Age of Connectedness - Collaboration is Your New Career Safety Net
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In the new world of work collaboration is now more important to your career than ever before. How you learn to manage three key areas: People, Technology & Tools, and Decision-Making will differentiate you in business.

Leveraging all three will not only keep you ahead of the curve at work, but will help you remain competitive in the ever-shifting marketplace.

Collaboration and People

If the "Great Recession" has taught us anything, it's that value creation will come through innovation. However, the rules of innovation have changed and will translate differently in the workplace than in years past. Your innovation value is now based on your ability to generate creative ideas and to partner with others who can help to extend your reach.

This is where your "connecting" skills will come in handy. Professionals who are known for introducing people, e.g., "You really need to meet Alice because you're both in the same field...", connect people because they take the concept of six degrees of separation to heart.

Their relationship management mastery lies in their ability to recognize the synergy between people and opportunities. If possible, you'll want to have at the least three connector types in your network.

Collaboration Using Technology & Tools

Collaboration in the new world of work requires access to the right technology and the right tools in order to apply them to the right situation. Working anytime, anywhere whether you're on site, working remotely in your home office, at a cafe, airport, or bookstore means that you're using tools such as your Smartphone, desktop, laptop, notebook or even your television set to connect and collaborate. More remote workers are using video cameras to enhance their collaboration experience with co-workers, customers, partners, and vendors.

With emerging technologies entering the marketplace at a faster clip, it has become imperative that you frequently add new tools to your toolbox and learn new ways of using technologies, if you expect to remain competitive in the fast-moving marketplace.

When was the last time you learned how to use new technology or a new tool? You might have the right tool, but just haven't taken the time to learn how to effectively use it. It's time to get past any techno-phobia you might have and join the fun!

Social media and social networking applications provide you with additional tools for growing your social capital at work. Now more than ever, learning and leveraging social and collaborative technology will help you build and sustain your personal brand in the office and in the marketplace. You cannot afford to be perceived as a slow adopter of high-impact technologies.

Collaboration and Critical Decision-Making

Collaboration and the new world of work represent the type of work you'll be doing, how you'll be doing it and the way you'll be doing it. Consider these three building blocks as part of your decision-making foundation, particularly when making high-profile or high risk decisions with bigger payouts.

Smart decision-making in business today requires that you know where to conduct your research, how to complete your due diligence faster, and know what's needed in your analysis in order to make a sound decision.

The trick is really no trick at all. It's about asking for help from Subject Matter Experts (SME) who know more about what you don't know, but need to know.

These individuals become part of your safety net of advisors and decision communities that provide you with the trusted resources you need to make those tough decisions at work. This safety net becomes critical for the economic ups and downs, such as what we're going through now, or when you experience a career setback-something that happens to us all.

© 2010 Dolores McCrorey, Risktaking for Success LLC. All Rights Reserved.