The Joys of Collaboration

I am a bit of a stickler for doing things for myself; my way, self help, if you like. So, when I published my first, and subsequent, books, I did most of it myself at minimum cost. The results are commented on and speak for themselves. That’s not to say that I don’t do my research and check things out, I do. However, what I also do is then is to check through my network of friends to see which of them can help. These are, invariably, people I get on well with who share my values who have friends who are similar. It makes for both a supportive and collaborative network.

This includes speakers, authors, publishers, photographers, designers, graphic artists, video and IT experts and architects, among others. Many have expertise in a number of these areas, something that helps to make the whole process seamless. Interestingly these are often people two generations my junior. The good part of this is that they are much more up to date than I am in their thinking.   Interestingly, many of them are female; a gender I find to be more collaborative just for its own sake.  Their youth also means that they aren’t too set in their ways. Something us old white guys are usually more prone to be. They seem to appreciate my experience and enthusiasm while I appreciate their youthful expertise and their enthusiasm. It works well.

This has meant that, whenever, I’ve wanted to publish a book, create a website, design a business card or book cover, find my way through the maze that is social media and market myself, I’ve usually been able to do so, inexpensively. The past few weeks have been no exception and I’ve recently added two more to my network and, via them, others as yet unidentified.

These young people are helping me in a number of ways; the first of which is practical. However, they also help to reaffirm my belief in the inherent goodness of the great majority of people. The last is in demonstrating the joy of collaborative working. It beats competition any day.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *