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About
Published in 1989, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People is a self-help book written by Stephen Covey that has helped shape leaders all around the globe with 25 million copies sold and translated to 38 different languages. This book provides step-by-step actions we can take to achieve holistic effectiveness.

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NOTE: To understand some of the concepts that will be mentioned in this chapter, make sure that you have read the previous chapters first:

• Inside-Out
• The Seven Habits - An Overview
• Habit 1: Be proactive.
• Habit 2: Begin with the end in mind.
• Habit 3: Put first things first.
• Paradigms of Interdependence
• Habit 4: Think Win/Win
• Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, then to be Understood

Habit 6 is a relatively short chapter as it is full of examples and anecdotes rather than "how-to's". I will mostly be talking about concepts so I highly recommend that you buy a book or at least download an audiobook so you can capture the whole essence of the book.

Continue to support this blog by upvoting the comment "VOTE FOR @cbcheng HERE BY CLICKING THE UPVOTE. THANKS!" Also, please do suggest a self-help book that I will blog about next! :) Thank you for your continuous support for this blog, and I hope that you like this article! :D

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Habit 6: Synergize

“I take as my guide the hope of a saint:
in crucial things, unity-
in important things, diversity-
in all things, generosity.”

George H. W. Bush

After achieving personal independence (Habits 1, 2, and 3), incorporating the paradigm of Win/Win (Habit 4), and applying the skill of emphatic communication (Habit 5), it results in synergy. Covey calls it "the highest activity in all life."

Synergy is the cooperation that yields a result that is bigger than the sum of its separate efforts. In mathematics, if an individual can do a task in an hour, then two persons with the same skill should be able to finish it an half an hour. With synergy, however, the task can be done in ten minutes!

Levels of communication

There are three levels of communication depending on the amount of trust in a relationship:

1. Defensive: it defines "low-trust situations"; such communication will only yield to Win/Lose or Lose/Win results; further communication creates more reason to be defensive.

2. Respectful: also known as "meeting in the middle"; the problem with the paradigm of meeting in the middle is that it implies that they are not on the same side - think about it.

3. Synergistic: it is the manifestation of "Win/Win"; you are both on the same side and try to go as near as possible to your common goal together.

Synergy sounds awesome, but how do we achieve it?

Have a synergistic mindset. Again, going back to Habit 2 (Begin with the end in mind), if we want to create synergy, then we have to create it in our minds first. The proper mindset in achieving synergy is to be open to new possibilities and to have a good sense of adventure. There must be the excitement and the belief to unlock the higher alternative. We must try to unlock the power of synergy in every relationship and interaction. Sadly, the world is molding us to be defensive because of the belief that other people cannot be trusted. This is why the skill of Habit 5 (Seek first to understand, then to be understood) is a key prerequisite to Habit 6 (Synergize).

"To many, [synergy] may seem unusual, almost out of character with life, ... but this is not so. These things can be produced regularly, ... daily in people's lives. But it requires enormous personal security, openness, and a spirit of adventure."

Value the differences. In fact, differences are what make synergy more powerful. This is why mindset is so important. If you do not have a sense of openness, then you would think that you see the world as it is, shutting off other perspectives. Personally, I love talking to foreigners because I want to explore cultures. I believe that there is more than one way to live life the same way that there is more than one way to view life. Help each other see what the other sees.

"Is it logical that two people can disagree
and that both can be right?
It's not logical: it's psychological."

Limit Restraining Forces. Restraining forces are like brakes - they stop you from moving forward (unsafe, lack of trust, etc.) Most people, instead of releasing the brakes, step on the gas even harder. Analyze what are the obstacles in your relationship / interaction, and deal with it before trying to move forward. Long-term synergy requires cognitive ease for it to produce massive results. A long-term relationship with too many restraining forces is too tiring. Invest in limiting / eliminating those forces.

All nature is synergistic.

If you remember your elementary science, ecology is "branch of biology that deals with the relations of organisms to one another and to their physical surroundings."* As a bee gets nectar from the flower, so will a bee help that flower in pollination. That is synergy. Both of their needs and desires are met. Recognize the other person's needs, and let others recognize your need. Together, create a higher alternative, a higher solution, that will meet both needs. That is the beauty of synergy.

[a] * Dictionary.com Unabridged

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Thank you!

We are finally going to tackle the last chapter in the next article of this series! The seventh habit, "Sharpen the Saw", speaks about renewal and attention to the little things. I am planning to read Good to Great by Jim Collins next, thoughts?

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