Management Skills Week 10

Management Skills 
Week 10:
Synergize and Sharpen the Saw
Covey Habits 6, 7

Value of Interdependence:

"If we don't all hang together, we will all hang separately."
						Ben Franklin

Synergy
-- The exercise of all the other habits prepares us for the habit of synergy. 
-- The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. 
-- Most people have been scripted into defensive or protective communications that 
PREVENT synergy.

Synergy and 
Tolerance for Ambiguity
-- Synergy can be unnerving unless one has a high tolerance for ambiguity, and,
-- One is secure in understanding of principles, values.

Synergy in Business
-- To achieve synergy in business requires that people become open and authentic.

- When we open ourselves up to the influence of others, we gain new insights and 
facilitate the generation of new options.

Synergy and Communication:
Lowest Level
-- Comes out of low trust situations
-- Characterized by defensiveness, protectiveness, and legalistic language
-- Covers all the bases and spells out qualifiers and escape clauses in the event things go 
sour.

Synergy and Communication:
Middle, Highest Levels
-- The middle level of communication is respectful communication, with moderately 
mature people. 
-- The highest level of communication is synergistic (win/win) communication.

The Synergistic Assumption
-- There is always a better solution which has yet to be thought of

Fishing for the 3rd Alternative
-- In many compromise situations there is usually a third alternative. 
-- Synergistic third alternatives are often better for both parties than their original 
alternatives. 
- A major paradigm shift from the dichotomous either/or mentality.

Negative Synergy
-- Most highly dependent people are trying to succeed in an interdependent reality. 
-- The real strength of any relationship is having alternative points of view.

Valuing the Differences
-- Valuing the differences is the essence of synergy. 
- The truly effective person recognizes his own perceptual limitations and realizes 
the rich resources available through interaction with other people. 
- If two people have the same opinion, one person is unnecessary.

Force Field Analysis
-- For any level of performance:
- Equilibrium between:
-- Driving forces that are generally positive, reasonable, logical, conscious, and 
economic, and that encourage upward movement and...
-- Restraining forces that discourage it. 
-- Restraining forces are often negative, emotional, illogical, unconscious, and 
social/psychological.

What's the point of 
Force Field Analysis?
-- You can create an atmosphere in which people are free to talk about restraints,
-- UNFREEZE positions
-- Transform restraints into driving forces

Conclusions
-- You don't have to take insults personally. 
-- You can sidestep negative energy. 
-- You can look for the good in others. 
-- You can express ideas, feelings, and experiences in a way that will encourage others to 
be open also.

Assignment (p. 284 #2)
-- Make a list of people who irritate you. 
-- Do they represent different views that could lead to synergy if you had greater intrinsic security and valued the difference?

Sharpen the Saw
Covey Habit 7

Four Dimensions of Renewal
Habit 7 is taking time to 
sharpen the saw
-- Quadrant II activity. 
-- Four Dimensions of Renewal
- Physical 
- Spiritual 
- Mental 
- Social

The Physical Dimension
-- Involves caring effectively for our physical body. 
- Exercise is a Quadrant II, high-leverage activity 
- Most of us don't exercise consistently because it isn't urgent. 
-- Need attention to 3 areas: 
- Endurance comes from aerobic exercise 
- Flexibility comes through stretching 
- Strength comes from muscle resistance exercises.

The Spiritual Dimension
-- Your core, your center, your commitment to your value system. 
-- Spiritual renewal is a Quadrant II investment of time that we really can't afford to 
neglect. 
- A personal mission statement enables us to have an understanding of our purpose 
which we can review frequently.

The Mental Dimension
-- Surveys indicate that the television is on in most homes thirty- five to forty hours per 
week. 
-- Reading good literature on a regular basis is a good way to renew your mind. 
-- Keeping a journal of thoughts, experiences, and insights is also beneficial.

Daily Private Victory

-- Sharpening the saw in the first three dimensions. 
-- Spend one hour a day in activities in these areas.

Social Dimension

-- This area of our lives is primarily developed in our relationships with others. 
-- What happens when you ignore social needs?
- Go back to Maslow

Synergy in Renewal
-- Renewal in any dimension (Spiritual, Physical, Mental, Social) increases our ability to 
live at least one of the Seven Habits.
-- Improvement in one habit synergistically increases our ability to live the rest.

Assignment (p. 306 #3)
-- Make a list of renewing activities in your spiritual and mental dimensions. 
-- In your social-emotional area, list relationships you would like to improve or specific 
circumstances in which Public Victory would bring greater effectiveness. 
-- Select one item in each area to list as a goal for the week. 
-- Implement and evaluate.