Two heads are better: collaboration as a leadership tool.(Moveable Type)

Sharing or the more professional term, collaboration, was the rule in elementary school. But in higher education, collaborating with a colleague, even one in the same department, is viewed with suspicion.

As first-year faculty at Troy State University AL, Bertha Roberts, an African American woman and an instructor, and Dr. Rodney Davis, a Caucasian male and an assistant professor, sought a survival relationship to navigate the rough waters of the university. They discussed their collaboration at the University of Nebraska's Women in Educational Leadership Conference held in Lincoln in October.

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Roberts and Davis were over-whelmed their first year. Roberts taught curriculum at a juvenile justice center one day a week, plus several pre-service undergraduate classes for students getting ready to teach. Davis taught evening courses in curriculum to grad students studying to be principals and superintendents.

Their first meeting was one of commiseration. When the second one began with more griping, they realized a need to set some ground rules lest the constructive meetings they had planned would turn into an extended bitch session. "Commiserating works," said Roberts. "It lets you know what issues you have, but then you have to stop and find a way out. We also saw a negative faculty member and realized we didn't want to be like that."

They shared their steps to successful collaboration.

1. Find a person or group willing to share ideas.