Habit 6: Synergize

At iLEAD Exploration, as part of our focus on social-emotional learning, we learn about Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Habit 6 is “Synergize.” This is the habit of creative cooperation. 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. The better we get at living the other habits, the more we will experience synergy as a reward.

To better understand synergy, it’s beneficial to see what synergy is not.

• It is not tolerating differences, but celebrating differences.
• It is not working independently, but choosing teamwork.
• It is not about thinking you’re always right, but being open-minded.
• It is not a compromise, but finding new and better ways.

Getting to synergy, whether you’re starting from an argument with a loved one, picking teams for a game, or not seeing eye to eye with a friend, can sometimes be easier to accomplish with this action plan as a guideline:

• Define the problem or opportunity.
• Their way: Seek first to understand the ideas of others.
• My way: Seek to be understood by sharing your ideas.
• Brainstorm: Create new options and ideas.
• Highway: Find the best solution for everyone.

This week, look around and notice how much synergy is going on all around you–on a team, in nature, between friends, in the business world. Think about the kinds of creative problem-solving that these groups use and try to bring more of that creativity into your own problems and opportunities.