In the movie “About a Boy” Someone says to the Hugh Grant character “No man is an island” quoting the line from the now legendary poem For Whom The Bell Tolls by John Donne. Will (Hugh Grant) says “I’m an island, I am f*cking Ibiza”.
For much of the early part of my life, I was always Will.
I knew so many things, I knew best. I didn’t need anybody’s help in any way. I had books and courses. I had a voracious appetite for learning. I knew things that others would never learn, never find out.
I read more books in a year than most people read in a lifetime. So when I needed advice or needed to get something done who should I turn to? Obviously Me.
I mean who else was that capable? No-one!
Simply put I was an idiot.
Granted I had a unique skill stack. I can do most things on average, better than the average person, but here is the kicker. I am not the best at anything. My best Solo effort is not better than the efforts of 3, 5, 10 or more. If you put me up against a specialist I gloriously fall short in practically all areas.
Ok, enough of the self-praise and self-flagellation.
There is a point to this.
Somewhere along the way, I learned I got by faster and further with a little help from my friends. I realised that if I partnered or collaborated with people I could leverage everyone’s talents and skills and for that matter time.
I realised that when I was trying to help others and not just myself. We all did better. In turn, we all wanted to do better for each other. We created a positive feedback loop. Up and up we go where we stop nobody knows.
I make this point because we right now are in a world built for independence, isolation for separation and solopreneurs. We are one step removed from people through our phones and through technology. Technology can do so much of the heavy lifting of yesteryear that we forget about people.
One person and some technology might be worth more and get more done than 10 people from 30 years ago especially with the advent of AI and other tech. But…
They are not better than 10 people collaborating together with the same AI and tech.
Collaboration will always beat isolation, even in a tech-heavy solopreneur world.
So gather around you great people who you are rooting for and who are rooting for you and together you will rise.
Remember: Action on insights, is the Answer.
Thank you for reading.
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fnord
