I’ve been thinking a lot about collaboration lately. I’ve
just finished one collaborative project, am in the middle of a couple of other
projects and a part of a few other, ongoing collaborative efforts.
Of course, not all my attempts at collaboration are a
success. Sometimes I fall on my face and sometimes things fizzle out.
I think it all circles back to communication. When efforts have
worked out, the communication was easier, and when it wasn’t easy, at least it
was open and honest. And when mistakes were made, the assumptions on both ends
was that they were been mistakes, not intentional misdeeds.
Not all collaborations can work out – hey, I know I can’t
get along with everyone. And certainly I’m as guilty as the next person of misinterpreting
intent, putting my ego too much in the game, and letting both those things get
in the way of the flow of communication. But I am really proud of this piece
that I worked on with Sue Robins for Bloom, (the blog for Holland Bloorview Kids
Rehabilitation Hospital), all about how the parent voice can be heard when we need
to collaborate with our kids’ health professionals (‘I felt so small:’ Parent tips on speaking up with specialists).
What I liked about this collaboration: I’ve never really
written a piece with anyone before. I see Sue as a writing mentor as well as
someone who has had similar, but not identical, experiences in healthcare. It was
great to generate ideas together and to turn what is usually a solitary experience for me (writing)
into a shared experience.
What are your ideas on collaboration? How have they worked out for you? Do you have solid tips? Do you groan or get giddy with excitement when embarking on a collaborative project?
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| Collaborating to move forward together |
Of course I love this post. :) I think doing things alone is easier, but doing things together is better. Thank you for your patience with our drafts and more drafts (would the drafts ever end?) & waffling, and confusion...and everything that basically goes into a messy, good creative process. That article has been shared WIDELY in the health care world (interestingly enough - retweeted a lot by physicians) and maybe it will help one family on their journey...at least to remind them they are not alone. ps: I knew when we had coffee at Artiagiano that day that we were destined to work together. So. Much. Giggling. Over. Fax. Machines.
ReplyDeleteCouldn't agree with you more. Doing things together is always harder but, invariably, the results are always richer.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, from that first meeting over coffee, I knew we were destined to work together. It was a very happy meeting of the minds and hearts.