In business, synergy is a superpower. It is more than teamwork and connection. It’s more than an aggregate team being greater than the total sum of its individual parts. It happens when the best individual performers (individuals, departments or companies) on a team don’t outperform the overall team’s performance, but rather combine to create something that multiplies and amplifies the talents and perks of each individual exponentially for the betterment of the whole. Synergy is not something that happens regularly or quickly. And sometimes it doesn’t happen at all. So how does synergy happen? And, more importantly, can it be generated intentionally?

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Good companies encourage teamwork but the best companies achieve synergy. What’s the difference? When people join forces and work together, “We” can become more powerful than if each separate, individual “Me” were combined. In other words, one group of 10 can be more effective than 10 individuals. That’s teamwork. But synergy is more than teamwork. According to Bo Hanson, four-time Olympian and Coaching Consultant, “Synergy is the sum of the team being more than the total sum of its individual parts. It is the unique situation where the best individual performance on the team does not outperform the overall team’s performance.” It is where “We” matters more than “Me” and where “Us” multiplies and amplifies the talents of each individual exponentially. Synergy is a superpower to which every company should aspire. But how does a company build synergy?

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Construction of any building requires bricks or concrete blocks as well as mortar to hold the bricks or blocks together. That is true of most edifices, from the pyramids of Egypt to the high rises of Manhattan. This is also true when building a plan for success. Whether it is a business plan or a professional blueprint, it requires not only strong stones but also the mortar to hold it together. College Basketball Coach John Wooden had a series of value propositions he considered the building blocks for success. Last week, we looked at his fifteen stones in his Pyramid of Success. Today, let’s look at the other 10 value propositions he called ‘the mortar’ that holds it all together.

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Success is one of those words that is tossed around a lot. Many have prescriptions for how to be successful. Countless books and articles have been written on the topic. But few who have written about the subject were actually hugely successful because they followed their own formula for success. One of those was U.S. College Basketball Coach John Wooden. Called the greatest college coach ever thanks to a long list of accomplishments, including a record 10 NCAA Basketball Championship titles, Wooden had a series of value propositions that he considered the foundations for success. He followed them and was hugely successful in his career.

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Most would agree that Louis Pasteur, George Washington and Thomas Edison were “great men.” What makes a business leader, scientist, statesman, inventor, doctor, engineer, or creator deserving of the title of “Great Man” or “Great Woman”? Is it intelligence? There are many with high IQs who waste their genius. Is it character? There are many who have integrity and live virtuous lives but never earn the title of “Great.” Is it wealth? The list of wealthy people who are deemed the opposite of “Great” is very long indeed. Is it fame and applause? Many are famous and yet few are deemed “Great”. So what is the true measure of greatness? Arguably, the true measure of greatness is achievement.

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Every day, we’re all communicating in a mad rush. We write dozens (if not hundreds) of texts, emails, instant messages, posts, Inmail, and more every day. And, too many of these messages have mistakes. Typos. Punctuation. Grammar. Syntax. But, the worst is spelling. Words are misspelled or misused. We write affect when it should be effect. We write were when it should be we’re. We write peak when we mean peek. When we write words incorrectly, at best it says “careless”; at worst, it says “uneducated.” The good news is that it’s easy to review the most common mistakes and learn the right spelling. It’s never too late.

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In business, we write A LOT. We write to deliver a message, but how we write delivers its own message. When we can’t understand a message from a manager, colleague or vendor because it’s long, unclear or is poorly written, it might fail to say what was intended… but it may say a lot about the person. A picture might speak 1,000 words, but, in business, just 100 poorly-written words paints an unattractive picture of who the person is. In business, clear communication matters. Writing doesn’t need to be eloquent, but it should be clear and error-free. And, at the very least, it should avoid the most common mistakes. Do you make any of these common errors?

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Boosting Drive for more Action

Dreams are nice, but they guarantee nothing. They prove nothing. They offer nothing. Dreams are like cotton candy, marshmallows and jelly beans… sweet and delicious. But a steady diet of only that is bad for you. Motivation is also nice. Motivation is like pasta and potatoes… starchy carbs that provide a lot of initial energy but are short-lived. Motivation is fleeting. It delivers a rush of adrenaline and then fizzles out. But drive? Drive is the thing on which others can depend. Drive is like protein. It is the “effort” muscle. Drive delivers action. It is the executive function most responsible for career success. So how do we build up our drive?

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Motivation and Drive – Two Sides of the Same Coin

We commonly say that someone who is determined or assertive is “driven”. Or they might say that person is “motivated”. While these are qualities we recognize and admire in others, is being motivated and driven the same thing? And where does motivation and/or drive come from? Is it innate, like eye color, or something we learn or develop? What happens if you lack motivation or drive? Can it be increased? Most importantly, how much do motivation or drive account for achievement and success? If this is the fuel that drives behavior, what can be done if the tank is on empty?
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