It’s amazing what can be accomplished when nobody cares who gets the credit.”
-President Harry S. Truman
INTRODUCTION
Next fall, when you see geese flying south for the winter in a “V” formation, you might consider what science has discovered about why they fly that way.
As each bird flaps its wings, it creates an uplift for the bird immediately following. By flying in a “V” formation, a skein of geese adds at least 71% more flying range than if each bird flew on its own.
When a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying to go it alone, and quickly gets back in line to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird in front. When a head goose gets tired, it rotates back in the formation and another goose flies to point. Geese honk from behind to encourage those in front to keep up their speed.
When a sick or wounded goose falls out of formation, two other geese fall out with that goose and follow it down to provide help and protection. They stay with the fallen goose until it is able to fly, or until it dies. Only then do they once more take to the sky and fly at high speed to catch up with their teammates.
The geese instinctively create power to achieve their goals through the phenomenon of “Synergy.” Synergy is the additional benefit and often invisible, mysterious advantage created by combined effort. We’ve all been touched by the power of teamwork at one time or another – Synergy in action, the result of combined energy creating something greater than the sum of its parts.
As with geese, business teams that share a common direction, a sense of purpose and commitment, will achieve extraordinary results faster and easier by traveling on the trust of one another. Teams who support one another with “honks of encouragement” and great attitudes, do their part and make work fun, creating an emotional and motivational glue that makes a job feel extra special and worthwhile.
Synergy Is the Secret
What are you looking for when you watch your favorite sports team? You want them to win. You want them to use the special talents of each player. You want each player to do his or her part! You want them to get in sync and do what they are supposed to do; and when you see that happening–your team working in harmony–it fires you up. It energizes you. It’s exciting, it’s fun, and it makes you want more.
In business, as with world-class sports teams, teamwork is a competitive advantage. If there are two companies competing for the same contract, the teamwork company will win every time. The track record of improved performance through teamwork is well documented.
NASA has been teaching astronauts to work in teams for years. Lockheed Martin, Northrup Grumman, and BAE Systems won a $200 billion F-35 Joint Strike Fighter contract by joining forces. Southwest Airlines, Google, Apple Computers, Xerox, FedEx, Levi Strauss, Boeing, and Harley Davidson are all teamwork companies. When a group of committed individuals comes together, united behind a common set of goals and core values, barriers are broken and magic’s in the air. Your customers can sense it.
Working in today’s world is different from the way it used to be. Society has changed a lot. Many of the traditional ways that generations before us could rely on have disappeared. Competition today is global; companies are bought and sold, and markets are tossed around radically by the winds of change. Through technology, we are now more connected than at any other time in our history. We have to shift the way we think and feel about the workplace. We need to adapt and make change a source of strength rather than a source of stress. We need to create our own certainty and balance–both of which are entirely within our control.
There is no difference between a high-performance business team and a team of Olympic athletes
When we practice Synergy in the workplace, we bring more balance into our lives. The bridges we build with others become our daily support system and help us feel more confident. Human connection is a primal need and when we connect with one another in positive ways and work together toward a shared destiny, we experience a deep and primal validation, and a sense of purpose. This results in an emotionally secure workplace: a place of safety, trust, balance, and certainty.
Synergy Is Shared Destiny
The goal of Synergy is the compounded mutually beneficial gain achieved from working together toward a shared destiny. The foundation of Synergy is relationship trust and the essence of Synergy is the inspiring shared experience. We can’t truly share the experience if you’re lifting and loading or blocking and tackling, while I watch. An equal input of energy is required for both of us to benefit. Team members must be competent at what they do and share in the lifting and loading. It’s about working together willingly to make great things happen–taking the good with the bad. Like the Canadian geese when we travel on the thrust of one another and make sure team members have the chance to voice concerns, ideas, and suggestions, we arrive at a better destination faster and easier.
We don’t have to do the same job, but there has to be equality in the effort we make. And if things go wrong–as they sometimes will–we share the embarrassment, the remedy, the rebuilding, and the eventual reward. Ideally, Synergy should start right at the beginning, with everyone involved in the mission, goal, or project. Teams should be in on the decision-making and planning, so there is shared emotional investment from the beginning. Synergy runs on energy, and the energy at the beginning of a project is extremely powerful and motivating. You want everyone in on it, and you want them to know what to do and be competent. A lack of competence will lead to a lack of trust, which will inhibit team Synergy.
For most of us, positive human interaction and recognition are major motivators. When we trust one another and our attitudes are positive, it’s fun to come to work. The idea of helping others and working together willingly is easy. In this kind of environment, we give more of ourselves, without hesitation.
We are all in the energy business, and high productivity and extraordinary performance are directly connected to how team energy is directed. If team energy is directed toward a shared destiny, then job satisfaction, quality of work, accountability, and responsibility are all elevated, making “team player” one of the most sought-after work traits. This is verified by the results of a survey conducted by the well-respected research company, Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc.
In 125 companies in 34 industries, senior management ranked “team player” as their number one workplace value. Out of the top seven desirable work traits, over 50% of middle managers chose “team player” as the most important work trait, and the balance chose it as their second or third most important.
According to those surveyed, employees between the ages of 30 and 40 are most likely to possess the best teamwork attitudes and skills. The seven traits covered in this survey ranked as follows:
