The Benefits of Collaborative Working

I have been reflecting on the benefits of collaborative working with other freelance consultant colleagues and I just wanted to share some of my thoughts around this.

Working as a freelance consultant can be a lonely and isolating business. It’s great when that piece of work lands and you’re catapulted into an existing team - but often you can be the only person running that project. Whilst there are many advantages to working for yourself - the ability to take a walk in the countryside if there’s a sunny afternoon, working your own hours, flexibility to work around family life and caring responsibilities, being in control of your own destiny - one downside can be that you end up spending long periods sitting in your office / spare bedroom with only your laptop for company.

I have worked on a number of projects now collaborating in partnership with other consultants and for me the benefits are clear:

• Access to a wider range of opportunities - you can partner with people with complementary skills to your own and therefore work on projects that you wouldn’t have the skills or capacity to manage on your own;

• The ability to work as part of a team - sharing challenges, supporting each other during difficulties, exchanging ideas;

• Combating the isolation inherent in the kind of work we do;

• The positive mental health benefits of sharing a joint project;

• Learning from others - what can they teach me?;

• Ability to work faster to complete projects;

• Improved client satisfaction from offering more comprehensive solutions - could lead to more referrals;

• A more enjoyable and rewarding work experience;

• Stronger professional relationships and a sense of belonging and community