What collaboration does your business need?
When I compare how collaboration happens in North America versus Europe, the contrast is stark.
In Europe, collaboration is almost limitless. Competitors — even the fiercest — will sit across from one another, roll up their sleeves, and find a way to work together if there’s mutual benefit. That mindset doesn’t seem to be embedded in North American business culture — at least not to the same degree.
For a while it seemed we were starting to open up to that way of thinking, but lately it feels like we’ve hit the brakes. Collaboration has become more cautious again, more selective, more siloed.
And I keep asking myself — why?
I see collaboration as a multiplier. It’s not about giving something up. It’s about gaining something bigger than you could ever have built alone.
My grandmother had a saying that stuck with me: getting half of something big is better than getting all of something small. That’s what’s at stake here. Too often, people shy away from collaboration because they’re afraid to split the win — or they worry they’ll have to share the credit. I believe the truth is: if you’re choosing the right partners, you’ll absolutely WANT to split the win and chare the credit.
In other words, clear, purposeful collaboration can create something so much bigger than any one organization could on its own. So how do we get better at it?
Step one: self-awareness.
If you can’t clearly identify what you need to be successful, how can you ever expect someone else to help? The best collaborators I know are the ones who are brutally clear — with themselves and with others — about what they’re looking for. That kind of clarity invites the right partners to raise their hands and say, “I can help with that.”
Without it, collaboration becomes a guessing game.
I see an example of this at trade shows. Whenever someone books booth space at a trade show and then tells me “I didn’t make the connections I was hoping for,” it’s usually for a simple reason: when people walked by their booth, they saw a company rep sitting at their laptop, concentrating on answering emails, not making eye contact with people passing by.
If you don’t put yourself out there — if you don’t let people know what you want — don’t be surprised when you don’t get it.
Step two: know what makes a good partner.
Look for people who share your values. That doesn’t mean you have to love them — but you do have to trust that your foundations align. For me, one of the clearest markers is whether someone is willing to move toward clarity. If their instinct is to say, “Let’s just get the ball rolling and we’ll figure out the details later,” I start getting wary. That kind of ambiguity is a red flag. The people I work best with are the ones who want to build a clear structure, even when it’s hard.
Finally, remember this: if you’re not being clear with yourself and others about what you want from a partnership, how will you ever know when you’ve truly found the right pairing?
Collaboration is not a handout. It’s not charity. And it’s not something you should keep in your back pocket as a last resort. It’s a deliberate, strategic move — and it can be a powerful force for innovation if we let it.
Let’s stop sitting behind the proverbial table, eyes down, answering emails. Let’s get out there, get clear, and find the people who want to build something bigger — together.
