I am a collaborator
I have been exploring big questions this year, about what I like to do, what I really care about, and what unique value I bring to my work. I will unpack some of my core contributions here over the next few weeks. Today I focus on collaboration.
Do you feel like you have to do everything by yourself? How do you motivate other people? Whether you are working on a team or thinking about your family relationships, these are big questions. We all have different strengths, and while individual expertise is often prioritized in academia, how we work with others may matter even more, especially in teaching and leadership roles.
One of the things I miss most about my previous role is my incredible team. Now that I am on my own, I appreciate even more how much I learned from my colleagues, and how they made me and my work better every day. Together, we built a collaborative environment that modeled a productive and inclusive learning community for the students and instructors who engaged with us. After all, when you are teaching, you know YOU can do something, the key is helping your students do it well. How can we empower others to do their best work? Sometimes I worried that relying on my colleagues could be perceived as a weakness, but in fact collaboration done well communicates that everyone’s contributions are essential and valued. If you try to do everything alone, people may feel their involvement isn’t needed. I count it as one of my strengths that I can bring out the best in others to make a team work efficiently to do more than any one person could do alone.
In the spirit of collaboration, I’ll let my colleagues’ words speak for themselves:
Being part of Pamela's programming—whether as an instructor, or a student—genuinely felt like being part of a community. She designed programs thoughtfully, with many points of entry appealing to a wide range of audiences, and advertised those programs beautifully by publicizing participants' own stories. The result was that everyone, from instructors to students, felt an ownership stake in what was happening, and were motivated to put their best foot forward. I learned a tremendous amount from Pamela about how to delegate effectively, how to build momentum around institutional initiatives, and how to create an environment that inspires everyone to bring all of themselves to their work.
Pamela is a highly collaborative manager and teacher, and she is always looking for ways to empower those around her. I learned so much about delegation, time management, and iteration from her. Pamela led our team confidently and effectively, setting manageable deadlines and building in opportunities to get and give feedback. I looked forward to getting feedback from Pamela, as I always knew she would have questions and ideas that would move projects forward and make them more polished and cohesive.
You can view their full recommendations on LinkedIn.
So much of my life and work is about helping people feel seen and empowering them to do their best, whether I am teaching, planning a program, or trying to get my kids to do their chores. It’s certainly not always easy! I hope this reflection sparks your own thinking about collaboration—how you work with others, and how you can create environments where everyone feels motivated and valued. I’d love to hear your thoughts.
