How To Collaborate Like Elon Musk To Generate Amazing Results on LinkedIn

“I think we have a duty to maintain the light of consciousness to make sure it continues into the future.”?– Elon Musk

Collaboration is "synergy in action." There are some who use it on wisely, yet many don't leverage the power of collaboration.

Elon Musk, Claude Silver, and Richard Branson know about collaboration.

So did Steve Jobs, Alfred Hitchcock, and Jim Henson.

At the end of this article, I will outline my collaboration checklist that you can put to use today.

Here's a how I use collaboration.

“Cooperation is always more powerful than competition.” —?Bob Proctor

When in Doubt, Go Bigger

With almost a quarter of a million followers here on LinkedIn, Heather Monahan is a force of nature.

She is a two-time best-selling author, Top 50 Keynote Speaker in the World, the podcast host of Creating Confidence, as well as a TedX speaker.

Heather’s podcast, Creating Confidence, debuted on the Top 200 podcasts on Apple and her guests have included Sara Blakely, Gary Vaynerchuck, James Altucher, Kara Goldin, billionaire Jay Samit, and Seth Godin among many other noteworthy celebrities and entrepreneurs.

Heather already knew about the power of collaboration.

So did I, having connected with key influencers in ways to give no to come with an ask.

That's lesson #1 in the rules of collaboration: Arrive with a "give" and not an "ask."

I had noticed Heather in my feed and started to see our paths crossing.

Heather noticed it too and reached out, seeing we needed to collaborate in some way.

Look at What You Have. Not at What You Need.

I looked at Heather, her profile, her skills, and set of values.

She must have looked at the same things because Heather approached me to be a guest on her podcast, the perfect venue for us to engage in dialog, explore business interests, and have a platform for discovery that we felt others would find valuable.

After all, between the two us here on LinkedIn, we had over 300,000 followers.

We scheduled the time and jumped on a powerful discussion about:

• Why should anyone brand in the first place?
• What's the role of influence in business?
• WHEN do you rebrand?
• How to handle the feeling of "shrinking" when we get into a meeting
• The first campaign when I discovered the power of differentiation
• Insights into the Nimbl campaign
• The simple yet powerful impact of personal contact in doing business today
• How to separate ourselves from the "baggage of the industry we're in"

How to Collaborate Like Elon Musk: The Collaboration Checklist

1. Keep your eyes open to possible connection points and synergy with like-minded people.
2. Important: When looking for like-minded people, stray outside of your industry or focus to find others who share your values (versus someone who simply "agrees with you"). For instance, if you were a lyricist, you don't need to connect with more lyricists, you would seek out those who were good with melody, rhythm, or arrangements.
3. Do this with the intent to multiply your ability to help and impact others, not as a way to "get in front of people" (a narcissistic approach will only attract others who are looking out for themselves, so skip this trap).
4. Approach them to open a channel of communication. Let them know you have an idea (but be careful: If you sound "pitchy," you'll be seen as one more person wanting something from them since they probably have many people already coming to them with their "offers." Be deliberate and intentional.)
5. Explore together something that will provide more value together than the value you offer seperately.
6. Have fun.

This is the perfect checklist of the power of collaboration, and what Heather and I did together displays what's possible.

And by being deliberate in your collaborations, you can experience amazing impact on LinkedIn.

Would love to know how you can use these insights in your business.

Please comment below.

Who the heck am I?

I help CEOs guide their companies to the proven path for the future by carving out the dialog that impacts hearts and minds and opens eyes.?Want to know more? Let's jump on a discovery call.

Bestselling author of the #1 Amazon bestseller,?Brand Intervention,?and Google’s #1-ranked rebranding expert, my four decades of expertise have generated in excess of $6 billion in sales, transforming not only how brands are seen, but how they sell, how they negotiate, and how they lead and inspire their culture.

I’m honored to have received over 320 international awards including the rare honor of being presented the?Presidential Ambassador for Global Entrepreneurship?medallion.

Need help??Let's talk.