I think I’m pretty smart. You probably think you’re pretty smart, too.
But there’s something available to you every day that can make you
immediately much, much smarter: other people’s brains, experience, and
insights.
So I decided to call upon the power of OPB (Other People’s Brains) – to make myself smarter through collaboration.
So here are three approaches that have helped me – and that I hope will help you – to take best advantage of the power of OPB:
Find the right people. My experience with the book title collaboration worked because I called upon a group of people who were 1) interested in helping me and 2) the ideal audience for my book. Successful crowd-sourcing – whether the crowd is 2 people or 2,000 – depends on these two things: interest in the topic and relevant knowledge, experience or circumstances.
Open up. I was talking to a client today, a very self-reflective and insightful CEO, who realized that he sometimes short-circuits collaboration on his team by having and expressing a strong opinion too early in the process. I suggest you enter into a collaborative conversation with this as your mantra, “Even if I think I know the right/best answer, I want to put that aside for awhile. Somebody else may have a much better idea, and I want it to come out.”
Diverge, then converge. After you’ve let the conversation unfold and gotten everyone’s ideas on the table, make a decision. You can do that in a collaborative way, by working to consensus; you can make the final decision yourself; or you can use any level of participation between those two extremes (what’s appropriate depends on the expectations of the group, the level of your need for their support of the final decision, and any deadlines, among other things). The most important thing, though, is to come to a conclusion, and share it with your collaborators. Nobody wants to feel as though they gave of their valuable time and brainpower for nothing: If people see that their collaboration with you has yielded a great, practical outcome, they’ll be far more inclined to want to think together with you in future.
by @erikaandersen Forbes Magazine.
So I decided to call upon the power of OPB (Other People’s Brains) – to make myself smarter through collaboration.
So here are three approaches that have helped me – and that I hope will help you – to take best advantage of the power of OPB:
Find the right people. My experience with the book title collaboration worked because I called upon a group of people who were 1) interested in helping me and 2) the ideal audience for my book. Successful crowd-sourcing – whether the crowd is 2 people or 2,000 – depends on these two things: interest in the topic and relevant knowledge, experience or circumstances.
Open up. I was talking to a client today, a very self-reflective and insightful CEO, who realized that he sometimes short-circuits collaboration on his team by having and expressing a strong opinion too early in the process. I suggest you enter into a collaborative conversation with this as your mantra, “Even if I think I know the right/best answer, I want to put that aside for awhile. Somebody else may have a much better idea, and I want it to come out.”
Diverge, then converge. After you’ve let the conversation unfold and gotten everyone’s ideas on the table, make a decision. You can do that in a collaborative way, by working to consensus; you can make the final decision yourself; or you can use any level of participation between those two extremes (what’s appropriate depends on the expectations of the group, the level of your need for their support of the final decision, and any deadlines, among other things). The most important thing, though, is to come to a conclusion, and share it with your collaborators. Nobody wants to feel as though they gave of their valuable time and brainpower for nothing: If people see that their collaboration with you has yielded a great, practical outcome, they’ll be far more inclined to want to think together with you in future.
by @erikaandersen Forbes Magazine.
