Leading for Synergy

Over the past weeks, we’ve written about COMMUNITY and how it can help expand leadership impact. We focused on the importance of support and how involvement requires action. 

We are wrapping up our mini-series with a focus on synergy. Synergy is a dynamic that, especially in work, helps people and organizations combine their resources and efforts in a way that produces greater results than on their own. Figuratively, synergy makes one plus one equal greater than two. 

In the practice of leadership, synergy doesn’t just happen on its own. It takes intentional action, such as connecting people who may not normally collaborate and ensuring people are empowered to act. 

Priming the pump for synergy means operating in the liminal spaces of work, the spaces between the obvious. While the practice of management is often about doing what’s clear or palpable for a given need (e.g., planning, organizing, coordinating), leadership is frequently about being response-able to—and responsible for—what’s unknown or intangible in each situation. 

Leading in-between “gaps” or points of transition can happen in various ways to create synergy: 

• Physical: This might involve opening doors that aren’t easy to access or get through. In business, perhaps it’s the door of a top executive or that of an important customer to better understand their needs. It takes the leadership skill of courageous authenticity to be willing to take risks that may seem unfathomable to others. 
• Emotional: It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know when people or teams aren’t working cohesively. There’s little chance for synergy unless the air gets cleared and trust becomes the foundation for working together. Part of leadership is not only offering a caring connection but also fostering caring relationships amongst colleagues and team members. 
• Metaphorical: When the path forward is unclear, leaders help create clarity. Take decision-making, for example – it is often based on known alternatives whereas discernment is a skill of leadership that requires exploring perceptions, insights, and points of view. 

As Stephen R. Covey says, “Synergy is better than my way or your way. It’s our way.” And synergy happens faster through intentional leadership. 

This Week: Where in your work or life is there an opportunity for synergy? A tell-tale sign is often where you hold deep wishes for something to be great, but where you haven’t yet acted intentionally to assure your desired outcome. Once you identify where you want synergy, think about specifically where your leadership can help: Is it something physical you can support with courageous authenticity? Is it a situation that is emotionally charged where you can foster a caring connection? Or is it something more metaphorical, a sense you have that may require greater discernment. Whatever the nature of the synergy opportunity, be intentional about how you can make a positive difference.