Dear Friends,
"Collaboration is the secret sauce that
transforms organizations from mere entities into what I like to call dynamic
organizations of innovation of success." Chris Goede, from the
podcast, "Minute with Maxwell"
I love to umpire baseball. Part of the reason
why is because it gives me an opportunity to meet and make new friends. Relationships
are particularly important to me, and I have developed some wonderful
friendships over the years of umpiring on the baseball field.
But a second reason I love to umpire is
because it provides an opportunity for collaboration, and I have learned that
whenever people come together to solve a problem or achieve a common goal, they
almost always get better doing so.
Yes, cooperation is important in any working
relationship, but collaboration is even more valuable.
A few years ago, I had the privilege of
working with a 39-year veteran umpire. He had traveled Europe teaching umpiring
to those in the international Little League program, and I was excited to
hear of his travels and how his experience had culminated in his umpiring a
Little League World Series game in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, the home of the
Little League World Series.
After the game, we headed to Dunkin Donuts to
spend some time talking about the game. We discussed one situation where we
collaborated on a particular call and how that collaboration helped solve a
potential issue.
In umpiring, collaboration is a vital resource
in solving problems and helping to make the right calls.
In the third inning of our game, the batter
attempted to bunt the ball, but being blocked by the catcher, I couldn't
discern whether the ball had hit him or hit the bat. I immediately called,
"Out! Dead ball. It hit him, take first base."
The opposing coach screamed out, "It
didn't hit him, it hit his bat, and it should be a foul ball."
Now umpires are taught to collaborate in
situations like this, so I called time, signaled a meeting with my new friend
and asked him, " What did you see?"
He told me he saw the hitter offer at the
pitch that hit him, but even though the ball hit him, because he had made an
attempt to bunt the ball, it now became just a strike, and he was not awarded
first base.
We apparently got the call right for both
coaches were satisfied, and both umpires had avoided in early rhubarb.
Collaboration had solved
the problem, and the way we had handled it had gained the respect of both
coaches.
Someone said.
"Collaboration is nothing more than cooperation on steroids."
Cooperation is 'having' to work together,
while collaboration is 'wanting' to work together. Cooperation is good, but
collaboration is even better.
When people intentionally determined to
collaborate, a number of things happen. Problems get solved, the participants learn
from each other, and respect for one another increases. Simply put, "You
get better together."
When collaboration takes place, whether it is
around the family table, in a corporate boardroom, or in a church conference
setting, problems get solved. We learn from each other, and we grow to respect
one another. There is a synergy that is developed as thoughts and ideas are
shared and almost always those involved come away with a better solution to the
problem being discussed.
That Saturday was a good
day for two veteran umpires. A common responsibility forged a new
friendship, and two umpires were both reminded that collaboration is not only
of value in the family, church or corporate world, but it is of value even on a
high school baseball field.
Yes, it is true as the writer of Ecclesiastes
reminds us, "Two are better than one, because they have a good return for
their labor: if either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity
anyone who falls and has no one to help them up."(Ecclesiastes 4:9-10)
Yes, we really need each other, and it is
important that we learn from one another, for when we do, we can solve major
problems that might not otherwise be solved alone.
And best of all, when
this happens, we can walk off the baseball field, as we did, to the welcome
sounds an umpire loves to hear "Good job blue."
Yours in faith and
friendship,
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