The Synergy Effect

Have you ever considered that everything you want in life comes from someone else? The greatest minds in any field are keenly aware of the value of working with and involving others in life plans, business, work and personal commitments.

We often have the notion that we operate in a vacuum, and that we are solely responsible for everything that happens in our lives. It is true that you are solely responsible for the thoughts you think and the things to which you choose to be committed. But when you reflect on all of your accomplishments, it becomes evident that many people play various roles in your achievements and pursuits. Since others are almost always involved at some level in our lives, a good question to ponder is how to effectively involve others more meaningfully.

Synergy, according to Webster's Dictionary is the "cooperative action of discrete agencies such that the total effect is greater than the sum of the effects taken independently." Note that a single horse can pull several thousand pounds. Two horses of equal size can pull nearly 4 times that. One community volunteer, who learned late in life the value of working with others, commented upon receiving a presidential award: "I thought about how you can't do anything by yourself, but with other people you can change things." What a simple yet profound truth! One key area to focus upon is the manner in which they seek others to be enrolled in what is important to them. The first step, of course, is to realize the value of others.

Next, we need to select the right people to work with us, to flesh out what we desire to create. Potential helpers are everywhere. Another important task for effective people is to clearly communicate the project or goal at hand. The help that is needed will lift any project into the stratosphere. This is similar to the "mastermind group" as outlined in Napoleon Hill's best-seller, Think and Grow Rich. In the chapter about the mastermind group, Hill expounds on the importance of aligning others in word, deed and advisement on any project. Hill further declares that a separate and distinct mind is created in the assembly of such a group and that the power derived from it is profound indeed.

Carefully look for more effective ways of communication. Not only is this enriching, the lives of others will also be enriched in countless ways. The real call here is to take on an attribute of leadership to draw others in. Synergy is a dynamic form of leverage. Avoid using it, and end up working four times as hard for half the results. Use it and watch the results expand exponentially!

Eric Johnson is a regular contributor to the Investor's Value View newsletter. To learn how to reach Mr. Johnson for comments or to subscribe to the Investor's Value View newsletter, visit http://www.valueview.net