Statistics for the Month

Illinois Unemployment Rates:

Illinois' Latest Numbers:

Change in Payroll Employment:
 +51,000(p) in Sep 2006

Change in Average Hourly Earnings:
+$0.04(p) in Sep 2006

Change in Average Weekly Hours:
Unchanged in Sep 2006

Change in Manufacturing Average Weekly Hours:
-0.2(p) in Sep 2006

Change in Aggregate Hours Index:
 -0.1(p) in Sep 2006

Change in Real Earnings:
+$0.07(p) in Sep 2006

The Use of Synergy in Business

All too often in business we try to bring together different pieces of our operations to accomplish a more productive output. In bringing these areas of operation together, we should focus on the most important factor to success, and that is synergy. Synergy can best be defined as the interaction of two or more agents so that their combined effect is greater than the sum of their individual effects.

Think of synergy in terms of a bond, whether you think of a chemical bond or a human relationship bond, the desired result is a mutually beneficial bonding. When we bring our marketing and advertising divisions together to talk about the newest product rollout, we want to promote good communication and healthy attitudes. The reason being, when good communication is used to deliver a message coupled with a healthy attitude, the impact of the delivery is much more effective and residual. In turn, the receiver will respond with a genuine comment that directly relates to the topic being discussed, thereby good synergy is formed and an instant brainstorming session of productive ideas is created.

Another example of good use of synergy in business is through the relationships you foster with the affiliates of your organization. Let’s suppose you own a car wash business, and you constantly have to reorder soap. The price you pay is too high in your opinion and it takes two days for delivery. Now there is another soap distributor who has just moved into the area who is slightly smaller, but would like to do business with the car wash. This supplier will give you the same soap at a 25% discount if you display a sign at the car wash that advertises his soap. This is a no-brainer, since soap is a primary expense in your business, you would be happy to cut your cost by 25%. In addition the new supplier can advertise his new product at no cost to him. Once again, this is an example of synergy working for both owners of each business. They combined their locations and services and the result was a superior arrangement for both of them.

The importance of concentrating on forming strong synergy amongst areas of operation in business is directly related to maximizing productivity and efficiency. The better synergy two elements have together, the more productive and efficient those operations will run. The more efficient and productive an operation is run, the more profits will result.

Ryan M. Hoback

Margaret's Book Picks

7 Habits of Highly Effective People - Stephen R. Covey

5 Dysfunctions of a Team - Patrick Lencioni

The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader - John C. Maxwell

Attracting Perfect Customers - Stacey Hall, Jan Brogniez

Contact us to

Choose Wisely.

Waste Nothing.

Alliance HR Network
85 W Algonquin Rd, Suite 170
Arlington Heights, IL 60005

Phone: (847) 690-0077
Fax: (847) 690-1330

www.alliancehrnetwork.com

www.careerwise.us

Letter from the President

Synergize – 6^th Habit of Highly Effective People.

From my experience of reading this book and the research that I have done, it occurs that one of the ways that highly effective people leverage their ability to be effective is by surrounding themselves with people socially and professionally that share common values and work synergistically to cause the future of a common vision.

So, what do I mean, and what did Stephen Covey mean when he wrote his infamous book about the subject of highly effective people? He begins with Synergistic Communication.

When a person is communicating synergistically they are simply opening their mind and heart and expressions to new possibilities, new alternatives and new options. Where in your life could you be listening and talking utilizing a synergistic communication style? Think about taking this type of communicating and applying it to your company’s sales or service process, or imagine your employee reviews – if you were open to really hearing what was being said by your manager, and what you could learn that might leverage your ability to work more powerfully?  Let’s take this further and apply it to your personal life…..what if you could be in a conversation with your spouse or ex-spouse, significant other, parents, siblings, children, or best friend, without a preconceived idea of what is going to come out of their mouth and how you would need to respond? What would happen if your conversations with loved ones shifted from a here is what I need, to what do you need?

Synergy and Business.  Some of the better companies actually include their management team and some key employees in their strategic planning meetings, in problem-solving pow wows and brainstorming sessions. What I have seen is in some companies there is a free spirit to share ideas and resolutions, and in other companies an unsaid reluctance. I used to think that it was only the leader’s job to facilitate that kind of openness. What I have learned is that the right people need to be in the room in the first place, everyone has to be committed to the mission at hand, and when they collaboratively and openly discuss the issues, people begin to generate new ideas and new possibilities, not because there is some magic about the facilitator, but because the team of people have come with a joint commitment to create something extraordinary, and then the energy in the room serves as a conduit for the people in the room to generate the new ideas and concepts. 

Synergy and Team. Do you ever wonder why some people are so effective when working in a team setting and others just collapse?  From a generational perspective some groups of people are just more comfortable with a group approach, and others are more comfortable ‘going it alone.’ Research indicates that while most of the baby boomers are very comfortable creating and working synergistically in high-performance teams, most of the gen-xers want a chance to prove that they can do it alone. There are always exceptions to the rule; however, it looks as if this is a significant generational difference that you might want to consider before joining work teams of people for what you think will be a more effective work approach. There are several other factors that impact one’s desire to work with others on a project or to go at it solo. Most studies done on effectiveness actually do say that one can get much more done when they are working on a work team comprised of synergistic work styles and complimentary, not similar, strengths.  However, to meet the needs of the solo flyers, as well as the highly collaborative type, some leaders have created situations and opportunities for everyone to win.

Negative Synergy. How much negative energy is typically expended when people try to solve problems or try to make decisions alone, by themselves without the collaboration or consideration of the other people that surround them? Stephen Covey says the essence of synergy is to value the differences of other people’s opinions, thoughts, and beliefs. If you label yourself as a right brain thinker and all your thoughts are generated from the intuitive, creative and visual, and you only appreciate the thoughts of other creative types, you really miss the boat when it comes to considering the analytical and logical side of things. On the other hand if you are a person who is only about the statistics, numbers and process, and you do not tap into your creative side and deflect the creative or intuitive opinion of anyone else, then you also really miss out on all the alternatives that could be created by tapping into people creative energy.

Interpersonal Synergistic Thinking. Let’s take this one step further, what if you tapped into your own synergetic abilities and had access to utilize both your intuitive, creative visual thought process, as well as your analytical & logical thinking. It seems to me that the ultimate activity in personal development and mastery would be to take this concept of duality thinking and bring it to life in one’s personal & business relationships.

Valuing the Differences. Finally, Covey states that valuing the differences is the essence of synergy –the mental, emotional, and psychological differences between people and the key to valuing those differences is to realize that all people see the world not as it is, but as they are. The person who is truly effective has the humility and reverence to recognize his own perceptual limitations, and to appreciate the rich resources available through interaction with the hearts and minds of other human beings. 

Best of Success,

Margaret Graziano

Quote of the Month

The truth isn't the truth until people believe you, and they can't believe you if they don't know what you're saying, and they can't know what you're saying if they don't listen to you, and they won't listen to you if you're not interesting, and you won't be interesting unless you say things imaginatively, originally, freshly.
- William Bernbach -

Value

Value others’ words and you will never fall,

For it’s always best to have all of the information then nothing at all.

Be open, for there are other points of view to hear,

Some differences may answer what you may fear.

In a meeting or even a sales pitch communication is key,

Convey your ideas in creative ways so your customer will understand and see.

You will find key components to make you a sale,

Be positive and communicate well and you shall never fail.

Mary Grace Serain