Why Collaboration Is so Important

The definition in itself is what makes collaboration so important. Can you imagine what it would be like to work in concert with others to push ideas forward; to test the boundaries? It would be glorious, right? But, how do we get there?

Collaboration isn’t saying that you’re working with another person only to be separated while working until the end of a project. Many people want to say that they are collaborating, but don’t actually work alongside other people during the process. They turn in work at the finish line, never training for the marathon together.

What collaboration does look like is you cultivating ideas with others and bouncing different ideas off of each other along the way. The art of collaboration is found in the selection process, too. A perfect collaboration happens when one person needs their missing piece of the puzzle from another person to push their work forward.

So, does collaboration sound like something you would be interested in for your next project?

If so, here are the 7 questions you need to ask yourself as you design your collaboration experience:

• What piece of the puzzle am I missing? 
• What area am I already an expert in and how can that fit into other fields to make something better?
• Who do I already know that can help me push boundaries with my ideas and my products?
• Who do I need to establish a relationship with that will help me make my idea even better than it already is?
• Who can I select as a partner that will help me become an expert in my desired field?
• How can I promote myself to other people who will appreciate my own expertise?
• How can I make the collaboration experience the best it can possibly be for everyone involved? 

Moving forward with collaboration can be a daunting task if you don’t know where to begin, but asking these seven questions will give you a head start.