Collaboration. When it works… it works! The outcome produced is far better than what could have been produced by either… alone.  Elton John & Bernie Taupin, Steve Jobs & Steve Wozniak, Hepburn & Tracy… they all produced better work because they collaborated with the other. Each brought unique talent to the project that complemented the other, without which the outcome would not be the same. The real benefit of working with a collaborator that complements you… it’s just plain FUN!

While in Dallas this week I had the good fortune of doing just that not once… but twice. There was "flow"… we finished each others sentences and the movement was like a dance. That may sound like what one does only after you’ve know someone for years… right? Well this was not the case in either of the meetings. Both meetings were with people that I’ve only known for a short time that could only be measured in hours. One of the meetings was with a colleague named Cindy Pladziewicz, she writes the blog Professional Development Perspectives. Cindy and I are collaborating on a presentation that we are producing for a client that will include her expertise as a lawyer and a clinical psychologist and mine as a legal brander and business developer. I wish you could have been a "fly on the wall" watching us work. We were having sooo much FUN. We started at 9:30 and before we knew it… it was nearly 5:00 and I had to head for the airport to catch my flight to Miami. The day… I mean entire day flew by like 2 hours. We laughed… we pondered… we had great ideas… and not so great ideas… and above all… we enjoyed it! Every single minute of it. 

I ask you, my friend…when was the last time you truly collaborated?

Are you producing your work in a vacuum or are you reaching out to make it "bigger and better?"

Are you myopic or are you broadening your horizons to include unimaginable possibilities?

I will tell you that these meeting in Dallas were unimaginable a few months ago and they were both with people that I met because I reached out to them having read their blogs. Reading their content let me know how they think… and it was music to my ears!