Hello Leaders,
Welcome to Today. This week's Leadership and Personal Development tip is on Synergy.
Many organizations know how important teamwork is. However, having a team filled with synergy can lift the entity to much higher levels. One dictionary defines synergy as "the interaction or cooperation of two or more organizations, substances, or other agents to produce a combined effect greater than the sum of their separate effects." Emphasis mine.
I was recently told about a church in Chicago with 80 members that was able to do more for the community than a neighboring church with over 800 members. The church of 80 had a shared purpose and each of the members were working towards the same goal. They each brought their individual talents and gifts to be a blessing to their community. They worked as a team. They synergized!
When teams or even couples are in synergy, they look for creative alternatives to problems. They work together to find an acceptable solution. As it relates to couples, Stephen R. Covey (author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People) writes, "Instead of a transaction, it's a transformation. They both get what they both really want and build their relationship in the process."
You see, it's about valuing the differences. When we each bring our uniqueness to the table, we are able to assess and address our challenges from diverse perspectives. Covey also said, "If two people have the same opinion, one is unnecessary." Do yourself a favor. The next time someone sees things differently than you, try to understand their perspective. See if there is anything you may have missed. The solution may not be fully your way. It may not be fully their way. It may be a combination of each of your suggestions. Synergy is taking the best of the individual inputs to generate a phenomenal output. And at the end of the day, isn't this why we have organizations and teams?
Yes! We need more teamwork. But just as important, we need more synergy within the team. That's it for now. Until the next blog....
Mike Nwankwo
Founder & CEO