May 29, 2018

Habit 6: Synergize – The Geese Story

The following is The Geese Story, written by Sean Covey, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens:

  • Have you ever seen a flock of geese heading south for the winter flying along in V formation? Scientists have learned some amazing things about why they fly that way.
  • By flying in formation, the whole flock can fly 71% farther than if each bird flew alone. When a goose flaps its wings, it creates an updraft for the goose that follows.
  • As the lead goose gets tired, he will rotate to the back of the V and allow another goose to take the lead position.
  • The geese in the back honk to encourage those in the front.
  • Whenever a goose falls out of formation, it immediately feels the resistance of trying to fly alone and quickly gets back into formation.
  • Finally, when one of the geese gets sick or is wounded and falls out of formation, two geese will follow it down to help and protect it. They will stay with the injured goose until it is better or dies and then will join a new formation or create their own to catch up with the group.

Activity:

Find the definition of SYNERGY. In small groups, discuss how humans show synergy.