Regardless of whether you are a leader or part of a team, you can help your team achieve greater results than before or reach the desired state faster.

And the key lies in the equation: 2 + 2 = 5, or in other words, in synergy – the magic ingredient of strong teams!

The long scientific term for “Synergy” is: a relationship in which the resulting effect is greater than the sum of the individual effects.

Why do Canada Geese have a strong team?

Now it’s time to tell you about Canada geese.
The interesting thing about them is how they manage to fly a huge distance when they migrate. For example, if you release only one goose, it will not be able to fly the same distance from point A to point B. Before it reaches the end point it will get tired and… fall.
The question is why do they succeed when they are together?
It turns out that the shape that a flock of Canada geese takes in flight helps them migrate successfully! (as shown in the image above.)

Here’s how it happens. The birds at the front manage to break through the air resistance with a quick and strong flapping of their wings, while the geese at the back can only keep their wings spread as they glide in the air stream. They both rest and move!

When a goose from the front positions gets tired, it goes to the back to rest and gather strength. And a goose, which was at the back until that moment, passes in front and begins the rapid flapping of its wings. And so the geese change and rotate their places until they reach the desired point B!

You realize that the flock is a metaphor for a team. And like every team, every flock has its own rules, which each goose follows. This allows the birds to be in complete sync, which is actually the purpose of the rules!

In nature, everything is clear and well thought through. Unlike… some teams. ‍♀️

What would happen if one of the geese from the rear positions took human form and didn’t know they had to go to the front? And here we are not talking about a goose that does not want to follow the rule, but a goose that simply does not know it. The final result for the flock will be fatal!

And the reason for this will be the ambiguity that breaks most teams.

Ambiguity is the cause of lack of commitment – one of the five team dysfunctions according to Patrick Lencioni.

And so, if you want to achieve synergy within your team in order to achieve greater results TOGETHER or to reach the desired point B faster, it is necessary:

1️⃣ To interact with each other
Apart from being formed in a “flock”, have common rules and norms among yourselves.

2️⃣ Team rules should be clear to EVERYONE in the team
To be in sync like a flock of Canada geese, everyone needs to know the rules. If one does not know or does not follow a rule of the team – it is likely that the team will slow down or not achieve its results at all.
(Hooray for humans that we don’t have such a fatal end as birds do )

Check out the Five Dysfunctions of a Team