The [S]ynergist
The [S]ynergist is the 'missing link' that binds together the triangle of the other three management styles, and cements the organization in Predictable Success®. Without the Integrator, the organization cannot break through the Whitewater to Predictable Success® As with the other three management styles, I am indebted to the foundational work of Itchak Adizes on this topic. The Integrator shares with the [V]isionary a long-term vision for the organization: has his or her heart in the business, more than anything else wants the business to survive and grow over the years. But uniquely (and very differently from the [V]isionary) the [S]ynergist also shares with the [P]rocessor a commitment to, and a recognition of, the need for processes and systems in the long-term.
 The [S]ynergist acts as a translator between the 'V' and the 'P' 
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As a result, the [S]ynergist is really the person who makes the communications work between the 'V' and the 'P'. (As we'll see later in this series, V's and P's have got so little in common that in fact they find communication very, very difficult.) The 'S' is the individual who acts as translator between these two management styles, and who pulls the whole management group together.Where does the [S]ynergist come from? Although it doesn't alays happen this way, the [S]ynergist best arises as a natural growth of the [V]isionary role. At best the organization in Whitewater will have a founder/owner who, while strongly [V]isionary, also realizes that they personally need to drop some of their commitment to effectiveness in the short term and add commitment to efficiency over the long term. This successful transition from founder/owner to a Predictable Success® CEO is a difficult transition, but it can be done. It involves the 'V' stepping back somewhat, getting less involved with the micro-details of running the business - they become more of a mentor and a coach than a micro-manager. The [S]ynergist role is much more 'people focused' than the 'V' role. Whereas an out-and-out 'V' can often be brusque and lack 'people skills', the [S]ynergist is the person who makes the team come together and realize they need each other if the business is to grow successfully. While the best transition is for the founder/owner to add the [S] style to his or her role, an alternative that often happens is to have an [S]ynergist brought into the senior management team. We'll explore in detail how that occurs in a separate session. But in essence what we'll see is the V, and the O, and the P have got management role agendas. They have specific things they want to have happen. The V, above all else, wants to keep the autonomy, freedom, growth, and creativity of the business. The O wants to get his to-do list done that day. The P wants to put systems and processes together and uphold them at all costs. The I's role is to step back from those agendas and to bring the senior management team together to work as a cohesive team so that they are effective and efficient in the short term and long term, and as a result reaches Predictable Success®.
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Predictable Success
