7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens–Synergize
The sixth habit in 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens is Synergize.
So what is synergy? “Synergy is achieved when two or more people work together to create a better solution than either could alone. It’s not your way or my way but a better way, a higher way.”
We can learn a lot about synergy by observing the way geese travel in a “V” formation. Some interesting facts Covey shares about this formation:
- By flying in formation, the flock can fly 71% farther than if each bird flew alone.
- As the lead goose gets tired, he will rotate to the back of the “V” and allow another goose to take the lead
- The geese in the back honk to encourage those in the front
- Whenever a goose falls out of formation, it immediately feels the resistance of trying to fly alone and gets back into formation
- When one of the geese gets sick or is wounded and falls out of formation, two geese will follow it down to help and protect it. They will stay with the injured goose until it is better or dies and then will join a new formation or create their own to catch up with the group.
Covey says “Smart birds, those geese! By sharing in each other’s draft, taking turns in the lead position, honking encouragement to each other, staying in formation, and watching out for the wounded, they accomplish so much more than if each bird flew solo.”
You can also observe synergy in sequoia trees which grow in clumps and share intermingled roots. Without each other, the sequoia trees would be much more likely to blow over in a storm.
Synergy takes work and requires us to celebrate differences and see them as advantages and not weakness’s. Often two people who think differently can achieve more than people who always think alike.
“Synergy is more than just compromise or cooperation. Compromise is 1+1= 1 1/2. Cooperation is 1+1=2. Synergy is 1+1=3 or more. The whole is greater than the sum of the parts.”
