Collaborations & Co-Creating Friend or Foe?
One of my joys in life and a specialty of mine is talking you out of a collaboration, co-creation project, or business partnership!
WAIT, WHAT? Talking you out of it?
Yes, let me explain.
Metaphors are powerful tools. They have the ability to make concepts memorable and evoke positive emotions. Collaborations, in particular, can be likened to a kids' playdate: trucks versus slime.
Many of you are collaborating excessively and bringing slime to the table instead of your trucks. The content listed above on this page demonstrates and emphasizes the idea that playing with trucks leads to great collaborations, while playing with slime is ultimately engaging in devilish behavior.
When two kids arrive at a playdate, one with a blue truck and the other with a red truck, it's important to note that no matter how long they play together or what they do with the trucks, they will not go home with a purple truck. Each child will go home with the color truck they brought, along with the cherished memories of the experience they had, enjoying playing with each other.
In the context of business collaborations and co-creation, we can think of ourselves as the kids and our intellectual property as our truck (and our slime).
We have invested a significant amount of time, money, and effort in designing our truck, and we want to protect it to ensure that it continues to provide us with hours of enjoyment and memorable experiences.
On the other hand, if two kids arrive at a playdate with a blue bag of slime and a red bag of slime, without enforcing firm instructions while playing together, they will end up with purple slime (and possibly other shades). Neither kid can leave with the pure blue or red slime they brought to the playdate. They may still go home with great memories of playing together, but once slime is mixed, it is impossible to separate it back into its original colors.
Slime is our intellectual property, similar to the truck in the example above. However, it can be messy and cause damage to carpets, counters, and hair. It is not enjoyable to remove slime from places where it was never intended to be.
The content curated on this page regarding collaborations and co-creating content is designed to help you ensure that your collaborations are enjoyable and that your intellectual property remains protected without getting mixed up with someone else's work.
- Mastering the Art of Co-Creating Content for Successful Business Collaboration
- Thriving Online Partnerships: Guide to Business Collaborations
- Breaking Down the Basics of Email Management and Legalities in Joint Ventures
- ... more to come
