The Challenege of Collaboration

Building a great product or a a great set of products doesn't just happen becuase you have a great idea.  In fact, that is one of the easiest parts of the process.  Everyone has ideas and many of the are pretty good.  The real challenge is executing on that idea, and the teams that execute best are often stellar at collaboration in order to get the job done.​

It takes more than an idea to make a great product. 

This week I was confronted the the challenges of building collaborative teams.  Its isn't a easy thing to do.  And if you are lucky enough to have built a collaborative team, it is also hard to keep the collaborating.  (Success has a tendency to et away at collaboration.) 

So, my team was given a chance to participate in a development activity around helping us to foster an continually improving work environment.  One part of that process was completing a questionnaire about our collaboration. As I was filling it out, I fought the initial reaction to have my leadership blinders on and decided to really analyze it and try to answer reflectively. 

Oh was it eye opening.  I found myself saying things like, "that's not how I envision it really should be" or "I can see why as a leader it is this way, but I don't know that is really the right way."    You see collaborative environments don't occur naturally in when building a product or a team.  Great intentions to foster it can lead to realities that are less ideal.  It was an eye opening experience for me and one that I am excited to drill into with the team.  We've got some work to do, but our success continues to depend on it.  Here is a good video that shares some collaboration insights.

Getting Started

Recently, my wife started her own business.  Her desire was to do something that she enjoyed to help people.  The goal for her wasn't to make millions (though I might dream that for her) it was to share a product that she loved.  So after a little debating on her own, she took the leap and has been working to grow that opportunity.

Watching the whole process unfold was inspiring, so I decided start a project that I have been thinking about for some time too.  Growing and idea in to something isn't easy, it is hard.  There is a lot of risk, but the upside can far outweigh the down.  Starting today, I am creating this blog as an opportunity to share from my experiences and the experiences of others who are out there creating and building.  

I build SaaS products and have worked with some amazing teams.  Whether it is building tech for education, personal finance, productivity, or some other areas, I like trying to solve problems and build teams.  So, here is to the journey that is beginning.