Very excited to share some thoughts on a new book titled, The Synergist: How to Lead Your Team to Predictable Success by Les McKeown. I must say the book is a must for anyone involved or interested in organizational development and teamwork. Mr. McKeown articulates a reliable way for groups to form and perform as a team. As someone who thinks the word team is as worn out as the word leadership, it's refreshing to read a thought leader who truly understands what the word means in the real world.
I am biased in my fondness for this book because he described me, personally, in one of the chapters. It was rather haunting, but in a good way.
Mr. McKeown has a vast background in working the land of organizational development. He applies this in a way that is understandable and relevant, regardless of your position/role.
Here are some key take-aways I gained from the book:
- Effective teams are made up of 4 different types (the visionary, the operator, the processor, and the synergist) of people.
- Every group and team comes to the table with a natural bent. The bent is neither good or bad, it's the human being being who they are.
- Evey organization is aligned for the outcomes it experiences.
- There is a life cycle for every team and organization. I found it interesting how choices drive so much of this.
- Many groups find themselves in a ditch due to their inability to see each player as a unique contributor.
- The synergist role (the person who brings clarity in an unbiased manner) is a sort of lynch-pin in every high performing team. You'll understand more when you read the book.
- Mr. McKeown uses real-world examples to drive his premise.
This post is not long enough to give you all that the book delivers. But the book really is like guidebook. You owe it to yourself to check it out.