Cooperate vs Collaborate

I’ve never really liked the word “cooperate,” usually because I’ve heard it being enforced onto people who are having trouble finding a way to work together. From the elementary school playground behind my house all the way to the corporate boardroom, and everywhere in between. Think about it for a second. Where have you used the word, or had it used on you, in a situation where you were thriving? Where you and your team, coworkers, or colleagues were all humming along nicely in a symphony of success? 

More likely it’s been asked of you, or you’ve asked it of others, as a response to some degree of dysfunction. And it is usually delivered with a grim “or else...” attached to the end of it, either spoken or not. Given that framing, I rarely use that word at all anymore. Not even at home with my kids. It’s effective in certain cases of course, but the implied power differential between those asking and those hearing it, along with the inherent deprioritizing of each person’s individual goals, makes it less than helpful in most professional settings where the success of the project relies on productive teamwork and intentional coordination.

What’s a better term? One that is empowering, and comes across as an invitation? One that acknowledges the agency and importance of each person’s individual goals while also illustrating the need to focus on and achieve the larger team goals? One that connects to each person and draws out their strengths and capacities, and allows them to truly shine as individuals while also actively contributing to the bigger objective?

Collaborate is what I’ve landed on and made the core foundation of all my coaching and consulting work. How can we work together to accomplish the larger goals by drawing upon our individual skillsets, aptitudes, and experiences? How can we team up in the spirit of willful engagement with the challenges in front of us? How can we learn, apply, experiment, iterate,, and improvise as we explore this new territory, this higher potential that is unlocked through our combined efforts? How can I help you clarify your goals, chart a path forward, and implement the required action steps to get you there? Through collaboration.