c
 

  






Welcome to the latest installment of the series on how

to implement the {
 

   in a
 
  -style system. This series of posts will
guide you through the stages of personal implementation over
several weeks. This will give you a chance to focus on each
new habit in your life for one full week before beginning the
next one. For those of you that have not read Stephen Covey¶s
landmark book, c
 
 




, here
is a brief synopsis of the sixth habit:

a 

describes a way of working in teams. Apply effective problem solving. Apply
collaborative decision making. Value differences. Build on divergent strengths. Leverage
creative collaboration. Embrace and leverage innovation. It is put forth that when synergy is
pursued as a habit, the result of the teamwork will exceed the sum of what each of the members
could have achieved on their own. ³The whole is greater than the sum of its parts´.

a 



This is the penultimate step in creating a pattern of effectiveness in your life. As the third
pillar of the Public Victory, Synergy is the structure that makes interdependence such a powerful
lever for increasing your personal productivity and success. Stephen Covey compares the Sixth
Habit of Highly Effective People to a math equation where 1 + 1 = 3, or more!



 
  


The goal of Synergy is to maximize the value of the varied

contributions that parts of a system make to the whole. There are two
ways that each part leverages maximum value:

1.Ê Building on the strengths of each team member.

2.Ê Shoring up, or compensating for, their weaknesses.

a 
 is the cooperative relationship between the individual

units, team members, or ingredients that becomes an integral part of the
grouping, thus making the whole greater than the sum of its parts. By
working together creatively, the group is able to accomplish more or
become more effective than any of the individual components could work on their own.

 



In Habit 4 we discussed the principles of  and in Habit 5 we discussed the

importance of creating 
  ! . The habit of Synergy takes these
two concepts and increases their power by creating an environment of participation. The
Win/Win concept becomes a ` for working together toward a common goal, or finding
value in different goals and working to reconcile them.

Interacting with understanding becomes the `

 for this increased level of participation.
Creating this synergy can be a difficult process as it requires a new mind-set from all of the
participants; it requires a new level of engagement and an atmosphere of safety in which to
operate. Seeing this in action becomes its own reward, as the participants become engaged in the
process of creation.

Creativity, innovation, and true teamwork can soar to previously unknown levels of
effectiveness when the participants are willing and empowered to capture the power of Synergy.
Some factors that influence this process positively are:

÷Ê Trust
÷Ê åpenness
÷Ê Transparency
÷Ê üutual respect
÷Ê ecognition of contributions
÷Ê Camaraderie
÷Ê Authenticity

ån the other hand, a highly competitive environment will have a stifling effect on the growth
of Synergy. This competition between team members can actually work in the opposite direction
- reducing the effectiveness of those participants that are not motivated by the competition or the
reward. åther factors that can have a negative effect on the Synergy of engagement are:

÷Ê Poor communication
÷Ê Lack of understanding
÷Ê  ndefined roles
÷Ê *ot having clear goals
÷Ê Inexperienced leadership
÷Ê ³Political´ maneuvering
÷Ê Perfectionism
÷Ê Personal value conflicts

³Vision begins with one person, but it is only accomplished by many people.´ ~John C. üaxwell

Creating this atmosphere of trust and engagement is likely to be one of the most
challenging tasks that you can undertake. It can also be the most rewarding. üost of the people
that we work with every day are starving for a chance to make a larger contribution, achieve
greater goals,     `
 bigger than themselves. Living and teaching the habit of
Synergy is your contribution to being part of something bigger than yourself.


"  

In order to develop the habit of Synergy,

the most important step is to get beyond the ³ s
vs. Them´ state of mind. You, and the people
that you work with, must begin to think in terms
of ³We´. ånce again the emotional bank
account becomes a measure of your progress,
and your personal sincerity is the currency that
you will be depositing.

Without sincerity, the other parts of your system and members of your team may not trust
you enough to participate and engage. It will look cynical and manipulative!

There is an old expression, ³     ³. Think about this analogy:

How much more can be accomplished if you could focus your efforts on applying your
strengths to preparing of the boats for the rising tide? If everyone on your team worked on the
tasks that they are best at, and everyone helped each other at those tasks where they do not
excel?

How often do you find yourself struggling to channel all of the water into your own little
portion of the harbor? What kind of victory is it if it comes at the expense of the others on your
team or in your organization?

#

  
  !
$ Apply these exercises the next time you are in a meeting, a
planning session, or encounter a situation that is stuck on `. In the sincere expression
of trust, these tools can be used to generate a spirit of cooperation and participation:

÷Ê Identify the common traits of the competing forces, ideas, problems/solutions.

÷Ê åpen a Brainstorming discussion on the differences, search for an alternative resolution.
÷Ê Be careful not to take over but to .
÷Ê Solicit  scenarios and solutions from all of the participants.

!
%





People see the world through their own eyes. The differences between people - mental,
social, spiritual, economic, and so on - color this perception of the world. The hardest part to
understand for many of us is that these perceptions are not wrong. Though different, everyone is
right about how they see the world, their problems, and their opportunities. Capturing the value
of these differences is the essence of Synergy.