Flying a jet fighter with full fuel tanks and weapon load is a challenge. Getting it off the ground is the first challenge. Aircraft designers know this, so they build in ‘afterburners’, devices that will enhance the performance of the engines for critical periods. As leaders and managers we need afterburners to enable and enhance the essential contracts that drive our enterprises. Without them, we’ll crash – and frequently do!

I’m referring to the implicit psychological contracts that apply whenever groups come together to create an organization that will accomplish some defined and worthy endeavor – a business, professional association, community interest group, or whatever.

The essence of this process is ‘collaboration’. Each of us is required to actively share in the collective effort and to underwrite the common goal that has been set. Simple enough, but it doesn’t happen! When we fail in either process or outcome, or both, we can always allocate blame to others (this is the quick and dirty way) or to the ‘system’ (this is safer). Either way, the real issues are not resolved and therefore we’re doomed to repeat the error.

What’s at stake here? I believe there’s enough to make it worth our while to tackle this issue individually and collectively – we simply can’t go on like this!

Isn’t it generally true that, as individuals, we’ll not willingly accept unqualified responsibility for the success of the enterprise - even though we will accept unqualified rewards? That we do not share openly and actively - although we do expect other to do so? That we do not place collective interests either above, or at least equal to, our own - although we are quite prepared to criticize others who fail to do this?

The fault is not in others, nor is it in the ‘systems’ we create and within which we work. The fault is within each of us. Correcting it is personal - an ‘inside job’!

At the root of the problem of collaboration is trust – or lack thereof.

It’s trust that allows us to depend on others and to develop those close relationships we need in our lives. We have it as infants, but we have to continuously re-learn it. It needs to develop as we gain experiences, and in today’s hectic world we don’t allow ourselves this luxury.

We don’t take the time to really get to know one another.

Our interactions remain highly ritualistic. We can’t learn to trust people we really don’t know. Why not invest the time and effort!

The second issue in being part of a successful enterprise is in recognizing who we are as a person – our own identity.

This means that we know both how we are different from others and, at the same time, what interests/perspectives we have in common. The trend today is to focus on the former at the expense of the latter. Surely, this isn’t either social or mature behavior.

Shared goals and/or standards provide a useful focusing lens to assist us with this, but then those we do share are inevitably subordinated to our personal / individual goals and standards. Look at how we ‘recognize’ and reward one another currently. Let’s change this!

At this point the matter of an appropriate skill base can be considered.

The foundation of any social group is in ‘pooling’ skills, not in hoarding them. Ants and bees, who are perceived to be less accomplished than we humans, know that survival depends on this. Why are we so ready to forgo or forget this vital lesson.

It seems that knowledge is power – to be shared only with utmost discretion. In addition, there appears to be an underlying fear that if I tell you everything I know, you won’t need me anymore. What nonsense! Let’s pool our abilities.

The final, and in my opinion, the most rewarding requirement for collective success is learning.

When we strive together for a common purpose we can’t avoid learning from each other, nor can we avoid supporting one another as we learn. In a rapidly changing environment continuous learning is essential for enduring success. It’s ‘adapt or die!’ This we also know. Every day is a fresh learning opportunity, so let’s take advantage of it!

Four basic requirements for sustainable, collective success, none of them difficult to remember and all easy to practice – if we think and act on them. They are the ‘afterburners’ that will boost our engines and get us off the ground. Then, together, we can really fly!