The EVTT started off by being inclusive, not exclusive. We agreed not to be too bureaucratic. There were no written rules, and thus none of the traditional trappings that most organizations have. A second lesson we have learned is to build trust. We each have our own niche in the community, our own activities and our own agenda.
Collaborations only succeed as individuals trust each other.
A third lesson, aligned with the other two, is relationship building. As our agendas shift, we trust each other enough to talk about how we can share, enhance, and build a new initiative or project. Further, we are not placed in environments many times where we are encouraged to share. As we develop ideas, one of the major challenges is to be convinced and to convince our constituency that our investment of time, energy, and talent toward sharing and collaborating is in everybody s best interest. Another challenge is to be able to identify the perceived or real value-added nature of collaborations.