Covey talks about how his family uses synergy every day for 15 minutes after a family meal, calling it the “15-minute program”. He says they each pitch in to clear away the meal. That’s what synergy is: valuing differences and then working together to create a better solution than what anyone could do alone. It’s when 1+1=3 or more. Covey’s story about soccer is an excellent example of synergy when the characters of the 7 Oaks gang agreed to Sophie’s idea to play the game based on each character’s unique strengths. I certainly see a benefit to teaching this habit to our students. Soccer is probably the number one sport that causes conflict on our elementary school playgrounds. Soccer seems to draw out the “bad guy” in our students even though they would all say that we should treat each other with respect.
ACTIVITIES:
- Write down 3 things that you’re really good at. Then write down 3 things someone else you know is good at. (Brother, sister, friend, classmate)
- Watch a sports team play a sport you like. Jot down all the ways you see “synergy” shown by the players.
- In pairs or 3’s, create a chart with a column for “Good Team Members” and a column of “Bad Team Members.”
- In groups of 3 or 4, create a plan for each of the group members’ jobs when doing and presenting a project such as science, social studies, theatre, etc.