Synergy

I don’t like the word synergy, to be honest. The impact the word should have is inversely proportional to its level of use. Synergy was a term used by some ‘90’s and early-aught CEOs to stand-in for “team player,” which was a stand-in for “fast-paced environment,” which was a stand-in for “What do you mean you’re only putting in 40 hours a week, you’re not gonna get a promotion that way‽”

Having said that, synergy is the most appropriate word in the English language for what we’re talking about in this book. Synergy is:

the interaction or cooperation of two or more organizations, substances, or other agents to produce a combined effect greater than the sum of their separate effects

You have a goal or vision. Having a good set of tools helps achieve it. Having a good set of practices helps as well. Good principles multiplies that. Good values multiplies it even more.

Individually, values, principles, practices, and tools improve your chances of achieving your goals effectively. Having said that, you can find greater and more holistic success if the individual parts build and strengthen one another.