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| UNINTENTIONAL COLLABORATION A couple weeks ago I was at my nephew’s band concert. He’s in sixth grade. I tell you this because it was not good. It wasn’t supposed to be good. These children are just learning how to play complex machines while learning to read music and play along with other children learning to be musicians. Collaboration is difficult. When we don’t know what we’re doing, we can’t begin to comprehend what the other actors in a collaboration are doing or rely on them because we aren’t able to ask for assistance. My mission is to support people, organizations, and communities to better collaborate with each other so we can all create a larger positive impact. I do it by focusing on the ways we are collaborating every day and taking lessons from that to assist us in the future. Often, we are collaborating and we do not call it collaboration. We call it going to the grocery store check out line, therapy, organizing the family activities for the week, arranging lunch with friends, or any other opportunity we must accomplish a common goal with other people. I like to call these moments unintentional collaborations. Sometimes I can get very abstract in what collaboration looks like. In my upcoming book, Gregg Potter, You Fool! I am sharing my collaboration framework. To do so, I share stories of unintentional collaborations from my life. One is a moment when my dog had some major digestion problems. I called it a Shitty Story. To me, her and I working to get through that moment is a collaboration. It also brought in the veterinarian, calls to friends, and other unlucky bystanders. I also think my nephew learning to play his trumpet is an incredible example of a collaboration. The hundreds of years people developing the trumpet and music to play. His band instructor teaching lessons each week. And him, at home, learning to play through trial and error as my sister is tortured through it. What is a successful unintentional collaboration you had today? Did all the actors in the collaboration feel it was successful? What would you have done differently if you initially considered it a collaboration?A COLLABORATION HACKLast week at a happy hour, my friend shared with me that her new job was going well, yet the team was having trouble meeting in the middle. This friend works for a company creating a giant new fitness application. The team is spread out over the globe from the United States, Europe, and Asia. The goals was to create one interface that worked for all the different cultures who would be using the app. After chatting a bit more with her about it, I suggested they hire a Collaboration Coach to assist in getting past this hurdle. She immediately asked, “What is a Collaboration Coach?” A Collaboration Coach is slightly different than an executive or life coach. A Collaboration Coach uses similar tools while also being a facilitator and mediator. They often utilize conflict resolution skills as well. They are a coach for the entire team to hold space as the group works through difficult conversations. My executive coach friend said it very well. “A Collaboration Coach facilitates conversations people don’t want to have despite their desire to accomplish the same goal.” Here is the hack; not all collaborations need to hire and outside Collaboration Coach but an unbiased third party can be a huge change maker. For work and goals with a lot at stake, yes, email me or let me refer you to someone who fits with your vision. However, sometimes, it just requires calling in a third party to listen, read, or ask meaningful questions to help get past a difficult or uncomfortable moment. DO NOT FEAR ASKING FOR THIRD PARTY SUPPORT. WHAT AM I DIGESTING?  Hanif Abdurraqib | They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us  Holding Change | Adrienne Maree Brown | Pleasure Activism |
 A Slight Change of Plans | Dr. Maya Shankar |
