Most all of us are part of a group—a company or an office of people. Why are they with us? Why do people form groups? What is the goal of a group?
Synergy. The goal of a group is synergy. The idea is that we can do something together that we can’t do on our own, i.e. the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. Why do geese fly in a V formation? Because they can fly 72 percent farther working together. This is why groups form.
If there is no synergy, there is no need for the group to exist. If people can do better on their own, why be a part of a group? The group may last for a while due to tradition or because there is not a viable alternative. Unless there is synergy, the group will not last long term. It may not have a blowout, just a slow leak over time.
Getting Synergy
How do we know when we have synergy in our office or company? Certainly we can look at our metrics such as profitability, rising market share and associate count. These are more the results of synergy than its cause. Metrics that show great results demonstrate that synergy did exist at one time.
Generally, synergy is something we can feel when we come in the office or attend a meeting. We can sense the synergy, or the lack of it.
Synergy = Energy + Alignment. If you sense the office is flat and lacks synergy, what to do? If synergy is lacking, look to the formula for synergy (synergy = energy + alignment). Is there a lack of energy in the organization? If so, as the leader, where is your energy and focus? Have you become distracted? Are you still passionate about your company and your people? The body (your people) follows the head (you).
Energy. There are ways to build energy in the organization. Salespeople enjoy fun, games, music and goals. Incorporate these into your meetings and environment. Make sure you show up to lead the fun. Set a goal that every meeting ends with people walking out on a high note. If you have to cover a tough or even negative topic, cover it first and end on a positive. Your people will come to the office and meetings for the energy high they receive.
Alignment. Once your office is in a high-positive-energy state, the next step is to get this energy aligned. Before the geese can fly in a V formation, they have to decide on a direction. We do this by developing a shared vision using the five-step process we outlined in the December 2013 issue of this newsletter.
Successful leaders create a buzz. Salespeople need to come to your office meetings and feel energized and excited. Get synergy today!
5-Step Shared Vision Process
1. Does this align with my values and the company’s values?
2. What is the plan?
3. What’s in it for me?/What’s expected of me?
4. How committed are you to this?
5. How will you communicate our progress?
This article appeared in REAL Trends Newsletter and is being reprinted with permission of REAL Trends, Copyright 2014.