Collaboration means working with someone to produce or create something, which is relevant this month as we feature a duo for our feature interview. In exploring the topic, 3 types of “collaborative resources” were identified that individuals invest in others to create value. (https://hbr.org/2016/01/collaborative-overload)
- Information resources are knowledge and skills that can be recorded and passed on.
- Social resources include a person’s level of awareness, access and position in a network, which can be used to improve collaboration between colleagues.
- Personal resources include your own time and energy
In the spa industry, there is often an overlap because to bring a project to success and ultimately to completion, you utilize your own resources as well as those of others, creating an ideal partnership. Since founding Blu Spas Inc. in 1999, Cary Collier, Doug Chambers and their team have provided consulting and operational solutions for more than 400 different projects – including hotels, resorts, clubs and residential properties in over 38 countries, including Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, the Caribbean, French Polynesia and North America. The company’s experience spans the wellness, spa, salon and fitness sectors and includes design, operations, business analysis, treatment development, product naming and training.
Chambers says he first saw his business partner in 1997 at an ISPA conference in Banff Springs, Canada, when Collier strolled into a cocktail party wearing a sarong and cowboy boots. “That’s when I knew I had to meet this person,” he explains. And the rest is history.
Interview
What is your preferred way of communicating?
Cary: Most of our communication is by phone or email since our offices are in Montana and California. We’ve been working together longer than most marriages last, so we think we’ve got it under control.
Doug: The phone is preferred, but we also use email, texting and, depending on the topic or purpose, virtual meeting options like GoTo meetings or Skype. I prefer phone calls or virtual meetings because of their immediacy; too often a message can get blurred or completely misinterpreted in emails or texts, so I tend to overthink more sensitive or important written content.
Are you always symbiotic when working on a project, or can there be areas where you clash? If so, what tools do you use to resolve conflicts?
Cary: In every company, there’s the good, the bad and the ugly. Since we’re not in the same office, we take the time to clear the air and let everyone have their say. Fortunately, Doug and I are fair and have always found a way through conflict to reach a solution or goal.
Doug: As Cary mentioned in his answer to the first question, our partnership has lasted longer than most marriages, primarily because we are able to respectfully disagree and find common ground. Fortunately, we usually see eye to eye when working on a project, and the subtle differences we may have often lead to solutions that improve the final product.
Preferred spa treatment?
Cary: On an island, I hiked through a beautiful jungle to a waterfall, which was the backdrop for my favorite treatment. It was a mixture of Ashiatsu (barefoot massage) and Thai massage at the waterfall, which provided cool refreshment after the massage.
Doug: It’s a toss-up between a salt flotation I had recently where I was so relaxed I dozed off and extended my float time by an hour, and a very unexpected and spectacular foot massage I had years ago at a small spa in Hong Kong.
Interesting facts about you
Cary: I’m a lion who’s bald!
Doug: I love fitness challenges; in the last 12 months I’ve taken part in two Spartan Races and a Tough Mudder and make time for a sweaty workout every day.
