Bahria University

Islamabad Campus
Midterm Examination (Spring 2020 Semester)
Business Studies Department

Mids. Assignment of
Self-Management

Submitted By – Ghayoor Zafar

Class – BBA-4E

Roll – 01-111182-151

Submitted to – Ma’am Sidra Shehzad

 HABIT 6: SYNERGIZE
The essence of synergy is to value differences- to respect them, to build on strengths, to compensate for
weaknesses. Once people have experienced rea/ synergy, they are never quite the same again. They
know the possibility of having other such mind-expanding adventures in the future.

– STEPHEN R. COVEY

HABIT 6: SYNERGIZE IS THE HABIT of creative cooperation. It is the essence of principle-centred

leadership. Synergy is celebrating differences, teamwork, open-mindedness, and finding new and better
ways together. It doesn't just happen, though. It's a process, and through that process you can create
new alternatives--options that didn't exist before. Synergy is the idea that the whole is greater than the
sum of its parts. One plus one equals three or more.

When people begin to interact together genuinely, and they're open to each other's influence, they
begin to gain new insight. The capability of inventing new approaches, Third Alternatives, is increased
exponentially because of differences. Synergy means you can literally produce something with another
person that neither of you could have produced separately.

ONE WAY

IS NOT THE ONLY WAY

VALUING DIFFERENCES

Before you can leverage the strengths of others, you must first be able to recognize and value their
differences. So, how much do you value differences? Take this short quiz.

Circle the number from I to 5 that most closely represents your normal behaviour or attitude
regarding the statement to the left. When you have answered all the questions, add up your total and
check your score.

Ans 1:

Scoring

41-50: Significantly leveraging the differences of others.

21-40: Moderately leveraging the differences of others.
10-20: Not taking advantage of the differences of others.
 Never Sometimes Always
1. When I hear a point of view that is different from
1 2 3 4 5
mine, I ask the person to elaborate on the idea.
2. When in disagreement, getting my ideas expressed is
more important to me than following the opinion of 1 2 3 4 5
the majority.
3. I frequently work with people who seem to have
1 2 3 4 5
different perspectives from mine.
4. I try to use the knowledge and skills of others to
1 2 3 4 5
better accomplish tasks.
5. I have found it very useful to have teams composed
1 2 3 4 5
of people with different backgrounds.
6. I strongly believe that every person has a unique way
1 2 3 4 5
of contributing to his or her family or group.
7· I actively seek to learn from others.
1 2 3 4 5
8. I share my opinions with others, even when our
1 2 3 4 5
opinions seem to differ.
9· When working on a project, I seek out different ideas
1 2 3 4 5
and opinions.
10. Whenever I am involved in a creative task, I tend to
brainstorm with other people rather than rely on the 1 2 3 4 5
opinions of experts.
Total= 44

SYNERGY'S A-LIST

• Have a healthy respect for diversity. Everyone is unique and original, just like you.

• Be able to relax around others. Being wound too tight is for watches.

• Value opinions whether you agree or not. Leave "My Way" to Frank.

• Create balance. The idea is to give and take without being piggy about it.

• Be responsive to new ideas. No mind-closure allowed.

• Develop trust. Tough right out of the chute but worth it in the end.

• Discover and share common interests. Go out of your way to mind-meld often.

• Humour. Never leave home without it.

• Don’t stereotype. You'll be wrong 100 percent of the time.

• Be real. Enough said.

 PROFESSIONAL EXERCISE

Ans 2: Write down the name of a person you work with (preferably someone who is characteristically
different from you). In the area below, write the qualities this person possesses.

Name: Fasih Khan

Ans 3: Talents/abilities (organized, knowledgeable, assertive, artistic, programmer, recruiter, writer,

etc.) (At least 2 lines)

Fasih is a well-organized, assertive and knowledgeable person. He is blessed with the ability of being a
hard worker to a degree that he can work day and night showing little feeling of tiredness. he also is a
perfectionist in his work .

Ans 4: Background (education, race, gender, socioeconomic status, where he or she grew up, etc.) (At
least 2 lines)

Fasih is a young man who is 22 years old. He is a Phastun from an elite family of nowshara. He studying
business Administration from bahria university Islamabad as well as working part time in a company
called white horse.

Ans 5: Interpersonal skills (listener, communicator, speaker, teacher, mentor, role model, co-ordinator
etc.) (At least 2 lines)

Fasih is a good public speaker; he can communicate his feelings emotions and thoughts very well to the
masses. He has the potential to become a co-ordinate a group of people and teach them what he know.

Ans 6: Character traits (sense of humour, micromanager, reliable, honest, diligent, opinionated, etc.) (At
least 2 lines)

Fasih is a young man having such big responsibilities have great sense of humour. He really is a honest
person which overshadows his selfishness. Fasih is a very hard working man who really believes that life
is all about competition.

Ans 7: How different is this person from you? (At least 3 lines)

Fasih is very different when compared the talents, abilities, interpersonal skills and character traits.
Fasih was born in a wealth family while my birth took place in a low income middle class family. He is
able to perform the work which he doesn’t like due to his hard working nature but I cannot. He is a good
speaker while I am better in understanding the feelings and emotions of others.

Ans 8: How could these differences contribute to accomplishing a common purpose? (At least 3 lines)

We both are entire from different backgrounds. We have different types of abilities and talents. We are
two people with totally different character traits. These differences in the background, talents, character
and interpersonal skills provides us with much more experience. When we work together we can use
each other talents, skills and abilities to accomplish our purpose.

IMPROVING RESULTS BY VALUING DIFFERENCES

Differences are an opportunity, not an obstacle. The key is to remain open to hearing ideas so you can
determine which ideas to combine to spark a better solution.

When faced with a difference of opinion, you can respond in several ways:

• Attack. You put down the idea. This is a defensive, fear-based response.
• Tolerate. You put up with but do not accept the idea.
• Accept. You accept that the idea is different, but you don't try to change anything.
• Value. You value the different idea and begin to see the opportunity in the new information.
• Celebrate. You seek out individuals who think differently, and you learn from those
differences.
Think back to a gathering or conversation during which ideas were shut down, and answer the
following questions:

Ans 9. When you first rejected the idea, what was it that turned you off? Was it the idea itself, the
deliverer, or the way in which it was delivered? Did you dislike the idea because it wasn't yours?
(At least 3 lines)

Most of the time, I reject any idea on the basis of the idea itself, because for me if an idea can be
helpful in attaining my mission, it is worth trying, it does not matter from where or how the idea
is conveyed. Something similar happened when I was leading a group for our final project, I was
 asking any opinions and suddenly one of the members suggested an idea which I had to dismiss,
as it was benefitting certain members of the group while others had to shoulder excess burden,
thus creating a sense of disunity among the group members causing a halt in the process.

Ans 10. What is your inner monologue saying? Is it saying, "That won't work," "You're nuts," or "We've
never done it that way before"? (At least 3 lines)

When I heard the idea, I instantly thought about the consequences that we can face due to this
idea. My inner self said that it is completely unjust and it will bring disunity in the group and my
leadership will be questioned in the future if I accept this suggestion thus I had to disagree not
only for the group but also for my own self.

Ans 11. If this was a work (team) situation, was there a "mob mentality" at work? Did the group quickly
dismiss the idea because it didn't appear to support the group's typical way of thinking? If so,
how? (At least 3 lines)

It was a team work situation and also there was a mob mentality among the group. Members
how shared similar feelings and thought that they can benefit from this idea were on one side
while those had the feeling of getting extra burden were on the opposing side. In my opinion the
group’s typical thinking was that “I shall be benefited” and the idea did supported this thinking
but only for those were getting the benefit thus they were supporting the idea.

CAN YOU RELATE?

Answer the following questions true (T) or false (F). Think about specific instances in your life before
answering.

Ans 12:

__F__ I demand perfection from myself and everyone around me.

__F__ I am surprised when others don't like me or my ideas.

__T__ People continually make promises to me without following through.

__T__ I don't have many friends whom I really like or trust.

__T__ I get tired of all this political correctness. I don't have to like everyone.
__F__ I don't appreciate other people's opinions of me.

__F__ I don't like change.

__T__ I work better alone than in groups.

__F__ I tend to be more negative than positive.

__F__ I'm afraid, people will find out that I'm not what I appear to be.

If the majority of your answers are true, it's time to turn off the negativity tapes and rid yourself of your
limited beliefs. In order to know yourself, you have to understand the lives and actions of others. Be a
student of human nature and appreciate what everyone can bring to the party. If the majority of your
answers are false, you're comfortable with yourself and how you relate to people of all kinds. You're a
student of life and know learning from others helps you in your own life.

BREAKING DOWN THE BARRIERS

When you recognize the barriers to synergy, how do you break them down? You create an environment
in which synergy can flourish. You use synergy producers. In the exercise below, assess how often you
use synergy producers. Circle the number from 1 to 5 that most closely represents how often you use
synergy producers. When you have answered all the questions, add up your total and check your score.

Ans 13:

Never Sometimes Always

1. I challenge and question others. 1 2 3 4 5
2. I'm honest and candid in my communication. 1 2 3 4 5
3. I keep commitments. 1 2 3 4 5
4. I keep my cool in stressful situations. 1 2 3 4 5
5. I convey my feelings clearly. 1 2 3 4 5
6. I'm realistic in my expectations of others. 1 2 3 4 5
7· I share credit and success with others. 1 2 3 4 5
8. I value differences of opinion and truly seek to
1 2 3 4 5
understand them.
9. I discuss the facts without exaggerating. 1 2 3 4 5
10. I accept responsibility when things go wrong. 1 2 3 4 5

Total: 43

Scoring

45-55: Great job! You're a top synergy producer.

 23-44: You're on the right track. Keep producing.
11-22: Watch yourself. You're blocking synergy.

CREATE THE THIRD ALTERNATIVE

Once you've bought into the idea that differences are strengths and not weaknesses, you're ready to
find the "high way," or the Third Alternative, and create something better than what currently exists.

The Third Alternative is achieved when two or more people work together to create a better
solution than those individuals could create separately. It's 1 + 1 =3 or more. It's not your way or my way
but a better way, a higher way.

There are five steps to a Third Alternative:

I. Define the problem or opportunity.

2. Listen to the other person.
3. Share your views.
4. Brainstorm options together.
5. Find the best solution together.
Choose a relationship or issue where you would like to work toward a more synergistic end. In the
spaces below, work through the five steps to a Third Alternative.

Ans 14. Define the problem or opportunity. (At least 2 lines)

The problem is that I have to recover a debt from some. For me it is a major problem because the
person from whom to recover is a kind of my friend and I can sense that he is not in the condition of
repayment as he always try to avoid meeting me.

Ans 15. Listen to the other person. (At least 2 lines)

When I found the other person and asked him of the repayment of the debt. He argued that it is very
difficult for him to pay as his economic condition is in a very bad shape right now and payment will
affect his family badly.

Ans 16. Share your views. (At least 2 lines)

After listening to the man, I was now strangled in more emotion difficulty but I told him that I know how
difficult this time is for you, as you have no income due to the lockdown of all businesses but the
problem is, I too have to feed my family. Let’s think about what we can do to be both on the better side.

Ans 17. Brainstorm options together. (At least 3 lines)

While brain storming for options, he proposed that he will pay me more than the initial amount if I wait
for 2 to 3 weeks. I asked him to return eighty per cent of the amount only right now and you get 20%
discounted. He said he can pay back in instalments. I proposed him to return half of the amount now as
he will be able to spend up to 3 weeks with the money left.

Ans 18. Find the best solution together. (At least 3 lines)

After presenting the options to each other, we decided to choose the best solution which will help both
parties feel financially secure. He agreed to my proposed option in which he have to return half of the
amount on that day and the rest he can return after 3 weeks in which he may get back to his business. In
the meantime, the money remained with him will help him in financing his family life. Thus both of us
were happy.

After you've worked toward a more synergistic end with the above situation, take a few minutes and
write down in what ways this approach was different from how you would have handled it in the past.

Ans 19. How did the new approach feel? Was it difficult for you? What steps will you take to ensure that
you will continue to use this approach in the future? (At least 3 lines)

This new approach was much better than anything I could had tried in the past as I would had only two
options either I would had to compromised; not getting the money or had to take it back by any means,
which would had even worse effects. This approach is was not difficult for me as I had only needed to
start the conversation and look for solutions. From now on whenever I face a problem, I will always
remember that there is a new way other than your way or my way.
 GET OVER IT! (YOUR BLOCKS T O SYNERGY THAT IS)

In your life, have you found that there are people who drive you nuts or irritate you? Who are they?
What do they do that irritates you?

Ans 20. (At least 3 persons)

Who What

Zulkiful Not being able to understand what teacher is teaching competence issue

Ali his abusiveness towards the students Character issues

Ahmed he is always busy in his phone even while talking with us. Personality issues

Look at each of the things you found irritating. What kinds of issues are they? Character issues (lack of
integrity or discipline)? Competence issues (unable to do the job)? Cultural issues? Personality issues?
Personal pet peeves? Now determine where you have direct control, indirect control, or no control.

Choose one issue from each area (Character, Competence Cultural and Personal). How can you affect
the synergy for each situation?

Ans 21.

Direct Control: (At least 2 lines)

Like the irritation I feel due to zulkifil is basic purely due to my own behaviour, as I despise slow learner.
I can affect the synergy in this situation through changing my behaviour and habits to understand that
some people to learn slow.

Indirect Control: (At least 2 lines)

While in the case of Ali he irritating us all because of his abusive behaviour. In this case we didn’t have
direct control on the issue but we do have indirect control in the form influence. We can affect the
synergy in this case by change our circle of influence.

No Control: (At least 2 lines)

In some issues like a situation reality or our past which irritate us cannot be control. In that case we can
only affect the synergy by making a pact with the situation and put up a smile on our face and accept
the reality.

Everything that irritates us about others can lead to an understanding of ourselves. People who upset us
the most are often our best teachers! When you understand and are comfortable with yourself, it
becomes easier to open yourself to the ideas of others. Always put yourself in the other person's shoes.
Many of the "truths" you cling to are simply a result of one point of view yours.

Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success.