Collaboration Drives Growth

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I have long believed that working together with others has an amazing effect on growth.  My experiences this week have reaffirmed it. 

j0433027[1]The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines “collaborate” like this:

  1. : to work jointly with others or together especially in an intellectual endeavor
  2. : to cooperate with or willingly assist an enemy of one’s country and especially an occupying force  (OK this one probably does not apply to our discussion here.)
  3. : to cooperate with an agency or instrumentality with which one is not immediately connected

To me the definition is simpler.

Collaboration is people helping people to reach new heights.

Six months ago, I started actively using Twitter, and as my understanding of the power of this collaborative tool grew, I used it more.  Today I have five different profiles in Twitter, each one for a specific collaborative purpose.

Through Twitter I developed online friendships with Marty Zwilling (@StartUpPro) and Zane Safrit (@ZaneSafrit).  This gave me an opportunity to collaborate with them in sharing ideas on entrepreneurship and growth, two of my personal passions.   Each offered the opportunity to work with them in different ways and as it turned out they both wanted to do so on Wednesday June 10th.

Marty offered the opportunity to work with him on his popular imageblog – Startup Professionals Musings as a guest author.  The goal was to add a little of the woman’s perspective on entrepreneurship and to have a little fun.  Together we published “Women Entrepreneurs – Running the Race in High Heels”.  Since all entrepreneurs are different and all women are definitely not the same, I added a little extra collaborative energy and asked two friends (Francine Hardaway (@hardaway) and Amilya Antonetti (@Amilya) if I could use them as as examples in the post.

 

Zane has a popular show on Blog Talk imageRadio.  As we got to know each other, we thought it would be fun to do a broadcast together.  We put our heads together to see what the audience might enjoy and scheduled the show for Wednesday June 10th.  This link will take you to the 1 hour replay of the show.  We had a blast exploring ideas about entrepreneurship, innovation, leadership, and strategies for building solutions.  And we’re planning to do it again in the future.

 

So does collaboration bring results?    The more I collaborate, the more people I can connect with, converse with, and hopefully engage with so that together we can reach new heights.  It seems to be working all around.  Each of my Twitter profiles has different audiences and different messages – but they are all growing and making their way up the lists.  (At least in my little corner of the world.)

There are so many opportunities to collaborate happening all around us.  I am lucky enough to get to touch a wide variety of them.

Working with an incredible network of talented executives at CorePurpose.

Working with RiboMed Biotechnologies to help Dr. Hanna and the team develop the resources they will you to launch new diagnostic technologies and products for early cancer detection.

Working with inspiring entrepreneurs like Francine Hardaway and the team at OTEF to produce the 4th Annual Arizona Entrepreneurship Conference on November 12, 2009 in Phoenix. (We need sponsors -if your market is entrepreneurs – give me a shout!  All of the proceeds help at risk populations develop their own business ideas.)

Engaging in new discussions every day with companies that are launching innovative new products and services.  (Those are still secrets but they are really cool deals and you will hear more about them soon. )

Watching my friends @LonSafko, @StevenGroves, and @AmandaVega work together as The Social Media Bible is gaining popularity nationwide.

And learning the ins and outs from my friends at Metro Studios on  how to navigate, promote and collaborate in the new online marketing world.  It’s always productive when I collaborate with Clay (@CSMetro), Lisa (@LisaJMetro) and all the @MetroStudios folks.  (They’ve been my partner for years!)

I’m looking for that next great opportunity to help a company grow.  I know it’s out there.  That is why I keep collaboration as a key strategy on the top of my to-do list every day.  Put COLLABORATION on the top of YOUR to-do list and watch the magic happen.

Thanks for stopping by…Stay tuned.

-Joan Koerber-Walker

Posted in Blog, Getting Back to Basics, Growth, Real World Inspiration.