The BEST ideas win…regardless of where it comes from!

I have a confession to make.  I am not a good collaborator.  But, I am getting better at it.   It has always  difficult to me to be “One of the team” and not just the boss.  But after managing a business for 18 years, I have gotten better.  And I have learned that collaboration is absolutely the key to a great musical.

This from my friend Danny:

Collaboration is not about gluing together existing egos. It’s about the ideas that never existed until after everyone entered the room.

What a great concept!  I have learned that collaboration is not about trying to get the others to buy into your ideas….it is about creating the ideas together.   Of course, people come into the room with some thoughts but it is important that you also come into the room with an open and receptive mind.

And….the best ideas win.

And….it is also about trying different things, and seeing how they work.

And….it is about allowing others to speak and to listen.

And….it is about participating.

After seeing a new musical last year, one of my colleagues and I were debriefing about the show. And I was saying that I thought some of the songs did not go anywhere. While I thought the music was very good as whole, the songs did not individually tell a story.  We talked about how some writers and producers do not want to make any changes to a show that is still developing.  “This song is finished”, can be a recipe for disaster.

“Do you want the show to be yours, or do you want the show to be good?” – one of my mentors said at a conference I was at.  It blew me away.  It reminded me that shows that are in the beginning stages, must grow….must change….must develop.

Collaboration is not about egos…or about getting others to help you develop your idea…it is about working together to develop ideas that are insightful, meaningful and can change the world.

Larry Little
Producer