Geoffrey James, a contributing editor at Inc.com, suggests in a February 2017 column entitled, “Collaboration is the Enemy of Innovation,” that working with others to reach a consensus produces underwhelming results.

Respectfully, I disagree.

As US Lacrosse celebrates its 20th anniversary this spring, I’m reminded of the spirit of collaboration that unified eight independent lacrosse organizations as one national governing body in 1998 — a strategic vision that has coincided with a period of unprecedented growth in our sport.

US Lacrosse continues to play the role of unifier in a lacrosse landscape that remains fragmented in many ways. It’s a slog at times, but these shifting sands require a dynamic, healthy organization to offer stability, support and focus.

That includes challenging the status quo with initiatives like the Lacrosse Athlete Development Model, funding sport science and safety research, certifying coaches and officials, standardizing rules for consistency across the country, seeding new programs in underserved communities, and elevating our U.S. national teams as standard bearers for the sport.

Our primary mission is to lead efforts to grow lacrosse participation while providing more kids with greater access to the sport regardless of zip code or socioeconomic status. Our members and donors fuel our mission Fundamental to that mission is a focus on providing the best experience possible for a child, and that requires humility (we never stop learning), selflessness (we must be player experience-focused), innovation (tradition is not a strategy) and collaboration (success requires teamwork).

There’s always room for evolution, always room for improvement. Collaboration around a collective goal is the key.

THIS COLUMN APPEARS IN THE MARCH EDITION OF US LACROSSE MAGAZINE. DON’T GET THE MAG? JOIN US LACROSSE TODAY TO START YOUR SUBSCRIPTION.