Habit 6 – Synergize
“The hard moment or test of Habit 6 comes when you have a difference with someone and you are tempted to simply compromise. It’s taking the course of least resistance by trying to quickly and efficiently find some middle position satisfactory to both, even though you know in your heart it does not optimize the situation. You know there are other unexplored alternatives out there, but there has not yet been enough t Habit 5 to really understand the issue and the underlying needs and concerns of the people involved. In short, the temptation is to satisfy rather than to optimize. …

Creating a third alternative that is felt by each person to be superior to those originally proposed becomes one of the most bonding experiences in relationships and in life.” – Stephen R. Covey