CONNECTIONS: When 1 + 1 = 1... or 3
“Synergy is better than my way or your way. It's our way. Synergy is what happens when one plus one equals three, or ten, or a hundred, or even a thousand! It's the profound result when two or more respectful human beings determine to go beyond their preconceived ideas to meet a great challenge.”
Stephen Covey
“If you're talking about how you promoted synergy in an organization, that could mean you just got everybody together for donuts twice a week.”
Erin McKean
McKean’s point notwithstanding, we do enjoy donuts. However, we like true collaborative ventures even more. Like most educators, we are firm believers in the “4 C’s” of 21st Century teaching and learning: Communication, Creativity, Collaboration, and Critical Thinking. In fact, these are often our “look fors” when we visit classrooms. We believe that anytime kids are engaged in these activities, they move from mere “meaning seekers” to “meaning makers.” Moreover, as adults, we try to model these behaviors ourselves, communicating clearly and regularly, creating new ways to do our work, thinking through real problems, and, finally...collaborating.
Looking back over our careers, we can point to many examples when we engaged in true collaboration which yielded amazing results, ranging from projects at schools and districts where we served, to books we have written with co-authors, to presentations we have delivered with colleagues. In each instance, the end result was better than what either of us could have produced on our own. On the other hand, we have also taken part in many “collaborative” projects which were really nothing more than a series of polite compromises. Too often, in fact, what we call “collaboration” falls short of what we think we truly desire from our team efforts.
We recently asked several colleagues for their thoughts about collaboration. In perusing their responses, we were drawn to a comment about “synergy,” reminding us of Stephen Covey’s thoughts in the quote above and the idea that 1 + 1 can actually equal 3. When two people experience authentic collaboration (synergy), the final product is something greater than the two of them could have created individually. Even when we are on our “A” game, my very best alone, combined with your very best alone, yields a 1 + 1 = 2 equation. But, when we engage in legitimate collaboration by providing critical feedback, brainstorming, listening actively, disagreeing respectfully, and relinquishing our natural tendency to defend our preconceived notions, amazing things can happen: my best, while interacting with your best, can actually result in a 1 + 1 = 3 situation; what we produce through this collaboration is simply greater than our best individual efforts.
Unfortunately, we have also seen “collaboration” produce a deleterious impact upon final results. Indeed, we have witnessed teamwork that results in 1 + 1 = 1 situations. Often, this occurs when students (or adults) are grouped together and each member simply shares their thoughts with everyone else saying polite things and agreeing. It becomes more compromise than collaboration, with the compromises resulting in a final product that is weaker than what we could have accomplished on our own.
Let us share an example of both a 1 + 1 = 3 collaboration and a 1 + 1 = 1 “collaboration” from our experiences, starting with the latter. Not long ago, we were randomly placed in a group with five other school leaders from around the nation. We were allowed two hours to create a presentation which we would share the following day. We began awkwardly and it went downhill from there. The person who offered to create our slidedeck was not proficient in doing so. The person who agreed to share the presentation the following day was not an effective speaker. Each time someone said something, it was added to a slide, regardless of whether it was relevant to the topic. It appeared that many in the group were holding back. We found ourselves thinking that our “collaborative” effort was less than what each of us could have produced alone and that several of us could have done a vastly superior job if we had done the entire project from soup to nuts independently. This, alas, was a collaboration non-example. We were guilty of compliance to complete the task, always being an "OK, let's add that, too" group. To be honest, our presentation the next day was not great. This group--comprised of highly-educated and successful leaders--generated a “collaborative” product that was decidedly less than what each of us could have done alone. Although collaboration can go awry for any number of reasons, in this instance it went south due to sheer politeness: no one was willing to push back on another’s ideas. As a result, our “collaboration” yielded a “1 + 1 = 1” result.
On a more positive note, a few years ago, we experienced a solid example of true collaboration/synergy. After finishing a book co-written with Todd Whitaker, we sent it off to several educators we respect around the world, asking them to read the draft and provide an endorsement for the book if they deemed it worthy. We were gratified by the many responses we received and are honored that so many respected friends and colleagues took time out of their busy lives to read our book and provide words of support. Then a surprising thing happened. We received an email from one of our educational heroes and all-time favorite thinkers, writers, and human beings, Rick Wormeli. Rick said that although he felt it was a wonderful book, there was a paragraph he disagreed with so strongly that he would be unable to provide an endorsement unless we discussed and revised the paragraph. Yikes; we were not expecting this. We immediately called Rick. For the purposes of this post, what he found objectionable in the paragraph is subordinate in importance to how he addressed it with us: respectfully and honestly. What transpired over the next 48 hours was a back and forth with Rick about the paragraph in question. During this time, we were clearly able to understand his perspective; at the same time, we explained our own, when we differed. In the end, we agreed that the words we had written were not sending an accurate interpretation of our actual stance.
At one point, we sent him a revised paragraph which we thought was vastly improved and would end the back and forth. We will never forget something he said in response: after agreeing that the paragraph was much better, he said, “But I suspect you did not send this to me because you wanted a ‘yes-man’ so I am going to push back just a bit more.” He then suggested re-wording two sentences. We used approximately 80% of his wording on these two sentences and our book became stronger as a result of the entire process. In the end, we were extremely grateful for Rick’s time and effort. We appreciated him helping to make our book just a tiny bit better. We are honored that he provided a wonderful endorsement for it. More than anything, though, we were grateful for the bold, honest, and respectful collaboration. Oftentimes, we are loath to say we disagree with something that someone we like and respect says or writes. Rick had the courage--and compassion--to do so and we appreciate it. To be completely honest, at first we were taken aback and just a tiny bit defensive. However, after listening carefully--and sharing our own respectful counterpoints--we focused on the work and making it better. Although it only impacted one short paragraph in a 64,000 word manuscript, to us, it is a clear example of a “1 + 1 = 3” collaboration.
Realistically, there will always be a place in our lives for compromise. However, when it comes to our professional practices, we must not be afraid to move beyond compromise and work toward collaboration or, better yet, synergy. Truly collaborative ventures are rarely smooth sailing and, at times, we must honestly let people we like and respect know that we disagree with them and we think we can do better. Going beyond our preconceived ideas when collaborating with our colleagues in an effort to have a more profound impact, is another way we promote a positive and productive culture.
Lead with Passion,
Jeff and Jimmy
DAILY INSPIRATION EDUCATOR
(Please let us know about an inspiring educator you think we should highlight in a future newsletter by completing this brief form!)
WHAT’S NEW?
Daily Inspiration for Educators: Positive Thoughts for Every Day of the Year by Jimmy Casas.
Most of the daily thoughts contained herein are variations on the “Thoughts for the Day” Casas has shared over the past years. Others are sayings found elsewhere, some of which are hundreds of years old and others found only recently. The goal of this volume is that in some small way, these daily thoughts will provide hope, validation, and inspiration to some of the most inspiring people in the world: hard working education professionals. Serving as a professional educator is so important that we must commit to doing whatever it takes to ensure that every child achieves success each and every day we serve. It is noble work, indeed. But it is difficult work with many daily challenges and disappointments. Daily Inspiration for Educators can serve as a resource that motivates and inspires educators during times of joy as well as when things get tough--as we know they will periodically in a profession as important and challenging as ours. Check out more here!
COMING SOON:
It’s All about the L.E.A.R.N.E.R.: Finding the True, Good, and Beautiful in Education by Marita Diffenbaugh
This book is for hope givers who thrive when helping others develop their full potential. Marita Diffenbaugh identifies seven essential components to consider when providing education as a service to learners, along with a remix for measuring learning success. Throughout each chapter, look for the True, Good, and Beautiful, for when all three of these are present, we can be sure that students are learning how to learn, learning how to help others, and learning how to contribute in their communities and in our world. This book was written for difference makers like you who strive to create an education service that Listens, Empowers, Analyzes, provides Resources, understands students’ Needs, designs Experiences, and offers caring Relationships.
ConnectEDD’s TAKE FIVE:
Thought for the Day: “Trust is the glue of life. It’s the most essential ingredient in effective communication. It’s the foundational principle that holds all relationships.” Stephen R. Covey
Podcasts to Ponder: The Bless His Heart Leadership Podcast. Ken Williams is one of our favorite educators--and favorite human beings. If you have ever met Ken, we suspect you feel the same. On his podcast, explore the good, the bad, and the ugly journey of the leader of "THAT" school. The content is driven by the real, raw, unvarnished, unedited, and uncensored daily journal kept by former principal, Ken Williams. Learn more here
Videos Worth Viewing: Simon Sinek on Leadership. This video is just over two-minutes long, but packs a powerful message. Watch it to learn the one characteristic that, according to Sinek, all great leaders possess. Linked Here
Teaching Technique to Try: Barometer: Taking a Stand on Controversial Issues.The Barometer teaching strategy helps students share their opinions by asking them to line up along a continuum based on their position on an issue. It is especially useful when you want to discuss an issue about which students have a wide range of opinions. Because a Barometer activity gets many arguments out on the table, it can be an effective pre-writing exercise before an essay assignment.Check out this link from Facing History and Ourselves for a step-by-step process for using this technique.
Eyes On Culture: We believe that culture is a true difference maker in any classroom, school, district, or organization. As a result, we focus much of the work we do on creating and maintaining positive and productive cultures. Culture Focus: Trust. We believe that relationships are central to school culture and that trust is the most important word in any relationship. Several years ago, Jeff and Todd Whitaker shared their Top 10 Trust Traits for Schools. What would you add to this list?
1. Be There
2. Show You Care
3. Provide Resources
4. Communicate Regularly
5. Involve Others
6. Celebrate Success
7. Value Diversity and Dissent
8. Support Innovation
9. Address Underperformance
10. Demonstrate Personal Integrity
Please share your thoughts via Twitter: @ConnectEDDBooks We would love to hear from you!