Monday 9 January 2017

Planning 10

LESSON #11 - SYNERGY 

"None of us is as smart as all of us."  (Ken Blanchard)

Habits 4, 5 &6 have all been about your relationship with others.  Habit #4 was about having the right attitude to make good connections.  Habit #5 discussed healthy ways of communicating to strengthen those connections.  Habit #6 is about using those connections to achieve more as a group than you ever could as an individual.  This habit is about achieving synergy.

1.  Check out the synergy that is being achieved in the following video.



2.  Read pages 182-201 in your "7 Habits" book.

3.  Print off and complete the Habit #6 Note sheet as you read.  You may need to finish reading through the blog to be able to define all the aspects of synergy.

Habit 6 synergy notes sheet

4.  Let's look more at each of the 4 factors involved in achieving synergy.

a)  Celebrating differences: consider this quote:

"If two people were exactly alike, one of them would be unnecessary." (Larry Dixon)

Sometimes, it is only when we come up against differences that we are forced to question our way of thinking.  If we want to achieve more than we could on our own - we must appreciate different perspectives and opinions.  We must look beyond our own way of thinking and doing.

b)  Teamwork:  Teamwork means that everyone brings their own unique ideas, skills and characteristics to the group and uses them to work towards achieving a common goal.  It also means being a good team member - having a positive attitude, being reliable, focussed and cooperative.

"Individual commitment to a group effort - that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.  (Vince Lombardi)

c). Practicing Open Mindedness:  Being open minded means to truly open your mind and consider new information, ideas and ways of doing something WITHOUT judgement.  It DOES NOT mean agreeing with everything - but give your brain a chance to stretch and consider a different perspective.  This is an important skill when brainstorming.

"A mind is like a parachute.  It doesn't work if is not open." (Frank Zappa)

d). Creative Problem Solving: This starts with both defining the problem and then believing that a solution is possible.  It can take time and patience.  It's really important that everyone in the group listens to one another and each person has the chance to contribute.  Brainstorming is an important part of creative problem solving.  Sometimes ideas that seem "crazy" at first, can morph into brilliant workable solutions.  Eventually the group must come to a decision about how to solve the problem.  Consensus, when possible, is an excellent way to agree on a solution.

"We cannot solve our problems with the same level of thinking that created them." (Albert Einstein)

5.  ASSIGNMENT  (20 marks) - time to put what you've learned to practice...  Please click on the link below to get your assignment.

a)  Synergy Assignment

b)  Print off and complete the self-assessment of your "synergy" skills using the rubric found at the following link.

Synergy Self-Assessment

You can submit your assignment via;
1.  Office 365
2.  Email
3.  The Planning 10 folder in the office.