Musings on Indpendence and Interdependence (Specializing vs. Doing it All)

This post is a follow-up to the post-dinner coffee chat last Saturday (while Brigs and Erin were visiting). It has to do with the concept that one man should expect realistically to be able to do/be it all. (We were talking about trying to be both a planer and executor, I believe.)

Brien had a follow-up thought and case study: "Great composers, such as Mozart, didn't know how to play every instrument in the orchestra."

Could he have learned? Sure! Could he have played 1/2 as well as any of the experts? Probably not! He would have expended much energy and time and to what end? Which symphony would not have been written?

Same with planning and executing. Could I learn to be a planner like Brien? I could probably learn some of the skills and get fairly good at some of them. But I would probably never develop the innate gift he has for seeing the big picture, breaking things into chunks, and managing the execution of each chunk in relation to other chunks.

I have tried in the past, which just causes frustration on both our parts. I tried because I had been devaluing the part I play, which has to do with execution. Our weekly planning meeting Monday went so well because I have finally become comfortable with my role of execution. Sure...I will pick up good planning habits from him and can even pick his brain about planning philosophies (not during planning meetings, tho!), but our family is best served right now by my doing what I do best.

It is also important to have enough of an understanding of what others specialize in that you can make informed decisions and also have an appreciation for their skills and expertise. Then you can develop an "I benefit from you and you benefit from me" relationship. Umm...mutual interdependence? Exponential production!

So...it's about priorities and opportunity costs. What's most important? Is it learning to do and be it all right now all at once? Or is a greater team effort and progression of shared goals more important?

To believe that one person has to be able to be and do it all is almost like indirectly saying that what that person is and does well innately is not "enough." That is not to say, however, that a person should abdicate responsibility for growth and development. But it doesn't have to be to the extreme of "doing it all."

(Interdependence is what we were created for. That is a form of community and relationship. We were created for relationship. And there are scripture passages that have to do with the symbolism of different parts of the body. I'm sure you can find 'em faster than I could!

My belief is that independence IS required before interdependence, but not in the sense that I must be able to do and be it all FIRST. I think that it is the independent mindset of being clear about what I do well, and what I don't. What I was created to do (write), and what I was not (big picture strategy and accounting). Only then I can I freely partner with someone (Brien!) and be truly interdependent.)

Chew on that! =)