well you listen. But does that necessarily mean you never attempt again to work with that organization? Take the long view about perceived failures, as Dave Gloss from the creative agency Here's My Chance reminded the group: while an initial project may not do well, the partnership may still be salvageable.
5. Learn, learn, and learn some more! Collaborating propels your firm to become a learning organization, a popular phrase right now that refers to organizations which have cultures of ongoing learning, and structures that support that learning through safety nets for failure, and opportunities for growth in all aspects of employees' lives. Each time your firm collaborates with others you optimize the capacity of your associates to extend beyond their comfort zone, grow, and in turn, stretch the boundaries of the organization.

So……….while collaborating isn't necessarily easy, it can, over time, get your firm to a much more interesting position to innovate. Though collaboration we will find ways to overcome the global challenge of COVID19 and my hope is that this environment makes us stronger and enhances our ability to be compassionate and collaborate.