Day 48: Today’s challenge is to strengthen one of your 10 natural leadership traits and then shape it to match your own personal leadership style. You are unique. Embrace your power as a collaborator.

Start by rating yourself. On a scale of 1-10 how collaborative are you at school or in the workplace right now?

If you rated yourself as a 10, my advice is this: Set higher goals. Aiming a little higher helps you step out of your comfort zone. Placing yourself under a little stress – by setting higher goals – can help you train your brain through neuroplasticity. It is similar to the way that a yoga class helps you stretch every muscle in your body to help you become more flexible and strong.

At your best, you are a networker. You are a community-builder. Your social mind makes it easy for you to cooperate and collaborate with others. When you focus on this natural skill, you are able to interact with others and balance out the diverse interests of others.

This is a skill you already have. Whether you rated this skill low, or high, there is always room for improvement. There is always a way to bridge the GAP between where you are now and where you want to be, in terms of never ending improvement. 

Why are those who lead through collaboration naturally good at team-building and social networking? They trust the process and then verify that everyone is on board. If not, they adjust, adapt, seek advice from others and then reengage. 

We humans, are always learning, growing and adapting (more)

For now, trust that your brain is skilled at social communication and then test it with a simple challenge offered below. This action will benefit both yourself and the larger community of people you love and work with because its in your nature to focus on the well-being of others.

What happens when someone is NOT collaborative?

Simply ask: Do you need help in learning how to do this activity or task? Or, would you rather be doing something else that might better suited to your passion, skills, or interest?

Here is today’s challenge. It can help strengthen your skills as a great collaborator.

Create a BEST list  – Choose  a person whom you consider an excellent networker or community-builder. Create a list of 10 things that you like BEST about what this person does and the results they gets. Reflect on it and then create a similar list for yourself, that helps you stretch your own personal strengths and interests.

Alexia Parks is president of 10TRAITS Leadership Institute: Offering 1-Minute conflict resolution tools, research, and trait-based training programs for improved decision-making and organizational success.