COLLABORATing at 1909
— Written by Lianne Hikind
Here's the thing. In a community, people work together to build and develop. They work together, help each other, and create ideas that change the game. It's known that our environment is one of the most significant influences on our creativity and ingenuity. But how do we get there? How do we work together on projects, collaborate on ideas, and create things that can inspire others? In a creative, community-based space like 1909, what are some of the best ways to collaborate with other members, even if they might be in a different industry than us?
We reached out and asked some of our members and compiled some of the best answers here. We hope this can help inspire you to reach out and create more. Many 1909 members have worked together on projects, and our community is so much better for those partnerships.
Thank you so much to Gabby Perez, Brian Schmitt, and Greg Barbosa for your ideas and inspiring this blog post…
Make sure people know what you do –
Suppose you're a graphic designer, copywriter, developer, photographer – you want to make sure people are aware of your skills within the space.
To be able to collaborate with you or even refer to your work, people need to know what it is that you do for work. And they need to be able to see your work. If you're a new member (or if you've never introduced yourself), feel free to post to our #welcome channel in Slack. Let us know who you are, what you do for work, what you're working on, and show us your portfolio. We want to see what you do! This can ensure that our members who may be looking for help in that area can connect with you and can trust that your work is worthy of a referral.
And if you're looking for help with a project, there's a #gigs channel for just that purpose. And even offline, talk to people in the space. Have conversations and introduce yourself to anyone you don't know; you may be surprised who is looking for someone with your exact skill set.
Give More Than You Get –
One of the ways to receive value can be by providing it to others. This is especially true in a community-based space like ours, where building relationships can ensure your work is top of mind for projects.
That can mean providing value long before you work on a big project with someone. Many of us have unique skills and can provide insights. Be open to answering a question someone might have, giving feedback or insights, and even helping someone get connected to the right resources.
And when you have a question or need some help or feedback, reach out to people who can help you. This is happening every day here, and it's manifested in the growth and development of startups and partnerships. The #advice channel on Slack is a great (and easy) way to offer help to others and receive it!
Join A Co-Lab Day –
Co-Lab is a great opportunity to work with other Members. During Co-Lab, a small selection of startups from our Accelerator Program are chosen to have their projects worked on. Teams consisting of both Members and Non-Members from our greater community are selected to help turn problems into projects, sometimes overcoming obstacles that would've taken months…in a single weekend.
This is a great way to contribute your unique skills, make friends, and build new connections. And solving problems together opens the door to future collaborations. And it's super fun, competitive, and inspiring as well.
Collaboration Is All About Communication –
Finally, in one of our recommendations for this week, a concept called "The Power Thank You" from the book, Just Listen, was recommended by Brian Schmitt.
While we all know how important communication is to the various aspects of working together with someone, gratitude is an essential part of that.
Communicate directly, be open to ideas, and always be upfront and appreciative of what the other person did for you. You really never know how much impact this could have on someone's day, and it's a great way to continue a great working relationship in the future.
HOW “The Power Thank You” works –
Part I: Thank the person for something specific they did for you.
Part II: Acknowledge the effort it took for the person to help you.
Part III: Tell them the difference his/her act personally made.
Share Your Ideas –
Thank you again to Brian, Gabby, and Greg for contributing their ideas. We're so lucky to have so many incredibly insightful people contributing to the ideas we share here.
Do you have any awesome tips for optimizing collaboration? Our community is so much better when we work together.