Dear Friend
Yesterday I was intrigued by a pod cast by leadership expert John
Maxwell. On his daily Minute with Maxwell leadership lesson which I look
forward to listening to each morning, John talked about the word
collaboration.
He said what makes collaboration different from cooperation is the
word "want." When people collaborate, the people are not just there
to cooperate, but they “want” to be there to collaborate. Collaboration is the
next step up from cooperation; it is cooperation on steroids.
I know the joy of collaboration. Whether collaborating with
coaches about a strategy for an upcoming game, or meeting with ministry
partners to plan some form of mission outreach, collaboration almost always
results in something better and more valuable than any one individual could
have planned.
During the summer I became a part of a five-team group of pastors
and church laymen from all over the country who were looking to learn more
about church consulting. Each month for seven months we have met as a team
through Zoom. During our time together we discuss particular strategies with
our mentor, Bob Whitesel, a nationally known church consultant, who leads and
oversees our meetings. Discussing and sharing ideas and strategies about
churches in three different parts of the country is exciting and enriching, and
I always come away feeling energized as I share and learn from others.
John Maxwell pointed out in his podcast that there are three
things that happen when you collaborate. The first, is that you learn from
one another. If you are with a group of people discussing ways to improve a
particular situation, and you are not learning something of value, you are with
the wrong group of people. Collaboration should always lead to growth and
improvement.
The second thing you experience, is creativity. Creativity is a
quality that I know I lack, and so being with others who are more creative than
I am, challenges me to think more creatively and be more willing to think
outside the box. There is something that
happens synergistically when several people get together to dream, imagine and
visualize new ways of doing things. In the process one becomes more creative.
And thirdly, Maxwell points out that you learn to value your
associates. When you work with them, interact with them, challenge them and are
challenged by them, you learn to respect and value them for what they bring to
the table.
It is true as John Maxwell writes that “one is always too small a
number to achieve greatness.” and that “teamwork makes dreamwork.” And he
adds,
“Working together with other people toward a common goal is one of
the most rewarding experiences of life.”( Leadership 101, John Maxwell)
And if you ever doubt the value of collaboration, I suggest you
click on the link below where you will discover the compounding impact of
collaboration as you watch over 30 of the greatest country singers of all time
collaborating to produce one of the most unusual arrangements of all time as
together they sing John Denver’s Country Road. Let me know if you agree. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-aBtt3u6KnA
Yours in faith and friendship
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