Taking the leap – discover possibility through collaboration

by Michelle Halse

A phenomenon we commonly come across in our work is the chasm between understanding a problem or making an intention to try something new – and actually taking the leap to discover the path forward, together.

Innovation, creativity, experimentation, courage – these are things that don’t just happen. They happen because leaders and organisations answer the call to take the leap of faith and step into the unknown, rather than reverting to the most obvious and well worn path, repeating the patterns of the past.

In our experience, the potential (and the desire) to bridge this divide and unlock the possibility of innovation, experimentation and ‘new’ is possible through collaboration.

In the last few years, we have been lucky enough to be part of some incredibly vibrant and fruitful examples of living collaborations. From a large scale, multi-country maternal and women’s health initiative across Asia and Africa led by FIGO, to pioneering Partnership Brokers Training in the US for the first time with friends and colleagues Catherine Russ (Independent Learning and Development Specialist), Mary DeWitt-Dia (American Red Cross) and Courtney Roberts (Moonshot Global) – there’s never been a better (and more necessary) time to collaborate for a better world. This is the future.

Encounter by encounter, we rediscover and relearn the truth that: the challenges we face in our world, near and far, reflect the challenges we face internally.

We can only be as effective in our influence as the intention and attitude we bring to those around us. An open mind, heart, curiosity, compassion, groundedness, clarity, and courage are the leadership characteristics for our time.

The more we invest in daily activities for creativity and resilience, the more able we will be to rise to meet the world’s biggest challenges from global health inequity to climate change.

May we continue to step into courage and serve world-changing collaborations with creativity, openness and purpose, together.