Co-creating in community

Something magical happens when a really good team co-creates something that exceeds what any members could have done on their own.  Today I had that opportunity: twice! In each case we shared what we each wanted from the product.  Each brought her experience and expertise. We listened. We explored. 

Then just magically something emerged.  When we knew where we were going, we each took a piece of the project to complete.  People met their deadlines. Not only were our products good, but creating them was fun.  I am more relaxed at the end of the day than I have been at the end of a work day for a long time.  It was joyful.

I wrote in both Leading from the Heart and The Alchemy of Fear  about the almost godlike quality that a collaborative team has--creating something where there was nothing and doing so in such deep connection it is like breathing together.  I worked in the newspaper business for many years, and on a daily basis I marveled  as I watched all the different departments pulling together to produce our "daily miracle" and to do so at precisely 1:10 every afternoon.  When our work involves high collaboration, we truly connect in a way that few other opportunities provide.

Yet, with that said, we co-create in community more often than we realize.  Just this week, the whole world is coming together to co-create disaster relief.  Actually, disaster relief is one of those things that humankind has actually managed to get right much of the time.  We show our capacity for caring and compassion, as well as taking on some massive logistical challenges.  Think of the great Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004 or the earthquakes in Haiti.  We actually have global outpourings of love. 

Similarly, we co-create emergency responses on a smaller scale all the time.  When I first moved to Washington, I was struck by a distracted driver (cell phone) while crossing the street in the crosswalk.  Although the emergency response people were quick to respond, drivers instantaneously spilled from their cars offering varying skills from retrieving my briefcase and shoes that had gone flying to offering witness testimony and holding an umbrella over me in a downpour until the EMTs arrived.  They just came together magically.

I am quite certain co-creating is how we are wired as human beings.  I am not sure how we lost that ability so much of the time, but it erupts regularly and spontaneously enough to tell me that it is hardwired.  And, it feels good when it does.  Today, I am feeling blessed at having had two good team experiences today, and more than a little intrigued about how to intentionally create something bigger.