I have had the honor of working with many non-profit organizations over the last 20 years of my life. I typically get called in when the charity or church wants to develop a “growth plan” to take its organization to the next level. However, before I get on a plane and commit significant time and energy to helping them, I always ask… “Are you willing to be 100 percent honest with me?” This question usually causes a long pause on the phone, which is typically answered by… “Of course” or “What do you mean?”
I then go on to explain that the main reason strategies never reach their full potential, is that there is oftentimes a lack of synergy at the leadership table. I typically say… “I don’t want to help you develop a plan until I know the people behind the plan are healthy, whole, and humble.”
I define “synergy” as…when the interaction of parts produces greater results than the sum of individual actions.
So this raises the question… “What impacts synergy?” Here are 5 things that sabotage organizational synergy that I have found common over the years.
- Unresolved Conflict! I have never found someone who wakes up in the morning needing “conflict” in their life. However, whenever there are people involved, conflict between team members will occur and must be dealt with in a timely and tactical manner. Conflict is easy to spot in teams by just reading body language. I tell teams… “Conflict is inevitable but misery is optional.”
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Undermining Cynicism! While most employees talk behind their boss’s back, synergy stops when cynical and critical employees can’t find peace in being subordinate to their leader(s). Some people just find it comforting to pick things apart and project their unhelpful thoughts onto others. Typically, this type of behavior reveals a much deeper issue within the heart of the employee.
Unhealthy Control! I totally get that, at the end of the day, all leaders have to have a sense of control of their organization. However, how they go about gaining and displaying this control will build or break synergy. When I work with leaders who have serious control issues that are impacting synergy, I try to get to the underlying issues. Control typically is a symptom of a greater issue. The most common thing that I have found that fuels control is… pride. Pride sneaks in when a leader or employee feels they can do it better than anyone else and truly isn’t open to receiving ideas and input from others. The remedy to control is trust. Trust yourself and trust your team!
Uninvited Collaboration! No one likes to feel “left out” when part of a team. To remedy this synergy killer, I ask that the leader or employees adopt a rule… “Are the right people in the room to make the right decisions?” If not, stop the meeting and get them in the room.
Untapped Creativity, Capacity, Competencies. I’m sure you have heard the statement, “You are as strong as your weakest link.” This is so true, especially when working as a team. Great leaders and great teams know their strengths and weaknesses. No one person can do it all and those that try need to read #3 again. The key is to know your strengths and champion the strengths of every person on the team. This is where honesty and humility are super important. You have to be honest about your true strengths and humble enough to know your weaknesses.
Here are a few reflection questions to help you determine if you are maximizing your team’s full potential…
Do I know the competencies of each team member and give them permission to express them to the fullest?
Do I create an environment that cultivates creativity in the team?
Do I help each team member embrace their true capacity with confidence?
Let me give you one more to think about…
Unwilling Conductors! As I shared at the start, leaders have to lead but how they lead impacts organizational synergy. When I work with the top leader of any organization, I first focus on internal synergy within the leader’s own life. If the leader has no synergy in their personal life, they simply can’t produce or sustain synergy in their team. Things that impact internal synergy are: fear, pride, control, pressure, conflict, and anger. When these things go untreated, the leader cripples their ability to create synergy. These type of leaders are seen as dictators rather than conductors. The most successful leaders I have found are the conductors. A successful conductor faces their team with quiet confidence, knows where they are taking the team, depends on each team member to play their part to their maximum ability and, at the very end, bows when applause comes. Simply put, conductors are servants.
I hope by now you can see the importance of seeking synergy before strategy. When you do, success will follow.
NEGU,
