Maturity calls us to take care of our responsibilities without deferring them to others. But being responsible doesn’t require us to do everything by ourselves. There’s much wisdom in learning how to collaborate with others, and together making an impact greater than any one person could do alone.
For many, the thought of a group project in school made their eyes roll. It was often much easier to focus on one’s own work and accept whatever grade we got. Working with others made things more complicated, even with just the logistics of syncing schedules. And usually in every group there were those who did the majority of the work, those who helped out a good bit, and those who simply coasted on the efforts of others. Group work was also exposing. It caused us to risk putting our ideas on the table to be evaluated by others, and it was also harder to hide our ignorance or lack of resources.
For these, and perhaps many other reasons, it was often simpler just to do our own thing. And often we bring this same mindset into adulthood.
To be sure, there is a place for solitude, and a lot of deep work is best accomplished on our own. But there’s also a place to collaborate with others. And we shouldn’t let the messiness of this work rob us of its many benefits.
When we collaborate we’re able to play off each other’s strengths. For instance, one might offer his gift of creative insights, while another the executive skills needed to move a project forward. Still another might be a true peacemaker and excel at creating relational harmony, while another has the mind of a rocket scientist and can quickly figure out complex problems.
Whatever it looks like, there’s synergy when we work together and the potential to create something much better. It’s cross-pollination rather than simply trying to clone ourselves.
In the end, everything does not need to be a group effort. But don’t miss the beauty of harmonizing with others just because playing a solo is easier.
