Habit 6 is about blending thoughts, ideas, and solutions. It’s about multiple people coming together to align on a vision, and operating like a well oiled machine. Have you every experienced this? I really feel that good work environments are truly hard to come by, so this may not be something most people have been able to experience. It’s a shame, because it’s truly a beautiful thing. Now, the real pressure is how do you create this habit as a leader? Lets face it though, people are going to be disgruntled no matter the environment. Maybe that’s only my perspective, but I do feel that way. Usually it’s based on things outside of their work environment that trickle into it, which are things you cannot control.
I’m going to share a personal story for this habit. I was given an assignment that most ran from. Deep down I was terrified, but I also liked challenges that were new and unfamiliar. The real challenge was that I was going into this assignment with an old school approach. A leadership style that I ‘thought’ was effective, and would produce results.
The first five to six months was a disaster. A living hell to be quite frank. I was working insane hours, but I felt like I was just putting band-aids on things. Things weren’t being fixed from the foundation. The breaking point for me was being at work at 2am (15 hour day), and just balling my eyes out with a mess around me. You see, I was used to getting glory for fixing things. I honestly felt that I could just go in and muscle it- fix it. What I failed to see at first was that each person around me had the capability to potentially provide better responses to the issues at hand. They were the ones engrained in the daily tasks and responsibilities more than I was.
After feeling sorry for myself for some time, I decided to flip that mentality and fix it from a different angle. I knew this could be fixed, and I was determined to make this a ‘well oiled machine’-not just fix it. I got feedback from those in every area, and shared my ideas too. I put together a group strategy that would put ownership on each individual. It would allow them to have more pride in what they were doing because they would be making the decisions. We would be there to guide them. An idea evolved, and kept getting better with the input of others. It was exciting to see how the vision continued to grow and get better on its own.
As the months progressed, my job got easier. I was working normal hours, and beginning to enjoy my personal life more. The people around me were more engaged, saw the improvements, and kept coming up with better solutions. This is the exact definition of Habit 6, Synergize.
You have to put pride aside. I get it though. You may have an idea that you’re passionate about, and you may get sensitive when it gets picked apart. However, allowing it get picked apart will create a better solution- it’s fact. When your idea takes others for it to be successful, it’s essential you gather their opinions and allow them to have stake in it. They’re going to be more passionate about it, and will support it.
The example created such a beautiful environment. It was as if things just flowed effortlessly. Every assignment now going forward pertains to me seeking feedback from my team for solutions. I ask them what their solutions would be, and allow them to work together with peers to come up with the answer. My role as a leader is to allow their ideas to transpire and become the answer. I’m there to add the cherry on it, or buff the rough edges as they do with me.