Recently I realized how much we need ongoing conversations and interaction with one another to innovate and create. Creativity never happens in isolation. The idea of partnership has been around a long time but in my mind it is not effectively harnessed to benefit community.  Often people forge partnerships to achieve their own ends .  I am talking about different kinds of partnerships - selfless partnerships!   When we partner to explore ways to benefit our communities, we become powerful agents of change. When meeting with people to engage in conversations about partnerships and how we can  resource our communities, I immediately know why they are part of the conversation by the questions they ask.
When the questions are all about how they can add value to the process, you know you have a good partner. When the conversation is about what they have achieved in  life, in business, about their successes - in other words when the conversation is ’self centered’ then you know you don’t have the right person.  Unfortunately we still function in a paradigm that is all about ‘us.’ Few of us have made the transition to all about ‘other’s.’ The interesting thing about ‘all about other’s’ and the community as a whole, is that whatever you freely give, has a way of coming back to you in many different beneficial ways. It is the life principle of give and it shall be given….. When will we realize that putting up fences, hedging our bets, circling our wagons, will only hinder us from receiving all of the creative experiences and innovations that only come from the living stream of selfless community partnership conversations.
Competitiveness has to be the one sure thing that kills creativity and innovation!

Gabriella Van Breda