Together We Achieve More!

One of my sons is very competitive. He will often choose to do “helpful” tasks only because he is trying to prove he is “better” than his brother. He also constantly compares his skill level to his siblings to show how superior he is and gets personally offended when they experience success with something he struggles with. His superior attitude causes strife and contrition on a daily basis. Do you know anyone like this? I can say there have been times in my life when I have erred this way as well. We probably can all say that. Its part of our sinful nature to make ourselves more important than others; more important than God. Its engrained in our culture to be the best, to compete, to excel, to win, but as a community, we can be more successful when we collaborate instead of compete.

Collaboration. Team work. Partnership. Whatever you call it, collaboration is an essential part of how we function in community. When we have a driving desire to collaborate it can positively effect the family, team, work place, and any relationship. It is one of the “soft skills” many employers are looking for.

Top 7 Soft Skills Employers Want
Here are the top seven most important soft skills to have for both interviewing and in the workplace, from Indeed’s Director of Recruiting, Mike Steinerd:
1. Acting as a team player – this means not only being cooperative, but also displaying strong leadership skills when necessary.
2. Flexibility – this is an extremely valuable asset to employees. Those who can adapt to any situation are dependable no matter what’s thrown at them.
3. Effective communication – this is paramount to almost any job.
Communication involves articulating oneself well, being a good listener and using appropriate body language.
4. Problem-solving and resourcefulness – no matter what your profession, these skills are critical when unexpected issues inevitably arise.
5. Accepting feedback – not only accepting feedback gracefully, but also applying that feedback, fosters professional growth.
6. Confidence is key – that being said, it’s also important to always have the knowledge and skills to support self-assurance. By being confident and capable, your supervisors, employees, and clients will believe in what you are saying.
7. Creative thinking – being able to come up with unique solutions or alternatives is invaluable; it drives innovation and increases efficiency.
(by Alison Doyle on www.thebalance.com)

If you look at each of the skills on this list, you may first think that #1 is the one that addresses the idea of collaboration, but as you look closer, one can make the argument that they all do. The other exciting realization is that, when collaborating, each person on the team is developing these skills in each other. These skills aren’t just for employees. Families, churches, communities, businesses, and even friends, can benefit from collaboration skills being taught from an early age.

At Veritas Academy, students will work in collaboration with each other, with their learning coordinators, and with experts in the community. Through projects, active learning, and reflective discussion, they will become cognitively aware of where they are in the development of these skills, and be an integral part of the process of growing these skills in themselves and each other.

It has been exciting to see the benefits of collaboration in real time. The Veritas Academy Planning Team has been working diligently to keep us moving forward. We have team members working on curriculum, enrollment processes, fundraising, policy and procedure
development, and refining our concept. It has been beautiful to see the passion and excitement that is growing around this project. There have been thought-provoking questions asked, discussions with disagreements, and lots of research done and shared. The saying “Together we achieve more!” has never been more true.