30 REAL-LEADERS.COM / SPRING 2022 IMPACT COLLABORATIVE I ATTENDED A PUBLIC SCHOOL in Southern Rhode Island through 6th grade. We were taught that there was only one answer and only one way to solve a problem. We were told the answers lay in the back of our books, but we weren’t allowed to look or copy from others — that was cheating. Our desks were in tight rows, a few feet apart, yet we had to keep our eyes strictly on our papers only. In 7th grade, I transitioned to a new school that was more liberal, an extension of Brown University. There, I experienced the opposite —we worked collectively in pods. By putting our heads together, we attacked challenges with greater intellectual firepower. Diversity of thought yielded more perspectives and helped eliminate critical blind spots. It unearthed different solutions and ultimately produced a better outcome and learning experience. We were collaborating. Now, as the CEO of a major international real estate company, I see how invaluable that experience was. I consider it an important business lesson, on par with academic math and science. Collaboration in business can certainly give you a competitive advantage. As New York Times bestselling author Sir Ken Robinson said, “Collaboration is the ‘stuff’ of growth.”We implicitly understand the creative benefits associated with collaboration. Partnering and collaborating are often discussed in separate contexts, but they can create a catalyzing effect of unequaled proportion when coupled together in a business strategy. Millennials demand and expect sharing, peering, and collaborating in today’s socially engaged world. In addition, utilizing the power of incentives to drive competition and better results has been adopted by almost every sector on the planet. “None of us is as By Kevin Maggiacomo WE’VE BEEN TAUGHT TO COMPETE IN BUSINESS AND LIFE SINCE WE WERE YOUNG. BUT COULD A COLLABORATIVE APPROACH YIELD BETTER RESULTS? Collaboration vs. Competition: What Drives High-Performance Companies?
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