Secrets locked up in a safe or in your head do no one any good except to protect something or someone of hidden value.  But, here I’m going to explore the secret of collaboration.  So, I’ll have to unlock what I know.  Excuse me; I think I gave a clue. Clue #1: Unlock what you know.

Now I have to ask a few questions of you as I lead us to this discovery.

Are we naturally collaborative beings? My mother or possibly it was my sister who showed me how to tie my shoes.  My cousin taught me about earwigs one summer, when I imagined this pathetic bug crawled in my ear.  How much more devious can an earwig be until it comes out from under the bushes.  There are always answers. Clue #2:  Get answers.

Is collaboration like science, an imperfect process? Wherever this statement came from I certainly do not know, but guess what.  This statement must be true because why do scientists conduct experiments. Surely to test out their thesis or ideas requires others to wonder whether this was just another wacky experiment. Clue #3:  Test ideas.

Do we need to have a process or pathway to collaborate? Hmmm, suppose I didn’t write down my idea or purpose to express what I need to test, then I have no beginning.  Surely,  a process will help me to plan and cultivate my ideas, as well as reach an outcome.  Clue #4:  Reach an outcome.

Do we need people, science, and a process to collaborate?

You will never know the answer until you unlock what you know to get answers from others to test your ideas and reach an outcome.  In fact, this is the main point. You will never know the answer until you collaborate.