Effortless collaboration

There’s a truly amazing moment in the film Get Back when keyboardist and friend of the band Billy Preston struts into the Beatles recording studio unannounced.

They are mid-way through the live recording of Let It Be in at the Apple Studios in Saville Row (where they played their last, infamous rooftop gig). Where before there was slow progress and challenges getting the songs over the line, with the charismatic and talented Billy in the room, the atmosphere transforms and the music flows.

He’d only popped in to say hello after they played together years before in Hamburg, and had been there just a few minutes when they invited him to play a song with them.

And with Billy’s help, the album got over the line and the songs had a new lease of life.

He’s now known as the fifth Beatle and the only person to ever be given writing credits on a record other than the Fab Four.

Have you ever wondered what creative sparks might come if you collaborated more?

Lana Jelenjev is our Billy Preston. She has added new energy and depth to our work and been a huge part of the success of Vision 20/20.

Never be afraid to invite someone else in to your world. Life and work are more fun when you collaborate with those you admire. And you never know where it might lead you.

10 tips to collaborate more effortlessly

On a recent episode of the Friday Fireside Lana joined us to share how she does it. Here are my takeaways from our conversation:

1. Open yourself up to serendipity
   At lot of the most successful people are the luckiest. But not dumb luck, they are open minded and spot opportunities where others don’t.

2. Find the multipliers
   Some people leave you feeling bigger and more energised after having spent time with them. Ideally anyone you collaborate with should help you feel like you’re learning, growing or being inspired.

3. Give before you get
   You can’t expect to seek the benefits of a relationship without contributing first. Don’t ask ‘what’s in it for me?’, but instead ‘what’s in me for them?’

4. Own the energy you bring into the room
   You can’t control how others behave but you can take charge of how you show up. Remember you can influence others by the energy you take with you.

5. Be clear on why you need to collaborate
   Unless you’re sure about your needs when starting out you’re more likely to hit problems later. So take time to look inwards and ask what it is you need from any collaboration first.

6. Have an open door policy
   No collaboration should be forever so embrace the ‘rule of two feet’ by having a clear arrangement that if things aren’t working out you can go your separate ways.

7. Set a clear intention for any relationship
   A good collaboration is all about managing expectations from the outset. Try and get in sync so you’re both on the same page.

8. Lose the scarcity mindset
   It’s easy to worry about someone stealing your idea or not working with a competitor. But if you embrace a more abundant mindset you’ll open yourself up to more possibility and a win-win for everyone.

9. Give it 90 days (before saying a full yes)
   Lana shared how she gives any collaboration a 3 month window which takes the pressure off it at the beginning and gives a chance to reflect too.

10. Don’t let a bad experience put you off
    Karen joined us live to share her challenge of having been let down a number of times. Understandably she is now cautious but the advice was to take her time and find more alignment on values and not just skills in the future.