Ego-system to ecosystem: Can unlikely alliances work better for greater good?

The presence of conflict within a team can make working feel like swimming against the tide wasting energy on everything else but the goal Make the best of opportunities while working with people having different mindsets and from diverse professional backgrounds to broaden your own expertise worldview and accolades An example of individuals who joined hands despite clashes is Mahesh Bhupathi and Leander Paes whose wins on the court skyrocketed at an exponential rate Even after splits due to differences the two continued to team up to claim more titles Respect and recognition for each otherrsquos strengths are what enabled this team to work Three work coaches tell you how to put aside differences and ego to champion a larger goalBury the ego meet with successLeslie DrsquoSouza encompasses in a few words an ideology to help rivals or unlikely partnerships organically develop a working relationship DrsquoSouza managing director PrePearl Training Development Pvt Ltd and mentor Grid International India says ldquoMove from an egosystem to an ecosystemrdquogtgt Ego to eco for sustainability To usher in this shift he notes the importance of a change in mindset and behaviour The coaching expert warns individuals from limiting themselves instead of changing with the times if something isnrsquot giving you fruitful results change adapt and evolve Otherwise you will be living in an egosystem where you operate in denial mode and put the and blame the flaws instead of working to resolve themgtgt Perspective matters Your point of view is important donrsquot work from a competitive or hate angle Such perspectives will blind you to reality colour your biases and and keep you operating from blind spots To further illustrate his point DrsquoSouza highlights that while Nitish Kumar and Tejashwi Yadav might have been rivals if you look into their history they come from similar roots mdash they are both socialists Coming together to overpower another political rival might still be operating from a blind spot Instead it will be good to see them going back to their philosophy of being socialists and working in a holistic way for the larger good and sustainable results in workgtgt Organic change The expert shares that to get two people or teams to work together in a sustainable manner rules processes and bonding cannot be imposed The change must happen organically ldquoOpen your mind heart and will Remove the cynicism and work from empathy To move from an ego to ecosystem the teams or peers need to experience that change from within to trust each other and work togetherrdquoIdeas always matterSneha Gupta founder of LotsOfLearning and personal development coach tells us not to underestimate the act of resolving conflicts and that leaving out personal vendettas is the mature and professionally sound thing to do She shares points to keep egos in check work cohesively and move closer towards larger goalsgtgt Communicate The most confident style of communication is assertive and not aggressive or passive communication Put your ideas forth with facts and figures and have the courage to respect other peoplersquos ideasgtgt Listen Be a good listener Before turning something into a personal argument always listen for a holistic picturegtgt Cooperate If you want to come across as a confident team member ditch the arrogant tone and behaviour Instead encourage solidarity and nurture cooperation and mutual respectgtgt Address Use candour in communication instead of sweeping issues under the carpet If someone wants to pick an argument remind them that itrsquos not in the bestinterest of problemsolving and will have a direct impact on overall productivitygtgt Focus Shift your attention from proving someone wrong to solving the problemWe are in it together for the betterSubhash Naidu peak performance coach and founder of TGA Brain Train points out the importance of reinvention of self and skillset to prolong onersquos career trajectory or reach goals This reinvention which is crucial for surviving in a dynamic market includes forging unlikely partnerships and working with rival teams or individuals with different mindsets For this he suggests a shift in focus from people to work using the tips belowgtgt Believe in the goal Remember the reasons you want to achieve the goal and optimise your energies towards itgtgt Align with the team Get clarity about team roles and align on the goal This will help everyone develop a working relationship and function on the same pagegtgt Focus on strengths Understand what the other person brings to the table by identifying their strengths and optimising them to drive the work forwardgtgt Change in perspective Rowing in sync will move the boat forward To achieve this there will have to be a few compromises but also more importantly a realisation that working together will avoid stagnationIllustrating the importance of perspective with an example Naidu shares ldquoIn school wersquore told that we have to beat another person in order to be number one in class But in a workplace we need to understand that working together will see a project through to its completion and also highlight great qualities in ourselves as peers and leaders that can get us ahead in liferdquo