TEAM = Together Everyone Accomplishes More.
Birds fly in a V to increase the total distance that any one could fly on its own.
If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.
United we stand, divided we fall.
We are better together.
My superpower is us.
Collaboration is a force multiplier.
The mystery of the Trinity declares our belief in a God who exists as a relationship - three persons in one God. Since we are made in God’s image and likeness, we are made to exist within relationships as well. We are made for each other and we are truly better together.
Jesus often invited others to participate in the miraculous: the wedding at Cana, feeding the 5,000, and raising Lazarus from the dead all involved people working with Christ to bring about a miracle. Additionally, the disciples are often called in the context of community, as in the examples of the sets of brothers Andrew and Simon, and James and John. Jesus also reminds us that He is present where two or more are gathered in His name. And, as we witness in the Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles, the apostles are sent out in pairs.
Christ worked with others to advance His mission. Following His model, we understand that we must do the same: “Communion and mission are profoundly connected with each other, they interpenetrate and mutually imply each other, to the point that communion represents both the source and the fruit of mission: communion gives rise to mission and mission is accomplished in communion” (St. John Paul II, Christifideles Laici, 1988, para. 32).
In 1972, the Bishops of the United States, in a statement about the gravity of Catholic education, wrote the following:
Beyond question the vision of the threefold educational ministry presented here is an ambitious one. Were it of human origin, one might well despair of its attainment. But since it represents God's plan, it must be energetically pursued. (To Teach As Jesus Did: A pastoral message on Catholic education, 1972, para. 31)
Not only must this mission be energetically pursued, it must be pursued alongside and in collaboration with others and with Christ. Only in this way can our human efforts be multiplied into superhuman forces.
Collaboration takes on different forms in different circumstances. For example, sometimes collaboration entails the co-generation of ideas and products with a group.
Sometimes collaboration requires a differentiated division of labor, where people work individually on distinct parts of an overall project. At times, collaboration might involve a mixture of both co-generation and differentiated integration. Similarly, collaboration may occur at various levels, at times in the ideation phase and at others to move something to a final decision.
Leaning on the principle of subsidiarity, collaboration encourages us to engage and listen to the voices of those most involved in and/or affected by our work.
Collaboration, however, does not mean that everyone participates in everything. For example, there are times where only a few have access to privileged information which must be kept in confidence. Similarly, involving everyone in everything is neither feasible nor productive.
Instead, we multiply our forces by leveraging the gifts and talents of each individual to advance the collective mission of our Church, Diocese, Office of Catholic Education, and schools, honoring that “(t)here are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit; there are different forms of service but the same Lord” (1 Corinthians 12:4-5).
We weren't meant to do any of this alone. In fact, we can't.
But together...
Together, in collaboration with others, we can dream big and live bigger, because "(w)hat (we) dream alone remains a dream," but "what we dream with others can become a reality" (Edward Schillebeeckx).
