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"2025: COOPERATION: SEVEN LEVELS OF COLLABORATION (LEVEL TWO)"
In John Wooden’s Pyramid of Success, one of the foundational qualities he believed was needed was cooperation. Coach defined cooperation this way:
"With all levels of your coworkers. Listen if you want to be heard. Be interested in finding the best way, not in having your own way."
The idea of being interested in finding the best way—not in having your own way—happens when you do a great job of collaboration. There are seven levels of collaborators.
Level Two: The Unintentional Non-Collaborator
The unintentional non-collaborator is a person who genuinely cares about others, is eager to see teammates succeed, and is not seeking credit for themselves. The problem is they become over-enthusiastic about their own ideas and fail to listen.
People usually like working with an unintentional non-collaborator. They don’t fear retaliation or being labeled a troublemaker—but they rarely get a chance to talk. Instead, the unintentional non-collaborator charges ahead with their own vision, never realizing that valuable input was left out of the discussion.
The result is a team that appears positive and energized on the surface, but in reality it has missed out on true collaboration. The leader feels successful, yet the voices around them remain unheard.
Another problem with this style is that an unintentional non-collaborator creates more work for themselves. They become the "answer man" whenever problems arise.
The solution: stop giving immediate answers to every question. Instead, when someone comes to you with a problem, ask:
"What do you think?"
This turns problems into collaborative solutions. Employees learn to think critically, become more confident, and rely less on you. Your workload shrinks, the organization moves faster, and everyone enjoys the work more.
How often do you ask; "What do you think?"
Yours in Coaching,
Craig Impelman
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COACH'S FAVORITE POETRY AND PROSE
Laughter
Laughter sort o' settles breakfast better than digestive pills;
Found it, somehow in my travels, cure for every sort of ills;
When the hired help have riled me with their slipshod, careless ways,
An' I'm bilin' mad an' cussin' an' my temper's all ablaze,
If the calf gets me to laughin' while they're teachin' him to feed
Pretty soon I'm feelin' better, 'cause I've found the cure I need.
Like to start the day with laughter; when I've had a peaceful night,
An' can greet the sun all smilin', that day's goin' to be all right.
But there's nothing goes to suit me, when my system's full of bile;
Even horses quit their pullin' when the driver doesn't smile,
But they'll buckle to the traces when they hear a glad giddap,
Just as though they like to labor for a cheerful kind o' chap.
Laughter keeps me strong an' healthy. You can bet I'm all run down,
Fit for doctor folks an' nurses when I cannot shake my frown.
Found in farmin' laughter's useful, good for sheep an' cows an' goats;
When I've laughed my way through summer, reap the biggest crop of oats.
Laughter's good for any business, leastwise so it seems to me
Never knew a smilin' feller but was busy as could be.
Sometimes sit an' think about it, ponderin' on the ways of life,
Wonderin' why mortals gladly face the toil an care an' strife,
Then I come to this conclusion—take it now for what it's worth
It's the joy of laughter keeps us plodding on this stretch of earth.
Men the fun o' life are seeking—that's the reason for the calf
Spillin' mash upon his keeper—men are hungry for a laugh.
Edgar Albert Guest (1881-1959)
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