Our trip to Mazatlan to build houses in partnership with Homes of Hope has shown me a powerful demonstration of Synergy.
“Synergy is the creation of a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts.“
We’re a Kiwi team of 22 made up of 14 kids and 8 adults. We come from different backgrounds and have different skills. The kids range from age 7 through to 17 and all have differing levels of strength and stamina – as do the adults!
As Team Strong prepare to depart Mexico we sit looking at the photos of the past two weeks and the two houses we have built for families. I’m amazed at what we’ve achieved together and extremely proud of every member of Project Purpose. But I’m not surprised. Right from Day 1 everyone has committed themselves fully to whatever the team set out to achieve. The day we collected pinecones to sell for fundraising was a team effort with every team member working hard to fill two trailers with firewood. The days we spent selling cupcakes, sausages and event tickets were all successful because of the efforts of the team. It’s a bit of a cliche but I’m going to bust it out anyway because it’s relevant – TEAM stands for Together Everyone Achieves More.
And so when I think of the word Synergy, I think of Project Purpose;
“Project Purpose is the creation of a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts.“
The building site was a perfect example of Project Purpose working together. Everyone was willing to offer themselves fully to the tasks that were outlined by our Lead Builders Josh, Miguel and our Ross. The mums were legends at painting and claimed the pre-coat and final coat as their responsibility. They engaged kids from our families as well as a couple of eager Mexican kids from the colonia. The dads worked on the more physical tasks of construction and lifting. And the kids, well they tried everything!
For me, Phil, the biggest blessing I’m taking away from this trip is the team experience. I love how the families have blended together into one effective team who have achieved some marvellous results. This is a great example of what can be achieved when a group of people coming together and share a common goal.
I’m challenged to think bigger about who I can partner with to achieve great things in the future – what about you?