28th
Collaboration = Awe + Comrades + Flirts
In the agency that is my life ( www.hugeinc.com ), most of our really awesome work is produced by intensely collaborative superstar teams that often come close to internal bloodshed but also rock a hyper-productive genius dysfunctional family vibe that makes everyone jealous.
Here’s what I think makes our most successful internal collaborative teams work:
1. Awe.
Awe is respect elevated to a level where you admit you could never go there. Smart people all secretly think they could do exactly what their smart, respected colleagues do. Awe is when even the smarty-pants admit they are working with someone who rocks something they couldn’t. Awe is true respect in a room full of talent.
2. Comraderie.
If I can’t enjoy grabbing a beer with you at the airport I can’t truly enjoy working with you on a project that involves intense collaboration. You can’t force it - people who really don’t like each other won’t work well together. At the end of the day comraderie = I got your back. You’re my comrade if you’re loyal to me beyond what our department, title, or tenure would dictate - you get my back because you give a shit about me.
3. Flirtation.
I think flirtation is seriously underrated (probably because I’m a shameless flirt). To me flirtation equals playfulness, a healthy lack of respect for political correctness, and a willingness to alternately jab and flatter each other’s egos. In an agency environment full of classic headcases we all need a lot of both, plus 10-hour days warrant a bit of time off for self-indulgently clever jabs, no?
Do you need all 3?
I think it’s an and/or situation. If a few people have all 3 they’re probably gonna start an agency (or commune) of their own at some point… a good or bad thing depending on where you’re sitting ; )
I just think in general everyone in a team needs 1 or more type of connection with every other team member. If that happens, I’m pretty confident the team will rock.
