FranklinCovey-The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Sales Leaders

HABIT 6: SYNERGIZE

The 7 Habits build upon one another Habits 1, 2, and 3 are geared to achieving personal independence. Habits 4, 5, and 6 lead to interdependence and create a stable, reliable foundation for public victory. Habit 6—Synergize—is where all previous work comes to fruition. Synergy means the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Synergy is more than cooperation (which is good— and it’s a lower-level principle). An example of cooperation is where we take a little bit of your point of view and a little bit of my point of view and come up with an acceptable way to go down the path together. Many mistake cooperative compromise for synergy, but if you’ve experienced the latter, the difference is night and day. Synergy is the catalyst for creating new and better alternatives and solutions. Truly, one plus one can equal 5, 10, or even 20. ‘Synergy’, as Dr. Covey explains, “unifies and unleashes the greatest powers within people.” Synergy is the co-creation of new possibilities. It’s the crowning achievement of all the previous habits and the fertile ground from which new and shared goals are created allowing individuals, teams, and clients to achieve much more than they otherwise would. Let’s look at mindsets and tips that give synergy a chance to win inside a sales organization. WHAT HAVE YOU DONE FOR ME LATELY? “Jim, last year your team did an amazing job!” your boss gushes. “It didn’t look like you were going to hit your number and yet your team pulled it off. To say we are proud of you would be an understatement. Now, before you get too comfortable, let’s

talk about next year’s number. The number I need you to hit is what I call a stretch goal. But even though it’s big, after last year I trust you can hit it.” The number—a near impossibility—is not-so-cleverly cloaked with the word ‘stretch’. You think, “Stretch? What about stupid?!” And regardless of the rational discussion about the specific, real situation in your territory (e.g., an important shift in circumstances with some key accounts or the challenges in the team), seldom does the number go down. But not to worry, sales leaders are ‘can do’ people. You bury your feelings about the number and set your sights on getting the team’s buy-in to what will now be their numbers. You rally the team in a meeting and pump them up with an inspiring speech. Maybe there is even a catchy slogan. But, in spite of your effort to get the team to buy in, they respond the same

The 7 Habits build upon one another Habits 1, 2, and 3 are geared to achieving personal independence. Habits 4, 5, and 6 lead

to interdependence and create a stable,

reliable foundation for public victory. Habit 6— Synergize—is where all previous work comes to fruition.

way you responded to the number you were given.

THE CRUX OF THE MATTER

I’ve been asking sales people for years, “If you could set your own target for next year, would your number decrease?” At first I get a puzzled look that suggests, “Are you taking stupid pills?” followed by a quick “No. Of course not.” Sales people want to make more money this year than last year. Seriously, who wants to go backwards? Yet when executives respond to the same question, the answer is very revealing if it’s true. “Given the chance,” they tell me, “Sales people and sales leaders game the system to their own advantage. They want a number low enough so it’s easy to hit

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