Throughout my career I’ve noticed a trend that prohibits effective collaboration.
I’ll save you the anticipation: It’s ego.
There are a number of pieces warning against egos in education (Albanese, 2014; Hooks, 2013; Phillips, 2015), cautioning of collaboration issues, distractions from true responsibilities or purpose, and disruption to the learning process for students. An article on charismatic leaders echoes this concern of putting own desires ahead of role or the organization (Hall, 2008).
Sam Walker, Deputy Editor of the Wall Street Journal, noted the first of the seven most common traits of effective team leaders is humility. An effective leader is one who allows team members to be in the spotlight and willing to do the same work as front-line folks.