All Together Now
I’d rather do it myself. It’s a tempting thought at times. However, collaborating can be fun and rewarding. It’s a natural outgrowth of networking—both in-person and virtual—and a great way to support your colleagues. When you make new connections, you position everyone in the relationship to foster innovation and discover new ways of working.
In these trying times, building a community and connecting with people with like interests, is critical. What’s the secrets to good collaborations?
Many collaborative connections have come to us virtually. This month, we’re introducing a guest columnist who found us through our newsletter on Substack. All parties have something to gain: we can expand our content; she gets additional exposure for her work; we’ve connected with someone new.
One of our most cherished collaborations (and colleagues) is with Francesca Di Meglio who discovered us virtually while she was working for HR Exchange Network. She invited us to contribute articles to that platform. Now, Francesca is doing her own thing with her podcast, Still Team Human, and collaborating with her network. Be sure to check it out and stay tuned. We will be her guests in the coming months.
Of course there are colleagues we meet through in-person activities. Cornelia connected with a fellow writer who’s also an actor. If you follow our blogs, you’ve seen recent posts inspired by Mike Kimmel’s book 50 Secrets Nobody Tells You in Hollywood which contains leadership and life lessons for all. She received the book when he asked for a review—his win, along with shout outs from us. In return, we got great blog ideas. Collaboration wins work both ways.
Here are some tips for getting the most out of your collaboration experience:
Have an agenda. Meetings and phone calls should have an agenda with clear goals and discussion items to keep the project on track and everyone accountable.
Be clear. Don’t assume others can read your mind.
Carry your weight. Focus on what you can control—your work. You can’t control other people.
Don’t be shy. Don’t hesitate to offer your own ideas but be polite and respectful of others.
Stay visible. Nothing is more frustrating than someone who doesn’t respond to emails or texts for days at a time. Be responsive.
Prepare your arguments. Take time to organize your thoughts in advance.
Embrace discomfort. Make an effort to work in ways you’re uncomfortable with, unless this involves illegal or unethical activities, but….
Speak up early you’re not happy with something. Don’t simmer for months and then blow everything up.
Be prepared to go on alone. If partners fail and drop away, have a plan for how you’ll get something out of it anyway—and know how you’re going to handle it if you are the one who must drop out.
Collaborating with someone might be an amazing experience that changes how you work, or miserable one. Either way you are going to learn from these experiences and strengthen your community. We have been collaborating since we wrote our first book together and always joke that we’re still talking to each other, sometimes several times a day.