Collaboration Isn't a Luxury

For some, collaboration feels like a luxury they can't afford right now.

There's a deadline approaching. More voices will only slow things down. If we ask for feedback, we'll be stuck dealing with it—and that takes time we don't have.

They're right about this—to a point. Collaboration does take time. Inviting more voices will surface ideas and concerns you wouldn't otherwise consider. It's messier and slower than just moving forward.

But what's often forgotten in these scenarios is what happens after that critical deadline is met. We announce the plan. Now someone has to implement it. We ship the product. Now someone has to market, sell, and support it. That someone—the person whose opinions we didn't have time for a few weeks ago—is not going to be happy.

The progress we made grinds to a halt. Now we're caught in catch-up mode while they get oriented, plus managing their frustration and the bad feelings that come from not having been involved in the first place.

If you're operating as a truly independent agent, you can probably afford to skip the messy, time-intensive work of collaboration. But if your success even partially depends on others doing their part well—if they need to understand your goals and decisions in order to do their work—then collaboration isn't optional. Invest in collaboration early, and reap the rewards. Defer it until it can't be avoided, and you'll be saddled with a debt that's far more expensive than the time you saved.