What has been my most rewarding collaboration with a junior, senior, or an equal level performer?

I can think of a few different ones...

The manager who took a chance on me by giving me my first commissions administration job, and who collaborated with me, until I was confident enough, to do the job on my own…

Minoo Jha

· 6y

What is the gift of encouragement?

Hi, You asked, What is the gift of encouragement? I am reminded of when I first took on the role of Commissions Analyst at Palm - my first commissions administration job. I did not know Excel – yet there I was being recruited to a job which was entirely Excel based, and what’s more, involved an advanced level of Excel. I was anxious about pulling it off. But if on one side I had doubt and concern, on the other side, I had a fierce women’s advocate, my manager, Laura H, who wanted me to succeed. She not only took a chance on me by giving me a job I was not qualified for, by either education or experience…. She mentored me so I developed the confidence to do the job. Laura went out on maternity leave, not long after I took up the Commissions Analyst job. I went into panic mode when she gave me the news. “Laura, I am not sure I can manage on my own. I don’t really understand any of the formulas. If anything goes wrong with a formula, how will I fix it? And what do I do when new hires comes on board – how will I set up their commission statements? I don’t know how to do that.” “Don’t worry, Minoo. Trust me you can do this”, she said. “Just copy the formulas from the existing sheets on to the new sheets for new hires. And if you break a formula, just look at one of the other spreadsheets and copy the formula over from there.” “Trust me - you can do this.” Those were the magic words. If Laura felt I could do it, surely I could. After she had gone, everything went just like she said. I was able to manage the process on my own, copying sheets, copying formulas, using what had already been built. Laura did not return from maternity leave. She had decided to get involved with the launch of a women’s sports magazine. But thanks to her confidence in me, I was able to keep going. In fact, I did the job on my own for the next 5 years, until I left for another job. That’s How Powerful The Gift of Encouragement Is Did Laura know for sure everything would turn out okay? Not really. Did I know for sure everything would turn out okay? Not really. But just the fact Laura had so much confidence in me made me believe I could succeed. From my experience, this is what I learned… Want to see what someone is capable of? Take a chance on them. Give them adequate training. Make sure they have a template to follow. Tell them you are confident they will succeed. Then sit back and watch the magic happen!

The Toastmasters mentor who collaborated with me on each of my 10 speeches, enabling me to complete all of my 10 CTM speeches within a year, plus win an award, and write an article.

Minoo Jha

· 6y

How often do you find yourself thinking ‘two is better than one’?

Hi, You asked, How often do you find yourself thinking ‘two is better than one’? Every now and then. And wistfully. Because some of my best work - and most wonderful output - has come about, because another person was involved. In successful partnerships, as in successful marriages, one plus one does not equal two, but an exponential amount more. Having the right co-pilot, spouse, or mentor can make all the difference to what you achieve. My Toastmasters experience is a good example. In 2003, I joined Toastmasters. I was lucky enough to be mentored by someone, who was not just very experienced at public speaking, but incredible at mentoring as well. Thanks to her feedback and input, I completed my CTM in a year. Moreover, all of my speeches were big hits. Other aspiring speakers would come up to me after my speeches. They would want to know the secret behind my speaking ability. My mentor had a big part to play in it. I decided her contribution to my success shouldn’t go unrecognized. So after I completed my CTM, I wrote a speech dedicated to her, and what she had done for me. Want to guess what it was called? When One Plus One Does Not Equal Two.

The art director and copywriter who collaborated with me on some of the ads I am most proud of…

Minoo Jha

· 1y

How would you describe the time you have collaborated with an individual?

“Two is better than one” describes it best. I collaborated a few different times in my career as a copywriter. It was usually with another copywriter. There was one art director and me who had the most amazing collaboration. This was at Contract Advertising, Bangalore. There was a copywriter whom I met at Contract Advertising, Bangalore who also collaborated with me, not just when we worked together at Contract Advertising, Bangalore, but later when I started my own creative hot shop in Madras - Purple Patch. Collaboration requires chemistry. And you need to be on the same wavelength so you enjoy the collaboration. My career as a freelance Commissions Administration Consultant has not provided me with opportunities for collaboration. But when I was in Toastmasters, my mentor and me had that chemistry. I would love to be in a collaboration again - be a Brian Grazer to a Ron Howard, or a Ron Howard to a Brian Grazer.

You can have project-length collaborations.

You can also have collaboration moments.

What do I consider collaboration moments?

Anytime, I get someone thinking.

That's a collaboration moment.

Anytime, someone gets me thinking.

That's a “collaboration” moment, too.

Collaboration moments, can be more satisfying than “personal inspirations”, even though those are fun, too.

Ron Howard and Brian Grazer, who gave us Parenthood, Splash, A Beautiful Mind, Apollo 13, and more, by working together on those films, can testify.

Perhaps, what they have achieved together, they may not have achieved on their own?

We don't know.

Another example is author James Patterson.

Besides the many books he has written on his own, he has co-authored books with more than 30 other authors.

I have listed just one Hollywood collaboration, and one writing collaboration.

There are plenty more.

Up for a quiz on some famous collaborations?

If you have a good memory for trivia, but have not dipped your toe into the waters of collaboration trivia, it’s time you did…

Minoo Jha

· 7y

How do I find good technical co-founders? Is there any particular resource or technique in finding competent technical co-founders?

Hi, You asked, How do I find good technical co-founders? Is there any particular resource or technique in finding competent technical co-founders? Here is a resource which may have already been suggested to you. Founder.Dating.com. Meanwhile, while your search is on, I thought you might enjoy a little quiz about collaborations. Here goes - Q1: Which of these well-known companies was not founded by college buddies? Google Yahoo E-Harmony Reddit Proactiv Answer: E-Harmony. E-Harmony was founded by Neil Clark Warren, a psychologist and author of relationship advice books, along with his son-in-law Greg Forgatch. All the other companies on this list were founded by college classmates, and 3 out of 4 of them were, in fact, founded by Stanford classmates, Proactiv being among them. Q2: Which of these co-founders of companies discovered that one of the things they had in common with each other was preferring Bob Dylan to the Beatles? Was it…. Sandy Lerner and Leonard Bosack of Cisco? Jerry Yang and David Filo of Yahoo? Paul Allen and Bill Gates of Microsoft? Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak of Apple? Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield of Ben and Jerry’s? Answer: It was Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. You may not have known that. I didn’t either. I learned of it from a Los Gatos Patch interview with Steve Wozniak. Q3: All these are celebrated collaborators. How quickly can you fill in the blanks? Rodgers and………. Lewis and………. Gilbert and ……….. Masters and……… Lords and……… And the answers are: Hammerstein, Sullivan, Clark, Johnson, Taylor Q4: Next, do you know the fields of work of the people listed in the last question? Can you match them to the list provided below: Sexology Opera Expeditions Fine Clothing Broadway Musicals Answers: Masters & Johnson - Sexology, Rodgers & Hammerstein - Opera, Lewis & Clark - Expeditions, Lords & Taylor - Fine Clothing, Gilbert & Sullivan - Broadway Musicals. On to our next question about collaborators…. Q5: Which of these collaborators were not siblings? Orville and Wilbur Elizabeth, Mary and Sophia Walt and Roy Lucy and Desi Jacob and Wilhelm Richard and Maurice Answer: Lucy and Desi …who were husband and wife. Bonus question 1: What are the last names associated with the names above? Bonus question 2: How fast can you associate the following with the correct pairs from the list above?... 1) It’s A Small World 2) The History of Flight 3) Ethel and Fred 4) The Golden Arches 5) The introduction of kindergarten education in America , and 6) Hansel and Gretel. Q6: And finally, for all you lovebirds out there, the husband-and-wife teams listed below are behind some really cool and well-known companies. Can you identify the companies from just their names: Diane Greene and Mendel Rosenblum Stewart Butterfield and Caterina Fake Michael and Xochi Birch Sehat Sutardja and Weili Dai Eugene and Natalya Kaspersky Answers: Diane Greene and Mendel Rosenblum (VM Ware); Stewart Butterfield and Caterina Fake (Flickr); Michael and Xochi Birch (Bebo); Sehat Sutardja and Weili Dai (Marvell); Eugene and Natalya Kaspersky (Kaspersky Lab). Another famous husband and wife partnership is Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown of the legendary architectural firm Venturi Scott Brown and Associates. I hope you find your technical co founder and embark on a fulfilling and fruitful collaboration with them – whether that person is a friend, a soul mate, a spouse, a sibling, a classmate, a workmate, or someone you run into that turns out to be a great fit. Happy New Peer. As Henry Ford put it….."Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success."

Do I think there is an art to collaborations?

I think you have to be open to other people’s ideas, suggestions, and inputs.

Plus you have to be willing to share credit…

Minoo Jha

· 1y

What is a good example of when you sought other people’s views to help you improve your personal practice or your service?

Hi, You asked, What is a good example of when you sought other people’s views to help you improve your personal practice or your service? I try to do this as much as I can. In many of my assignments, the most useful thing I have done is to find out what the manager wants and then work to that requirement. I always try to feel out how I can deliver value that the person I am working with may not have thought of, and in fact they may not even know I can help them with. The skills required for Commissions Administration are numerical and software skills. The skills required for Advertising copy are writing skills. I try to see how I can bring both to my assignments. In many companies, I have written FRDs, User Guides, Commission Process documentation. And I even developed a learning tracker in one assignment. The feedback loop is very important to improving one’s personal practice or service. Quora is a good way to suss out what people want most - though I haven’t yet started using Quora for that.

Anyone can become a collaborator.

In fact, I urge you to.

Find someone to collaborate with.

See how it takes you beyond your limits.

And see how much more fun it is.

Than doing things, just on your own.