Often, when "successful" entrepreneurs and business leaders are asked what the secret to their success is, they say it's all about hiring really smart people.
Richard Branson once stated that success is about "hiring people smarter than you … and getting out of their way."
Steve Jobs famously noted, "It doesn't make sense to hire smart people and tell them what to do; we hire smart people so they can tell us what to do."
So it makes good sense to surround ourselves with the best and brightest in our field when we want to build something incredible.
But what about surrounding ourselves with the best and brightest for our day-to-day work? What does it look like to get the same benefit of having your own personal think tank, without the bother of a full-time staff?
I have 6–8 friends that I consider creative collaborators — people I reach out to with some frequency to bounce ideas off of or to get together and jam on a project with.
I send this group videos I've made, voice notes, excerpts from a book I'm working on, or maybe just articles I've read that have captured my attention.
Sometimes there's a specific ask. Sometimes we're just sharing things with each other to see what the reaction is.
Now, I feel super lucky in that some of my crew are among the most creative and interesting people in the world (in my opinion). I have regular Zoom calls with them, or we share texts and voice notes back and forth with regularity. As a one-man practice (solopreneur?), this group of people I've assembled over the years is invaluable.
I'm a pretty successful guy according to my own definition of success, and I owe so much of that to this board of directors I've been fortunate enough to work with over the past 20 years.
So who's on your personal board of directors? Who do you wish you could call when you're struggling with a hiring decision, or you've written a LinkedIn post you're scared to hit publish on? If you had a Batphone, who would be on the other end?
Coaches and mentors are great, and I totally suggest you work with one (shameless plug). But curating a group of people you can freely bounce your professional or creative ideas and projects off of is well worth the time and energy it takes to start asking people out for coffee (or a call).
Baking Instructions:
- Make a list of 5–10 people you wish you could collaborate with.
- Ask them on a date of sorts — coffee, a walk, a call, an analog letter exchange, whatever.
- Share something with them you need feedback on, and have a specific ask: how can they support you?
- Make it a point to connect regularly. Add it to your calendar.
- Don't be a taker. Ask how you can do the same for them. Freely ye have received, freely ye shall give.
Now you have your own badass network of creative collaborators. With their help, your work is about to improve, and you'll attain the level of success you've always hoped for. Or, at the very least, you'll enjoy doing the work more — with good friends.