I recently got to see “The Art of the Brick” Exhibit at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science.  The exhibit showcases the work of award winning artist Nathan Sawaya and his masterpieces created entirely with LEGO bricks.  The life-size sculptures, replicas of famous paintings and abstract creations are both impressive and inspiring.  Seeing a dinosaur skeleton made up of more than 80,000 LEGOs brought up the simple question of “How?” in my mind and an true appreciation for the artist’s abilities.

One part of the exhibit that I found particularly interesting was  called “In Pieces”. The images combined Sawaya’s unique LEGO sculptures with modern photography by Dean West.  The appearance of the LEGO objects in the photos gave depth and meaning to the works of art and enhanced the experience of seeing the sculptures within the exhibit. I strive to be a “collaborative leader” and the joint effort between these two artists reminded me of how important collaboration is in leadership.  Here are four ways that collaboration will improve your ability to lead:

Collaboration Prevents Silos

Collaborating with others outside of our field of expertise forces us to gain a broader perspective on the project or task at hand.  It helps us see through a new lens and gives appreciation for what others do and bring to the table.  In our world when a chef and a coordinator collaborate on a menu, it breaks down the silos between those departments and forms a path for working together more effectively in the future.

Collaboration Values Ideas and Contributions of Others

Sawaya’s work is impressive on it’s own and he has enough notoriety that he probably didn’t need to add another artist into his exhibit.  Instead, he used this as an opportunity to highlight the work of West and shine a light on his talents.  When we invite others to work on a project with us, we acknowledge them and their talents as valuable.  And when that happens, it makes the other person feel awesome!  Collaboration is an opportunity to lift up those around you and highlight their unique skill set.  And when we are successful at that, it comes full circle and makes us internally feel great about helping others and accomplishing something unique.

Collaboration Allows us to Find Commonality

An excerpt about “In Pieces”, states: “Key to the series narrative and aesthetic Sawaya’s sculptures are much like the construction of a digital photograph. Thousands of bricks are glued together to form recognizable objects much like the assembly of pixels in a digital image.”  At first thought, Legos and photography don’t have much in common, but by working together we find where there is common ground.  When we understand our commonalities, we are better able to work together.  Collaboration helps us get there and overcome challenges along the way.

Collaboration Helps us Create Something Better

Two minds are almost always better than one, and a cohesive team will consistently outperform an individual.  By working with someone else, we expand the possibilities of what is possible and create something that is truly unique that we wouldn’t have been able to accomplish on our own.  Despite the feeling that it’s our job to come up with solutions to problems on our own, we give ourselves the best chance for success when we collaborate with others.

I have found that when our team is tasked to collaborate with one another, the result is almost always more thoughtful than when they work as individuals. I challenge you to collaborate more with your team and I promise you will be amazed at the results.

*Each week I share a leadership message with our team and we are honored to share it with you via MIBE Tribe.  MIBE (the acronym for Make It Better Everyday) Tribe delivers education on heart leadership and intentional culture building for the hospitality industry.  Know someone who would enjoy these weekly motivational messages?  We’d be honored if you encouraged them to become a “mibe scriber” too!