Autonomy versus Collaboration

Autonomy versus Collaboration

Work projects will come and go and it requires a great amount of business savvy, expert skills, passion and initiative to move work plans forward to reach tangible goals. Some organizational freelancers are very vocal and passionate about the direction of their work. Others may collaborate and basically meld into group structure without leveraging their voice in the process.

When you interested in contributing to the overall organization's goals, it is important to make sure that your voice is being heard during the decision-making process while understanding the significance of teamwork. This process is called autonomy.

On the other hand, some people  decide to support the team, even if their direction is wrong. They may side with others and not speak up or challenge ideas as a show of team support. Remember, silence is not always golden.  It may also be detrimental to your tasks. For example, what if you have a cost-saving measure that will create an effective product, reduce production time but you are too worried about the "nay-sayers" to speak up and voice your ideas?

You can still work well with others, meet or exceed the business goals and still remain autonomous. Leverage your voice in a way that your peers feel that you are working with them and not for self-recognition. In addition, when you leverage all of your talents along with your peers' collaborative efforts, you can achieve great things. It does not mean quiet yourself so others may be heard instead of you. If you have an idea, have the courage to share it with the team and be receptive to both positive and negative feedback.

The ability to be autonomous requires the skill to balance collaboration with others.