Collaboration. Teamwork. Partnership. It's how things get done.

Typically, we team up to work toward a specific goal. But on rare occasions, pure collaboration takes hold. We enthusiastically combine our talents and energies, remaining open to where the partnership might take us.

Then something beautiful occurs. We identify new opportunities, blow by benchmarks and targets, and realize a heightened sense of accomplishment.

Too often we view teamwork as a linear process to complete a task. Individual talents and contributions may be stunted by the will of the team.

What if we started to look at collaboration as way to transform our projects and organizations. This pure collaboration is an opportunity to heighten, unleash and make best use of the unique skills, knowledge and experiences of every one on the team.

Is there risk? Sure. Could it get messy? Absolutely. Real innovation is risky and messy. And think of the reward: Engagement and outcomes increase as collaborators experience opportunities to learn, share and grow in an environment of pure collaboration, rather than just making sure they attend the next team meeting on time.

What are the potential benefits of pure collaboration in my organization? What would pure collaboration look like on my team?