CWJJ Episode 65: 7 Habits of Highly Effective People – Habit 6

Thursday, July 8- Join us this week as we discuss another in the 7 Habits series, looking at Habit #6, “Synergize.” The passion is evident as Jim and James talk about what it means to have synergy in your team, and for the “whole to be greater than the parts.”

Quick Links:

Jim Schauer on Linkedin
James Cross on Linkedin

Episode Transcript

Jim:  : [0:24] Good morning everyone. Welcome to this week’s edition of Coffee with Jim and James. We’re going back on the Seven Habits journey, and James, you know, we’ve had an outpouring of people every time we do one of the Seven Habits and we’re on Seven Habit number six today, Synergy. And I know that we embrace this and I’m really looking forward to this discussion today about Synergy, but one little example stuck in my mind is that if you take a piece of wood, one piece of wood that could hold a hundred pounds. [0:00]

James:  : [0:54] Mm‑hmm. [0:00]

Jim:  [0:54] Then you take another piece of wood that could hold a hundred pounds, but you put them together, they can hold 250, 300 pounds, maybe more. But, so the sum of the two is greater than what they are individually. So, simply put synergy means the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. That’s what I’m trying. [0:00]

James:  : [1:17] That’s it. [0:00]

Jim:  [1:17] Yeah, I love this chapter, it’s very short. [0:00]

James:  [1:20] Very short. [0:00]

Jim:  [1:21] But this is the, this is where a lot of it just comes together, so. [0:00]

James:  : [1:27] Yeah. I, I love this chapter too. Now, I’ll be honest, I’ve never been on the teaching side of this chapter. I’ve always been on the learning side, but it is fascinating. And, and, you know, I’m not someone who’s necessarily struggled with synergy in his life, thankfully. I don’t think I have, maybe I have, I just don’t know, but. My team’s even before, I went through Seven Habits, my team’s, I think, were better synergized. Now, as I’ve learned more it, I won’t lie, it’s easier. It seems like it comes more naturally. But, I think I’m wired that way. You know, I’m a people person. [0:00]

Jim:  : [2:04] Yes. [0:00]

James:  [2:05] I don’t mean like I just like to talk to people. I mean, I do. I’m obviously in front of the camera all the time, but I like to understand people, I like to get to know them. I’m very curious, you know, the things that make you Jim are the things that, that I love, that, that that make us even more powerful. Right. You know, we talk about strengths all the time. I know we’ll talk about it later, but you know, being able to couple our strengths together it makes a big, it cast a wide net, right? [0:00]

Jim:  [2:35] Yeah. [0:00]

James:  [2:35] And then when, when, you know, I’m having one of those rough moments or vice versa, we’re able to compensate for that little bit, right? And that, I think, that’s super cool. So, diversity, man, that’s what this one is really about, is how do you leverage that to make, like you said, the whole greater than the parts, right? And that’s, that’s hopefully what we’ll learn today. So, some of my favorite stuff, these Seven Habits, man and ready? Ready for this one, I’m going to read out of the first chapter Jimmy. [0:00]

Jim:  [3:06] I was going to ask if… [0:00]

James:  [3:06] Because, I mean the, yeah, the first paragraph in this chapter is so good. I’m just going to start there if you don’t mind. [0:00]

Jim:  [3:15] Please. [0:00]

James:  [3:15] Please, the exercise of all of the other Habits prepares us for the Habit of Synergy. When properly understood Synergy is the highest activity in all life. The true test and manifestation of all the other Habits put together. [0:00]

Jim:  [3:33] Yep, [0:00]

James:  [3:34] Highest forms of synergy focus the four unique human endowments, the motive of win‑win, and the skills of empathic communication on the toughest challenges we face in life. What results is almost miraculous. We create new alternatives, something that wasn’t there before. So, just like what you said, Jimmy I got cold chills. [0:00]

Jim:  [3:57] Me too. [0:00]

James:  : [3:58] Just like what you said, though, one plus one equals three. We’ve never heard that in our life. You know, if we would have said that in grade school we would have failed, we’d still be going. But, that’s a new reality that we never even, you know, thought was possible. You know, like you said, all that only holds a hundred and a hundred. If we put it under there, that’s just gonna break under a hundred pounds, right? And we get a whole new possibility, so, I think that’s powerful. [0:00]

Jim:  : [4:24] Yeah, well, I think it, I think it really is, and James, we’ve gone down the journey, you and I have gone through it. We as a company, Energy Worldnet, embraces Seven Habits. I mean, it’s so wonderful to see all the different thoughts that come about of it, but we always break them down by each Habit. And, we spend a lot of time two, three hours on each Habit. And then number six, it really is like taking everything, and then kind of like bringing it all together. A culmination of all the Habits really. [0:00]

James:  [4:55] It really is. Covey says, I mean, it is in essence that as well, but he also says it’s the fruits of Habit four and five. So, if you remember four and five. How about four is, think win‑win. [0:00]

Jim:  [5:09] Win‑win and then, think first. [0:00]

James:  [5:11] Think first, yeah. think first to understand, then to be understood, right? And so, if you think about that, if we’re trying to synergize, number one, what’s going to get us to a win‑win if we’re both focused on that, that’s huge. [0:00]

Jim:  : [5:24] Yep. [0:00]

James:  [5:24] And then, if we seek first to understand, then to be understood and we’re both listening, empathic listening, right, empathic communication. And that is the fruit, synergizes the fruit. So, when you start feeling that, wow, how are we getting so much done? It’s probably because you both have identified, or all of you have identified, what the win‑win looks like, you know, that’s the finish line? And what is, what is important? Everybody that’s involved. And when you don’t have to flat out ask that, you know, right out of the game, every moment you just are synergetic and how you go about things. It simplifies and makes it so much easier. [0:00]

Jim:  : [6:05] Yep. [0:00]

James:  [6:05] And Jim, to personify that even more, you’ve spoken on it, I’ve spoken on it, we have a topic called, Managing and Leading People not like you. [0:00]

Jim:  [6:16] One of my favorites. [0:00]

James:  [6:17] Yeah. And it’s just like that, you know, it’s just like the first two tricks that we teach them. All of that’s true. [0:00]

Jim:  : [6:26] You know, in Managing and Leading People, and we’ve given it multiple times James, and I love it, but the first two, I believe are, you know, finding a common ground and breaking the ice, right? [0:00]

James:  [6:36] Which sounds very similar. I mean, I know that’s not win‑win but that’s definitely seeking first to understand. [0:00]

Jim:  : [6:43] Yeah. [0:00]

James:  [6:43] Man, if we have to find a common ground and, and we do that first by breaking the ice. I, I mean, Jim, where are you from Jimmy? You know, like, and we start that dialogue, that’s the groundwork of synergy by the end of it. That’s, that’s the roots, you know, of the fruit. So, I think that’s fascinating. [0:00]

Jim:  : [7:04] Yeah. No, I think it really is, and almost, you know, brings to my thought process, and again, I love this journey because what does it do? It helps us to think and think back to other chapters. [0:00]

James:  [7:16] Yeah. [0:00]

Jim:  [7:18] I can’t remember what chapter James, but the Goose and the Golden Egg. [0:00]

James:  : [7:22] Chapter three. [0:00]

Jim:  [7:22] Do you remember it? [0:00]

James:  [7:23] Yeah. Teach that one all the time. I’m Chapter three. Put first things first, right? And with that chapter Covey’s talking about delegation, and how proper delegation teaches you to that you can you know get more out of what you have. Right? If you delegate two ways, right? You delegate your time, or, you know, you delegate. So that, that if you think about that thought process though, and how it teaches you to move that fulcrum to be able to get more out of it, right? [0:00] [7:55] And it’s almost that same concept of exponential, you know exponentially getting a result, right. Synergy is exponential. It allows us to turn one and one into three, right? Just like delegation, but if you have sin, if you’re synergized and you’re delegating, you’re using all those other habits. Imagine, you know, like you said, one one plus one equals three, it’s more like one plus one is a hundred, you know, or whatever, right? Sky’s the limit depending on how big your team is and how synergized they are. [0:00]

Jim:  [8:31] Yeah. And we, we talked about this. I mean, we talk about and sometimes I don’t think we give enough credence to it that we, you know, we get in a team environment and we’re working on something. It could be just you and I, and we’re at the, we’re like, wow. You know, James, you really help me out because you’re one thought, lets one of my thoughts, and then bites. [0:00]

James:  [8:51] Jimmy, this show is an example of synergy, right? [0:00]

Jim:  : [8:55] Yeah. [0:00]

James:  [8:55] I mean, when we came together, I mean, you you didn’t have a problem talking to people and getting in front of people, you know, you were well respected. You still are I hope after this, but well respected in the industry. Had a voice in it. You know, had a following, an audience that, you know, somewhat that we could tap into. But you, you didn’t have the motivation or the idea to really get something like this off the ground. And for me, this was the easy part right out. [0:00] [9:24] I was like, “Dude, all we gotta do is turn it on,” right? And so, we got to work and you know, turned around and went, “What just happened?” We just did, you know, 20 episodes. And then turned around, and man, we just did a whole year, right? And then here we are at episode 60, whatever. [0:00]

Jim:  [9:42] Sixty‑one. [0:00]

James:  [9:42] Yes. And that’s, that’s a product of synergy, man. I don’t care who you are. And, and I said it but I’ll say it again, we talk about strengths on this show all the time, right? We had Cyndi on a million years ago from SGA, Cyndi Mitchell, expert on strengths, and we talk about it. And one of the things I feel like we do really well with Energy Worldnet is obviously, we do strengths based assessments on on everybody who knocks on the door, which is nice, nice to know. But, then we focus on those things in our teams to try to capitalize off of that and not, not just, you know, we get out as many widgets as you can type of thing. [0:00] [10:28] I mean, you know, from brainstorming to everything in between. Launching a product we try to take all those strengths and say, all right, what if we put us all together, right? How strong is it then? And very quickly, you see that, man, the product just gets stood up and pushed out. You don’t have to worry about the department next to you, or the department next to them not carrying their weight because they understand it and, man, are we synergized? [0:00]

Jim:  : [10:57] Yeah. No, I agree with you. And I’m just smiling at myself and I’m thinking there’s so many examples where I’m a futuristic strategic activator, which means I’m thinking down the road. I’m thinking at 30,000 foot and how it’s got to all play together and activate it. Oh, and it’s got to say to me, well, to do that, we need to do a b and c first. Thank goodness. I had… [0:00]

James:  : [11:23] Look at me, I’m an arranger. Good news. I like to arrange things, right? That’s one of my strengths. I could arrange all day, but you know what I need. I need an activator to go. OK, now we need to go. [0:00]

Jim:  [11:32] Yep. [0:00]

James:  : [11:32] And you know what else we need, we need an achiever to go, “Hey, we need to get this done, and this done, and this done.” They make sure the boxes are checked, right? [0:00]

Jim:  [11:40] Yep. [0:00]

James:  [11:40] And so, very quickly that team stacks together and, boom, you got it, man. You’ve got a passionate group of people working towards something. Synergy, there’s nothing like it. And you know that because you’ve been a part of it. You see it. We are part. We’re doing it right now. [0:00]

Jim:  : [11:58] It’s fun, you know, it is. [0:00]

James:  [12:00] It’s fun because it’s effortless. [0:00]

Jim:  [12:01] When you realize it. When you realize that you’re taking these things, whether you’re consciously or subconsciously, and because you learn them and you’re doing things. You’re like, you can sit back and say, “Wow, we just did that and I never even realized it.” Which is wonderful, because then it’s getting into you and it’s getting into your process. Whether it’s with your family, your neighbors, or work, you know, you’re doing that and that’s the exciting part, especially when you realize it. [0:00] [12:29]

James:  It’s very stackable. I mean, you know, I mean, once you’ve got a team synergizes it’s very easy to bring more people into it, because that’s the culture of it, right? I mean, it’s very hard in the beginning to break those old paradigms. Like Covey says, I mean, it’s just like it’s harder than working on yourself. It’s working on, you know, x amount of people and they get them through that. [0:00]

Jim:  : [12:52] Yeah. [0:00]

James:  [12:52] But man, it’s a, it’s a very neat thing to be a part of, if you’ve ever been a part of a synergetic team. You know, I always had the visual, Covey has videos that go along with the book and every time I’ve been in it, shout out Lauren Morton, she’s our guru on syn, synergizing there at Energy Worldnet. I think, she’s taught it every time I’ve been in it. But there’s a video that goes along with it showing, you know, the the V that ducks and geese flying and it explains that of how, you know, they put, if one’s tired they put it in the front like that, you know, like there’s things that they do. [0:00]

Jim:  : [13:32] Yeah. [0:00]

James:  [13:33] I wouldn’t say backward, but you know what I mean? And they understand that you’re only as good as your weakest link and so how can we bring everybody to it and they pull off each other and switch out and it’s pretty amazing. I’m sure you’ll find it. I’m sure we’ll link it up or something. [0:00]

Jim:  : [13:49] James, what’s our future with Seven Habits, you know, we’ve gone through the journey. What do you see as our next steps? What can you tell our audience to look forward to? [0:00]

James:  [14:02] So, if you’re somebody that’s watching this, when you’re probably thinking, I thought their seven habits, this is six. We kind of jumbled them up. When we started this would, we’ve said it multiple times, but sharpen the saw just kind of came naturally to us. One day thought we would share it with people and so we did that and, you know, thousands of eights of people messaged us and say, “Hey, we love these so we want you to keep doing them.” So, we didn’t necessarily go in an order, but this it would be our last one we’re recording. So, we’re actually going to bundle them all up. [0:00] [14:36]

Jim:  OK. [0:00] [14:36]

James:  To where people can get them all in one fell swoop. Secondly, we’ll probably go and and add a couple of bookends on them. Because me, personally, I like to, onboard people, bring them along into it, and then offboard them as well so that they can function every day, right? Because this is great information. But if you go through this program and you set down this book and expect like you learned it and you’re done, right? That’s not how it, works, right? I mean, how, this is the fifth year that I’ve, at least five times, that I’ve been through this myself in the last five years and I feel like this time through, in this time with you, Jimmy, I’ve learned more than I ever have. [0:00]

Jim:  : [15:20] Well, it’s a journey, correct. I mean. [0:00]

James:  : [15:24] It’s our destination. Yeah, absolutely. [0:00]

Jim:  : [15:26] You read it and you capture. You go back and reread a few things. Some pointers. Yep, that makes sense. You know, you just go, keep, you know, touching on it. It’s exciting James. It’s exciting. [0:00]

James:  [15:39] Yeah, so, I assume we’ll bit that all together, put it on the website, begin sharing it with people, but yeah, we want to help people. OK, now what, right? We made it through all them, we’ve listened to your shows, now what? And I’d love to give them just a little bit extra, keep them moving down that path and coming back. [0:00]

Jim:  [15:55] Sounds great. [0:00]

James:  [15:56] Now we’ll have to find something else, Jimmy. [0:00]

Jim:  : [15:56] We’re going to, you know what, the Managing and Leading People that are not like you, I think, is an interesting subject. I think we should touch on it. [0:00]

James:  [15:56] We could break that down. I think it has seven things too, just as a coincidence. [0:00]

Jim:  [15:57] Yeah, as a coincidence. James, any last words before we wrap up here, sir? [0:00]

James:  [15:56] There was one thing. Let me see in my notes, I just want to make sure I had that one thing. Nope, we got it. [0:00]

Jim:  [16:27] We’ve got it? [0:00]

James:  [16:28] Yeah, man.  I think this has been awesome. This has been a ton of fun. I enjoy it. I can’t wait to get started on another one really. It’s kind of sad that it’s ending, but then exciting. Then we get to do new stuff. [0:00]

Jim:  [16:39] This one’s coming to a, er, we’re going to have something new coming out and our thought leadership, you know, we embrace it, you and I, as well as the whole company, you know. How can we share with the industry, with our audience, things that are good? And, I think, you and I have a passion for that. You know, if we change one person’s life to be more positive in some way, you and I feel like we’ve done a good job today. [0:00]

James:  [17:02] And, Jimmy, while we, while we delivered the, this series, through over the pandemic and everything, the Seven Habits portion, we’ve probably, and you’ve been a part of it, you know, you taught it to. We put probably, what, 30 to 40 people through this, with this, that, within the company. [0:00]

Jim:  [17:21] Yeah. [0:00]

James:  [17:22] Not to mention all the people that have joined us, you know, through the podcast. So, hey, we’re, what’s our goal, right? Here we are. [0:00]

Jim:  [17:29] I love it. I love it. Audience, thank you for joining in with us today. Thank you for tuning in. We hope you capture it again. One little tidbit from today that makes you want to pick up that book that James is holding up and give it a read. We are not paid endorsers. We just believe in it. [0:00]

James:  [17:46] Yeah. [0:00]

Jim:  [17:46] Because, personally and professionally. So, thank you so much for joining us until next week on Coffee with Jim and James, please everybody, as I always say, and I mean, stay safe and until then have a great week and we will see you next time. Take care. [0:00]

James:  [18:04] Thank you. [0:00] [[18:05] music] [0:00]