A few months ago I wrote a blog about collaboration vs. competition. This afternoon I was at a networking lunch hosted by my local POWE Chapter and witnessed the true spirit of collaboration.
One of the fun parts of the POWE meetings is the draw for door prizes. Today the door prize was a consultation with one of the experts in the group (I'll call her Veronica for now). The winner of the door prize was a lovely lady who provides a complimentary service (I'll call her Betty for now - yes an Archie comic popped into my head for some crazy reason). Instead of taking advantage of two free hours with Veronica and potentially learning enough to provide her clients with expanded benefits, Betty did something that took me by surprize. Betty promised to give one of her clients the gift of the consultation with Veronica.
For me, this is the true meaning of collaboration. It's truly not a dog-eat-dog out there anymore. This small action proves that helping eachother, recognizing the strengths of one another and working together is without a doubt the better way to go. Just think for a moment about that client down the road, who receives the gift. What do you think they'll think? By pointing her customer to an expert like Veronica, Betty becomes a hero. The value of Betty's service skyrockets and just guess how many people that client will tell about the collaboration of these two wonderful women, working together to make that client successful. I hope that gesture is the start of a strong business partnership too; Betty and Veronica could be a very strong collaborative team.
I really don't know what else to say about the situation; yes, I'm a little speechless. This is why I network. This is why I chose POWE. Betty and Veronica, thank-you for proving to me that collaboration is really out there and not just a wishful concept. This was a POWErful day!
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