Synergy Over Compromise

In his Psychology Today article titled To Compromise or Not to Compromise, counselor and attorney David Bedrick note that compromise over the short term isn’t a bad thing. Instead, when the terms of agreement begin to stretch into longer timeframes, compromise doesn’t work. The goal of any team looking to stand the test of time should be synergy, not compromise. What tends to happen in a compromise or “win-win” scenario is that both sides lose something. Seems fair, right? The goal of a high development team, the kind of team needed in a Multi-Generational environment, should not result in a loss for anyone. So how do team members win when there is a disagreement or a difference of opinion? It is in the principles of synergy where the answer is found.

Section Two of the MGT (Multi-Generational Teams) Workshop teaches three essentials for synergy, common interests, common values, and complementary talents. You can find more on these essentials in Luis Romero’s article in Forbes. The challenge with compromise on an MGT is a potential violation of the 2nd essential, common values. Collaboration is about valuing your team members, even though you might disagree or see things differently. Collaboration exists because the team values the same things. On an MGT, compromise may begin with a task or an idea, but eventually, it becomes a deterioration of values. Why? Because each compromise creates a deficit, a loss that can be seen and felt in every decision moving forward from that compromise.

Synergy has the opposite effect. Synergy creates a flow that allows for different thoughts and perspectives to work together. Synergy seeks to do the hard work of discovering ways that people can still win even when they disagree. How? Synergy doesn’t get energy from what is dissimilar. In fact, commonality is what creates the momentum that synergy flows in. Instead of focusing on what teammates don’t agree on, synergy turns disagreement into an opportunity to discover agreement. Synergy brings solutions, not compromise. Synergy is the the river that team collaboration and cohesion flows in. On your MGT, choosing synergy is choosing to win.

Here are some thoughts below on how to continuously chose synergy over compromise.

Become responsible for teammates - When we develop a sense of responsibility, a sense of care soon follows. No one wants the people they care about to lose. When we take responsibility for our MGT, we create the desire for team wins.

Ask better questions - Often times, dissimilarity comes from misunderstanding. A well placed question could inform you that you are closer to the other thought that you realized.

Check your environment - Ensure that the innovation on your MGT is environment-driven, not individually driven. Individual innovation breeds collaboration, environment - driven innovation flows from synergy.

Embrace failure - Synergy isn’t about being right or wrong. When we lose something in compromise, we tend to wonder if what we lost was worth it. When everyone wins with synergy, even failure is worth it.

Be consumed with wonder- In the Five Dimensional Model for Curiosity, this is called joyous exploration. Synergy begins at the inflection point of your curiosity as you start to consider perspectives outside of your own. Let wonder overwhelm you on your MGT.