By Jun Marfori
Isaac Newton said: We build too many walls and not enough bridges.
Working together leads to amazing results
People can be alike, or people can be different, unique and stand apart. Students and practitioners of psychology, personalities and people will affirm this, from genetics, blueprints, ladders of inference, sub-modalities, among others. Yet the world as we know it today, had evolved from individuals, to teams, to nations seeking what binds and brings them together, like synergy, partnership, and collaboration. The results are liberating, empowering, energizing, contributing to breakthroughs, progress, and prosperity of people, organizations, nations.
Working through differences to achieve synergy
The exercise of effective leadership is manifested no less dramatically within the context of a team (small or large, with formal or informal hierarchies), where typically a diverse set of individuals, with different genetic make-up, diverse perspectives, varying personal goals and motivations, all need to work cohesively towards shared goals and objectives. Hence, artful leadership will have to draw from recognizing these differences and distinctions, and focusing, building and leveraging on where there is overlap, synergy, alignment, and where “1 + 1 = 3.”
Find the tie that binds
Aspiring role model leaders then in the various, diverse relationships, spheres of influence, and in leader-team member structures and teams, need to look at what binds, at the common strengths, shared perspectives, unified purpose – to rise above what divides and differentiates – and purposively create deeper commitment, a shared deep-seated faith, core values, and aspirations for prosperity and success.
Let us all strive to build more bridges, and not walls.
