The next time you’re working a colleague or partner, ask yourself if it’s possible that you’ll still be working together in ten or twenty year’s time.
If the answer is “I hope not,” think about why – and ask why it is you work with them now, and how you might stop.
But if it’s even vaguely possible that you might be working together for a long time, you’re look at a fellow traveller, and should ask questions like these instead:
- “What will make them want to keep on working with me?“
- “What impact could our partnership have over the next decade?”
- “What will our partnership look like if we both continue to get better at what we do?”
- “How can I help them get better?”
- “How can I make it easier for them to do what they do?”
- “Which bits of my work could I leave to them – or what could they leave to me?”
Lastly ask:
“Who else could join us?” and “How can we grow our scene?”
This is great, thanks. Really helpful questions.