Many millions of Americans are heading back to work — in person — for the first time since the pandemic hit. During this time of remote meetings and working from home, many of us learned new skills, and perhaps, forgot our old ways to work and successfully collaborate with colleagues.

This episode is a timely and very personal reminder of how to make meetings better and develop stronger, more productive relationships with those we work and live with. We learn about the crucial differences between exchange and communal forms of collaboration. Our guest, former psychology professor, and national non-profit head, Deb Mashek, spent two decades studying how people form relationships with each other, as well as the challenges & rewards of doing so.

Deb founded MyCo Consulting, where she puts her research into practice, helping academic leaders cultivate collaboration among diverse stakeholders to accomplish ambitious goals.

The skills needed to collaborate well are vital for us to learn in our professional lives. "93% of employers surveyed rated this ability to work in teams as critically important, Deb tells us. "But few of us ever receive training on how to do this well."

Interested in learning more about the ideas discussed in this episode of How Do We Fix It? Deb has generously put together this short handout that summarizes the suggestions with links to other resources.

Recommendation: This one is an activity. Richard found great inspiration during a recent visit to the Museum of Modern Art in New York. He suggests that we visit museums and galleries as we fully re-engage with the world.