Play Well with Others.

• Author: Wewe, Keith N.
• Position: FROM THE PRESIDENT

Don't bite your brother!" "Go play with the neighbor down the street." "Help your sister with her homework."

These were often-uttered phrases by my mother when I was a child--and little did I know, she was laying the groundwork for a lifetime of successful collaboration.

The topic of collaboration came to mind in Washington, D.C., at ILTACON 2016, the annual conference for LMA's partner, the International Legal Technology Association. Not only did we attend the conference, but so did senior representatives from the American Association of Law Libraries (AALL), the National Association of Law Placement (NALP) and the Association of Legal Administrators (ALA)--other great partners on our journey.

All five organizations have made it a priority to come together several times a year with the objective of determining ways of better working together toward our shared goal of shaping the future of the legal industry. It's not always an easy collaboration, but it's a successful one due to the following six factors:

* We have a common goal. That goal is clear and embraced by everyone.

* We communicate well. Our individual groups have to communicate effectively, allowing communication from a variety of directions and listening actively.

* There is a high level of EQ. There are no unkind words or tussles across the conference room table. There is mutual respect at all times.

* We've built trust. We do what we say we are going to do and when we are going to do it. And if we can't, we immediately reset expectations.

* We come...