<http://schema.org/articleBody>
" 1. Read the vibe of the room. Collaborating requires being hyper-attuned to the people around you. I recently asked Steven to read a script, and he e-mailed, &amp;quot;Call me when you&amp;#039;re ready to discuss.&amp;quot; I knew from the tone of that sentence that he didn&amp;#039;t like it, because &amp;quot;I love this!&amp;quot; would have been an impulse he would not have resisted. 2.Create a safe space. I have a distinct memory of my school days. When I raised my hand or turned in a paper, there was that moment of Will I meet the test? Every time a writer turns in a script or a filmmaker shows you her film, she&amp;#039;s utterly exposed, so I recall that feeling and try to give people the permission to share their ideas. 3. Don&amp;#039;t leap to say no. When someone pitches an idea, I try to withhold immediate judgment. You can pause for at least a few seconds, consider what&amp;#039;s been said, and be thoughtful when you respond. If a director said, &amp;quot;I think we should turn this intense drama into a musical,&amp;quot; I might say, &amp;quot;We should think about that overnight.&amp;quot; Sometimes I take the time to process the idea, even if it is just a tactic! 4. Say &amp;quot;we,&amp;quot; not &amp;quot;I.&amp;quot; Sometimes I want to say, &amp;quot;Are you crazy? That&amp;#039;s a terrible idea!&amp;quot; But instead, I say, &amp;quot;I&amp;#039;m not sure we should go down this path.&amp;quot; What could be more namby-pamby than that sentence? I&amp;#039;m then able to follow it with &amp;quot;Instead, I think we should do this,&amp;quot; and 9 out of 10 times, they agree. I&amp;#039;m not able to say the second sentence without the first. 5. Share the credit. I don&amp;#039;t deny my own achievements, but when I get a congratulatory e-mail about a film, I respond, &amp;quot;Thank you for your kind words. I hope you recommend the film because your opinions matter.&amp;quot; I consider my ability to share credit a measure of my own status. You&amp;#039;re more powerful if you can afford to be generous. 6. Don&amp;#039;t expect to like everyone. You will have collaborators you just don&amp;#039;t click with, and you&amp;#039;ll develop a bag of tricks. If it&amp;#039;s someone who&amp;#039;s shy, you may have to ask leading questions to draw him or her out. If it&amp;#039;s someone you find distasteful, you can affect a friendly attitude. Why invest too much emotionally? Your goal is to finish the project or sign someone to the deal. It isn&amp;#039;t to be their best friend. Photo Credit: Corbis "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.cosmopolitan.com/entertainment/celebs/news/a5338/6-secrets-to-teamwork-success/?src=rss>