The Power of Collaboration and Mentorship

It was a warm afternoon, and I found myself engaged in a game of basketball with my son Peter. Eager to impart some knowledge about the game, I shared an important lesson with him about leadership and personal growth, inspired by the legacy of our family. 

Generational Collaboration Serves As The Launchpad for Young Leaders 

I began to tell him how to become a great basketball player, but he paid no attention and instead wanted to defeat me. So I told Peter, "Sit down with me, my son." I said that my great-grandfather, Peter, was a member of a group that served the community. Peter was a man of principle. And Peter had a son named Norman. Norman launched off Peter's shoulders, and he was frequently assisting others. Norman had a son named Graham, and that is your grandfather. Graham stepped off Norman's shoulders and has assisted many people throughout his life. Now I share my life with Graham, including my challenges and achievements. I listen and learn from him. I listen to him and learn from him, which is how I launch off his shoulders. I told Peter, "If you learn from me and go with me through your challenges, you will stand on my shoulders and ride the momentum of all these men who came before you."

He said, "Daddy, I'd want to stand on your shoulders." So I leaned down, and he climbed up onto my shoulders. As I stood up, he stood as tall as a giant. I glanced up and said to Peter, "This is where you belong." He glanced down and remarked, "Daddy, here is where I belong."

As I shared the story of our ancestors and our familial line of support and mentorship, a profound realization struck both of us - the power of unity and generational collaboration. I use this experience to inspire leaders to build unity and collaboration across generations. The older and younger belong together; they make the journey together and are united. Elders inspire and mentor younger generations. Disunity undermines the potential to share lessons and momentum. Unity builds power and drives from generation to generation.

The essence of my conversation with my son became a seed that sprouted into a desire to link the generation in our city. To bring the young leaders from diverse backgrounds together to launch off the shoulders of those who have been pursuing unity in our city. 

Family On Mission: Global Unity Leads to Local Multiplication

About 7 years ago, some of the older leaders who had been catalyzing unity in our city planned a gathering of significant young leaders from across Western Australia. These were younger leaders from charities, ministries, and organisations. The initial meeting was just to assemble around a table in unity so that we might form relationships that would catalyze change in our city. We went around the table, each sharing what we were enthusiastic about. Our vision evolved from what "I" can achieve to what "we" can do together, and from what my organization can do to what our organizations can do together. Unity breeds multiplication.

Unity groups had formed across Western Australia, bringing together leaders from churches, schools, corporations, and charities to pray and serve their communities. Mark, the leader and a dear friend of mine began dreaming together. How might this collection of leaders from various organizations and faiths help not just their local community but also a community in another nation simultaneously?

We devised a plan to invite the leaders to lunch, listen to what's on their hearts, and hear the vision of working together to help a community in another nation. Twelve churches in Mandurah came together immediately to help twelve churches in another nation that care for children in great poverty. We were thrilled. We shared Mandurah's experience of helping their own region as well as a region in another nation with leaders of other unity groups, who were eager to participate. This simple narrative of togetherness and teamwork in Mandurah spread like wildfire. The impact extended beyond the immediate beneficiaries as the leaders from Western Australia returned with fresh inspiration to serve their own communities, thus perpetuating a cycle of empathy and service.

We witnessed a simple yet transformative strategy unfold as we brought leaders from different organizations and communities around the table to hear each other’s passions and dreams. This strategy built trust and fostered a desire for collaborative action, leading to magnificent outcomes that resonated far beyond our initial expectations. What started as a local initiative transcended borders and connected communities across different countries. The journey of unity and collaboration took us to Thailand, where leaders from Western Australia joined hands with counterparts in Thailand, fostering a deep sense of togetherness. 

An organized delegation of religious and business leaders from one of these regions in Australia visited the region they were sponsoring in Thailand, as churches were actively assisting in the care of over 500 children living in severe poverty. One of Thailand's leaders stated, "When we were around the table and hearing one another's emotions, the barriers fell down and we felt like we were family." The leaders from the region in Western Australia returned from their tour motivated to help youngsters in their own communities. This generation is seeing an increase in support for both local and global unity. When we gather together, we can increase our wisdom, momentum, and fruitfulness.

Questions of Legacy and Leadership 

In the midst of these powerful stories, critical questions emerged for each one of us: How can we create spaces for unity and collaboration in our own spheres of influence? Who can we invite to the table to dream together and envision change? Whose wisdom and experience can we lean on as we navigate through the complexities of our respective fields? By fostering unity and working collaboratively, we not only amplify our impact but also create a lasting legacy of progress and transformation. The world is changing faster than ever before; therefore, we must venture deeper in unity so that we may learn together how to adapt appropriately to all of this change and catalyze the necessary change.

The Fruit of Global Collaboration

In subsequent years, we hosted over 30 unity lunches, inviting leaders from the same region to learn about Mandurah and share their experiences. It was common for first-time leaders serving the same areas to hear each other's hearts. We discovered that getting leaders from various organizations around the table to hear what each other was passionate about increased trust in the group and their desire to collaborate. In a few years, all ten areas in our state supported ten regions overseas. More than 150 churches joined in. 

To Go Far, We Must Go Together

Nick, a unity group leader, shared this significant story at a unity leaders gathering at my home. He shared that in a relay race, each of the four runners in the team passes the baton to the next runner. In life, a leader may assign us a new task and then leave us to try to achieve it on our own. He mentioned that there is another form of race called a three-legged race. A runner connects one of their legs to another runner on their squad and then runs side by side. It's a slower race, but everyone runs together. He stated that this is how we can connect the generations and serve our communities together. Older and younger people are running side by side as in a three-legged race. After he said this, there was a frenzy of discourse in my home as each leader, old and young, passionately stated how we needed to work together to develop Western Australia. Another leader, Peet, then explained how honest interactions foster trust and how trust allows us to go forward together. 

We have a generation seeking this kind of genuineness. As you progress in leadership, so will your level of honesty, allowing you to guide others on a path of unification. We discovered that authenticity, vulnerability, and humility foster trust, which is the foundation for unity and collaboration. Every journey of unity begins with a single step - a step towards inclusivity, empathy, and a shared vision for a better tomorrow. It’s a journey where the older and the younger generations unite like partners in a three-legged race, each complementing the other's strengths and overcoming obstacles together. Let's step into leadership with authenticity and humility, for through unity, we can catalyze the change that our communities and the world is seeking.