The Synergist Chapter 1

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CHAPTER 1: OVERVIEW: THE FAILURE GENE THAT’S BAKED INTO THE DNA OF EVERY GROUP AND HOW TO ESCAPE IT

Summary:

In Chapter One we were introduced to the three naturally occurring styles in any team setting. We met Andy, Brad and Riya. A Visionary, Operator and Processor each overflowing with good intentions but who in equal measure, display characteristics which are causing their team interactions to stall or worse, reach gridlock.

We had an introduction to the main characteristics exhibited by each of these styles and learned that each of us have a natural proclivity toward a single style, that the three styles left to their own creates an unstable triangle and that to bring balance to this triangle we need to incorporate a fourth style; The Synergist.

We have a great selection of resources to kick off our tour through The Synergist and further draw out some of the key learning points from Chapter One.

Use the links below to click through the resources.


Chapter 1 Resources

WORKSHEET: INITIAL THOUGHTS

Before you get started on Chapter One there is a short worksheet to record your initial thoughts on what you hope to get out of reading The Synergist.


Click here to download this worksheet

Worksheet: Introducing the Styles

Accompanying the first chapter we have a number of short exercises which further illuminate the three naturally occurring styles.


Click here to download this worksheet

Activity: Name that Style

Listen in to the discussion between Steve, Gina and Robert. Can you tell who is the Visionary, who is the Operator and who is the Processor?

Click here to download the worksheet.

Take the Synergist Styles Quiz

Are you a Visionary, an Operator or a Processor – or a mix of each? Find out what your personal style is by taking The Synergist style quiz (it’s free).

Click this link to be taken to the quiz – and don’t forget to use the option on the final screen to send your results to me for a free detailed analysis.

Interpreting your VOP-S Scores

An in-depth analysis of your scores from our Leadership Styles quiz.

Once you’ve taken the Leadership Styles quiz, and received your results, watch this short video to get a deeper understanding of what your scores mean.

Not taken the assessment yet? Click here to access it.

Audio: Interview with Blog Talk Radio

Wayne Hurlbert, of Blog Talk Radio, interviews Les on The Synergist. In it Les addresses the challenging queston of why so many teams and groups fail to perform and describes how to move your team beyond the gridlock of inaction toward team success.

He offers the advice that every team needs one critical player, in the form of The Synergist, who can take the bold dreamers (Visionaries), the pragmatic realists (Operators), and systems designers (Processors) and combine them into a successful team.

Les points out that the role of The Synergist is one that anyone can learn, and he shares the techniques for developing the necessary skills.

This is a great introduction for anyone beginning with the Synergist.

Click the play button below to listen to the interview.


book: Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson

Enough acres of print have been devoted to this admittedly brilliant biography that I’ll refrain from adding my own (unnecessary) review.

I’ll just say this: I’m glad I wrote ‘The Synergist’ before ‘Steve Jobs’ was published, otherwise I’m pretty sure I’d have been accused of basing the entire methodology on this book.

Isaacson’s biography is certainly worth reading entirely on its own merits, but what’s truly intriguing is that it reads essentially as an annotated case study for ‘The Synergist’.

It’s all there: the extreme Visionary, the strong V-O relationships, the V-P battle(s) and finally, magnificently, warts and all, the painful personal transition Jobs makes from (flawed) Visionary to (flawed) Synergist.

The book is superb, and it is the perfect complimentary text to ‘The Synergist’.

You can get a copy of ‘Steve Jobs’ here.

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