Collaboration. The very word speaks to working together, in a group effort, to (hopefully) create an outcome that is better for the participation of many entities or individuals.
If you are so inclined, there are other words to substitute for collaboration; among them partnership, alliance and cooperation. Most would agree that these are important components in business.
But the fact is that collaboration is hard. This is likely because collaboration – real collaboration – requires working with others. Working in a collaborative manner with others can result in frustration and communication challenges as we navigate the interpersonal or organizational dynamics that collaboration requires. And sometimes people just don’t want to work together.
Just look at Washington, DC as a prime example.
Clearly, Washington DC shouldn’t be our bell weather for collaboration. It needs to start here, in our own backyard and in our local communities, and we have numerous examples of things happening in Eagle County and within Colorado that show the benefits of partnership, of alliance and of cooperation.
Consider the upcoming Vail Beaver Creek Restaurant Week as a relatively new example. For maybe the first time, the restaurant community in both Vail and Beaver Creek have banded together with support from the Vail Local Marketing District, Vail Commission on Special Events, Vail Resorts, Beaver Creek Resort Company, Vail Valley Foundation and Vail Valley Partnership to create a new culinary event during the fall.
The EGE Air Alliance is possibly the Vail Valley’s prime example of the benefits of collaboration. Our small businesses and our economy as a whole depends largely on destination guests visiting our community and increased access via non-stop flight service is paramount to our continued success. The Alliance has over 60 funding partners from both the public (Towns of Gypsum, Eagle, Avon, Vail as well as Eagle County) and private (business ranging from small one/two person firms up to our largest employer, Vail Resorts) sectors.
Regionally, the Northwest Colorado Council of Governments (NWCCOG) is leading an effort to develop sector partnerships, a true collaborative effort. Sector partnerships are partnerships of companies, from the same industry, with education, workforce development, economic development and community organizations that focus on key issues related to the target industry. Sector partnerships use the power of coordination across education, workforce and economic development programs to address the multiple needs of companies, including issues related to infrastructure, supplier development, access to capital, etc.
A synonym for collaboration is partnership, and it’s not by mistake that the word partnership is a key component of the VVP’s name. As I remind our team on a regular basis, we are relentlessly collaborative in our efforts and in our desire to work with others in the community to help achieve our goals.
The Vail Valley Merchant Alliance – an informal alliance of the various chambers of commerce and business associations throughout the valley – is a concept that would have been unfathomable just a few years ago. Those who have been around the merchant community remember the times (in the not-so-recent past) when Eagle had three chambers or when the Vail Chamber & Business Association and Vail Valley Chamber & Tourism Bureau fought regularly. While all this was happening just a few short years ago via the calendar, watching these groups work together on cross-promotions and business events makes the days of infighting and turf wars seem like a lifetime ago.
A newer effort of the VVP, still gaining momentum, is the Vail Valley Health & Wellness Initiative. The Initiative is focused on partnering with like-minded businesses, employers, business and trade associations, and to increase medical groups and meetings and the Vail Valley’s brand awareness as a Health & Wellness destination. An important side benefit is increasing awareness within the industry of the variety of providers doing business here and how they might benefit by working together.
Ironically, a friend in the business community recently shared with me that they believe that I use the word “collaboration” too much. I informed them that it might be my favorite word and that I believe it is impossible to be “too” collaborative.
Granted, collaboration is hard and requires working together. But it strikes me that collaboration is the best way to get beyond the blinders of today’s business challenges and to allow us to look ahead to the collective opportunities available to us. It requires teamwork, alliance, partnership and support. And most importantly, collaborative efforts are more likely to result in outcomes that are enduring and long-lasting.
Before you discount the need for collaboration, consider that the opposite of collaboration is hindrance. I don’t know about you, but my preference is to continue to collaborate.
Chris Romer is president & CEO of the Vail Valley Partnership.