Stretching your collaborations

Over time you’re going to collaborate with people who you enjoy working with and see success for both of you, and others where they’re nice enough but it just doesn’t work.

Early in my consulting career I paired up with a fellow consultant I admire and we spent a good half-day brainstorming things we could do together. It never went anywhere. It’s not because either of us lack ability, it’s just because we didn’t click.

Your good collaborations will click, and the ones that don’t work always correlate with what your gut is telling you.

A list of go-to collaborators is a power set of partnerships that will help you and then some.

So here’s how you can stretch yourself to get that asset quickly.

1. Work your list of potential partners
2. Do something small and low-risk together
3. Post-collaboration - ask them what worked well and how you can do more of it

You can be as transparent and upfront about this process as can be - and your partners will respect you for it.

If I’m approached these days, I share with people what I’m focused on, and what I’m doing to get there - if they can help with that I’m all ears and if not, I try and direct them to someone or something else that will help them.

I get asked a lot if “I know someone who can do…” and I’m conscientious on supplying names, intros, and people I know are good.

Keep an eye out for ways to help people. This opens up opportunities, and then when the time is right - the magic happens.

I met one of my current collaborators nearly a decade ago. We wanted to work together and the timing was always off. Yet things changed last year and he was one of the first people I called. Working together was effortless and we got started right away.

That’s the magic of focusing on this stuff over the long-term.