The Handshake and Namasté

One of the professional skills and personal traits that people need to practice today is working with others as part of a team, also known as collaboration.  When implemented correctly, collaboration recognizes the value of each team member.  Two physical gestures that convey the trust, balance and equality necessary for a collaborative effort are the western style handshake and the eastern greeting of Namaste.     

The western style handshake is a short ritual in which two people grasp each other's right hand and then briefly shake them in an up and down movement.  Archaeological ruins and ancient texts show that handshaking was practiced in ancient Greece as far back as the 5th century BC.  

The eastern style Namaste ritual involves one pressing their hands together, palms touching and fingers pointed upwards, in front of the chest.  This gesture has various interpretations but is commonly used as a greeting that means "the divinity in me bows to the divinity in you.” 

Both the handshake and Namaste symbolize the respect towards one another required in a collaborative agreement.

Regardless of position, industry or background, individuals in today’s dynamic global environment need to think more effectively about how they can work with others.  Employees want people who can get along with others to analyze situations, solve problems and uncover opportunities.  While recent technological advancements have made it easier to work with people around the world, collaboration itself has long been one of the keys to succeeding in life and work.

Collaboration allows us to learn more, think differently and better understand the connections we have to others.  

The 16^thcentury English poet John Donne noted the level of inter-connectedness among people when he wrote “No man is an Island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the Continent, a part of the main.” 

Three examples of people from very different backgrounds but who clearly understood the value of collaboration and used teamwork to succeed are A. G. Lafley, former CEO of Proctor & Gamble, Dale Chihuly, world renowned glass artist and the Birdmen that use special air suits to jump off mountains.  These examples demonstrate very clearly that collaboration comes in different forms.

A.G. Lafley inherited a Proctor & Gamble lacking the level of competitiveness needed to achieve and sustain the required growth necessary to succeed.  As the former head of P&G’s global beauty care division he implemented an ambitious program called ‘Connect and Develop.” Lafley’s goal was to increase the number of new products created outside of P&G from 15% to 50%.  

By leveraging the growing global network of scientists the world over, he helped create a web site where people could work part-time on projects posted by P&G and other companies called YourEncore.  P&G scientists also started to utilize a network of 140,000 scientists called Innocentive.  Lafley’s venture into new forms of collaboration allowed P&G to increase sales, introduce new products and achieve the net profit level the company needed to sustain growth.   Lafley used technologically driven global collaboration to achieve his goals.  Click here to learn more about Innocentive.

Another form of collaboration can be found through the work of world renowned glass artist Dale Chihuly.  Blind in his left eye as a result of a car accident and unable to use his shoulder as a result of a surfing accident, Chihuly collaborates with a team of glass blowers.  While Lafley used global collaboration to create new products, Chihuly develops a vision for his art project and then manages his team as they collaborate in its creation.  This form of collaboration has produced astonishing works of glass art involving elaborate design, unique in structure and color.  Click here to learn more about Chihuly.

While Chihuly collaborates with specialists skillfully trained another form of collaboration uses people for their observational skills.  A small group of extreme sportsmen known as The Birdmen wear a specially made "wing-suits" to jump off a mountain top.  During their fall they speeds of up to 120mph. 

Since they are so far up on the mountain they use walkie-talkies to collaborate with local residents on the ground below looking up at the mountain to get the latest information on clouds, fog and any other weather conditions that would jeopardize their jump.  Doing a jump without such information is risky and could result in a fatal accident.  Click here to learn more about The Birdmen.

QUESTIONS: Each example of collaboration demonstrates the value that others have to offer.  To help you better understand how often you practice collaboration on both a personal and professional level, answer the following questions:

1. Do you believe that collaboration can help you succeed with your current goal?
2. How have you used collaboration to help you in the past?
3. Have you considered new ideas that others have provided lately or do you just ignore or dismiss potential solutions through collaboration?
4. Do you search for new forms of collaboration either online or offline or do you continue to just work alone?
5. When is the last time you examined your ability to collaborate with others?