Collaborate don't Compete...

Submitted by Lionel Yap on December 5, 2008 - 3:49am

Someone once said "better to keep your mouth shut & let everyone think you a fool, then to open it & remove all doubt" Whoever said that might have had an ego that was easily bruised & probably some sort of complex. Is it so bad that at whatever station in life we find ourselves (wether a CEO of a multi national corp or a janitor) to admit that there are some things we just don't know? Regardless of whether "it" is expected of you to "know" by "now" (whatever "know", "it" or "now" maybe)

Here in Malaysia, we aren't exactly blessed with too many bright sparks (most of the smart ones have outsourced themselves to the US, Europe, Australia.. anywhere but here) So to say that expertise is spread thin & afar is an understatement. This is even MORE PRONOUNCED when you run a small company (such as ours) working to make the world a better place while trying to make a buck.

As with any company we have a choice, compete or collaborate. Right off the bat, I'd just like to say that I'm a bit lazy... Sooo lazy I don't even want to think of ways to outdo my competition. I find collaboration so much more rewarding & productive. True, the "I'll show you mine if you show me yours" mentality is not everyone's cup of tea. The key is finding those who CAN & WILL complement & collaborate with you & your business.

In our experience, these companies do in a day for us what would have taken us 6 months. What we do, is return the favour in kind.

The result :

An entity that is more than the sum of its parts.

They/we ARE the experts in their/our field so let them/us do their/our job. (there no shame asking for help)

Effort is multiplied, progress is hastened, results are realised sooner.

This APPLIES EVEN TO OUR "COMPETITORS"

In the end, we choose to see our competitors as those we haven't figured out how to work with yet.

So how about collaborating together today, right where you are, to make this world a better place?

Have a great day!

Human Development & Evolution

Lionel Yap's blog
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