You don’t have to do this alone

I received a message recently on LinkedIn from a well qualified ISO professional who has been applying for Certification/External auditor roles. She told me that she was having trouble getting her foot in the door as the Certification Bodies were saying that she did not have the required experience. She asked me if I had any advice.

Do you know what I told her?

I asked if she could give me a few days to respond with some actions as I wanted to reach out to my contacts in the Certification industry to get their advice. 

While I am already a certification auditor, I still felt that there were others that were more experienced with this than I am. 

I thought that our combined efforts would be far more beneficial. So, after a few days and a few messages back and for the with my contacts I was able to provide a robust response to her question that I knew was backed by experts.

I didn’t feel like I let her down because I didn’t have all of the answers straight away, I felt like I respected her question and that I wanted to give the best response possible. 

This means that I am not working alone. I don’t have to have all of the answers, just the ability to coordinate and communicate with others to provide the collated best response from experts. THIS is how we help each other and ourselves. As a professional it’s actually irresponsible and delusional to think that you’re going to know everything about everything! It is about having the skills to harness the expertise of other experts and collaborating as a group. You are actually doing your clients a disservice if you don’t do this!

My son also found this out recently as he embarked on a new journey as a stylist. He’d taken a new client to a large department store. He’d conducted his interview and knew what his client wanted. And low and behold there was an amazing store person, Maria who just knew her product and was able to provide 90% of the outfits they needed. Isaac said to me “I felt upstaged by Maria as it seemed like she did all of the work.” This is perfectly understandable, however, as I explained to Isaac, the Maria’s of the world are what you need. You need to build relationships in all of the stores that you will be bringing your clients to, as together you will succeed! They know their product; you know your client and together you will serve your client in the best possible way.

Napoleon Hill’s concept of the “Master Mind” group, which he discusses extensively in his book Think and Grow Rich. In this book, Hill emphasizes the importance of collaboration and leveraging the knowledge and skills of others to achieve success. Hill describes the Master Mind as a form of cooperative alliance among individuals who work together to achieve a common goal. He believed that when a group of people come together in this way, they can create a collective intelligence that surpasses the sum of their individual intelligences. This concept was a cornerstone of Hill’s philosophy of success and personal achievement.

A 2021 study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that groups of between 3–5 outperform a single subject matter expert when solving a complex problem. Leveraging a team’s collective intelligence means colleagues can process more information, generate and adapt numerous potential solutions, and have a higher probability of spotting errors than an individual worker. As a result of their collaboration, the team is more likely to think outside the box and develop high-quality outcomes in less time.

The Collaborative Success Model

In this journey of professional growth, we’ve seen the magic that happens when we bring together our own skills with the wisdom of others. It’s like mixing different ingredients to cook up the best dish. Now, let’s break down this idea with the Collaborative Success Model.

Individual Effort: That’s you, with your hard-earned skills and drive, tackling tasks with focus and dedication.

Collaborators: These are your teammates or partners, each with their own set of skills, ready to join forces with you.

Success: Right where those two circles meet—that sweet spot where your efforts and the group’s teamwork blend. This is where success happens, like scoring a goal because everyone played their part perfectly.

Your Next Steps

1. Network and Collaborate: Start building your network. Reach out to peers, mentors, and industry professionals. Share ideas, seek advice, and offer your skills in return. The goal is to create a supportive community that thrives on shared success. Whether it’s online forums, local meetup groups, or professional associations, get involved. These platforms offer a wealth of knowledge and an opportunity to collaborate on a larger scale.
    
2. Skill Enhancement: Identify areas for personal growth and find courses, workshops, or resources to enhance your skills. Continuous learning keeps you competitive and increases your value to any team.
    
3. Schedule a Coaching Session: Reach out to an industry expert career consultant for an initial consultation. Discuss where you need the support and start building your network now.