Earlier in 2014, I had the privilege of working with a very talented dancer (Alice Robinson) who I went to school with and together we worked on what I would describe as my most rewarding video project to date. The whole project was brought about after a brief conversation that I had with Alice in which we decided we should work together after our years of study to use my skill in filmmaking and her skills in dancing to make a kick-ass dance music video. Although we both studied very different courses we found a way we could both use our newly gained knowledge to create something.
Now I don’t want this to seem like a plug for my own personal film projects so I will get to the point and that point is the importance of collaboration. The other day I was listening to Triple J radio on my way to work and they had a great artist come into the studio known as Tom Thum. He is currently working with the QLD Symphonic Orchestra (conducted and composed by Gordon Hamilton) on a project combining his extraordinary musical ability and the classical music genre in a collaboration that brings a new musical flavour to the ears of many. In the Triple J interview, Gordon Hamilton expressed that the outcome of the project was something that neither himself or Tom could have created without the other. This is collaboration in a nutshell, the creation of something that one person could not achieve on their own and in most cases the outcome is exponentially better.
At The Social Adviser we do this all day, everyday. It’s like how going and watching an amazing movie is better with a friend, or watching that beautiful sunset is more special with someone important. Our lives are built around creating memories and in most cases, memories are more enjoyable when we share them with others. Collaboration is the same; as human beings we can create some exceptional things individually but when we put our heads together, that’s when the truly incredible is achieved and there is a lot more to gain from it.
Now I am sure that a lot of workplaces, whether they thrive on creativity or not, can be very ‘solo effort’ orientated. There’s nothing wrong with being able to do an exceptional job on your own, but think about the potential time saved and improved quality of putting two of yourself to the same job. Of course, we haven’t invented cloning yet, so efficient collaborating requires two people to be able to work together and take constructive criticism along the way. In many jobs, collaborating is the only way to get anything done, so it’s an essential process to adopt. I think some time to reflect on the importance of collaborating is needed in every workplace.
Think about Orbur and Wilbur Wright who in 1903 created the first controlled, powered and sustained ‘heavier than air’ human flight. Or Larry Page and Sergey Brin who in 1996 started a research project called ‘Google’; another one of the most successful collaborations of our time. I could keep listing important collaborations throughout history that have helped the human race in numerous ways, but I think we all get the point. Whether it’s a random DIY project at home or the next big project going on at your place of work, have a little think about how someone around you could be a collaborative partner who helps make your project bigger and better than it otherwise could have been. One version of you as a human being is amazing, but put more amazing human beings in the mix and I am sure you will surprise yourself at how amazing things can be.
So here are my 4 tips for collaboration:
- Think about your passion, what drives you and understand what makes you tick. You will find that successful collaborations are created with people who share the same kind of motivation, not necessarily those with a similar skillset.
- In addition to the first tip, you should try to find someone who has a skillset that is different but complimentary to yours, just like I did with Alice.
- Collaborating is a learning experience for everyone involved. Don’t just ‘play your part’, understand the value of putting two minds together and work towards understanding more about a skillset different to your own.
- Collaboration isn’t always easy, but like anything valuable or worthwhile in life, it takes time and energy. So if you hit a roadblock in working with someone else, don’t give up, try and understand what caused it, how to remove it and how to reduce the chance of this roadblock appearing again. It is worth persevering, because once you master the art of working with the right person, together you can start achieving the incredible!
Collaboration is a part of life and there is much enjoyment to be had when working with others towards a shared goal. So stop what you are doing right now, think about the various projects in your life that you are working on by yourself and consider who you may be able to bring on board.