Learning to Synergize

In April 2026, I was one of the Grade 6 student representatives who spoke to parents at the 6th Coffee Morning at BASIS International School Hangzhou. I shared Habit 6 from The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens: Synergize. Through group projects, tennis, and violin, I have learned how different strengths can work together.

The idea behind synergy is simple: 1 + 1 can be greater than 2. When we bring our different ideas and abilities together, we can create something better than we could on our own.

Bringing Different Strengths Together

The book uses different fruits—grapes, oranges, bananas, and melons—to describe different ways people think and work. Some people enjoy coming up with creative ideas. Others like taking on challenges, organizing details, or thinking carefully about a problem. A team can benefit from all of these strengths.

I did not always understand how to make this work. During a history project about Roman emperors, my partner and I divided the work equally and completed our parts separately. That seemed fair, but when we put our slides together, the two sections looked completely different. Our presentation felt like two separate projects joined together. We had shared the workload, but we had not really worked as a team.

Later, in a Grade 6 science fiction book poster project, our group of six took a different approach. We chose roles based on what each person did well. Some classmates planned the work and kept track of our progress. Others worked on drawing and layout, organized the plot summary, or wrote a thoughtful response to the book.

This time, our different contributions came together in a poster that looked good and had something meaningful to say. Each person helped make the whole project stronger.

That experience helped me understand why differences matter. Someone who approaches a task differently from me might notice something I miss. Instead of expecting everyone to work in the same way, I can listen and make room for their ideas.

How Tennis and Violin Help Each Other

I also see synergy in my own life. At the time of my sharing, I had been playing tennis for five years and violin for six. They seem like very different activities, but the things I learn from them often support each other.

Violin teaches me coordination, patience, and attention to detail. My left hand finds the notes while my right hand controls the bow, and both hands need to work together. Getting a passage right takes repeated practice. Even a small change in finger position can affect the sound, so I have learned to slow down and pay attention.

Tennis teaches me to practise consistently, focus on the next ball, and keep trying when I am behind. During a match, I cannot keep worrying about a point I have already lost. I need to get ready for the next one. My mom often encourages me to give it my best, and I try to carry that attitude onto the court.

The focus I practise in tennis helps me stay steady when playing violin. The patience and care I develop through violin help me pay closer attention to my movements in tennis. Progress in one activity can help me improve in the other.

For me, synergizing starts with noticing what each person can bring—including the different sides of myself. In a group project, that means listening and finding ways for our strengths to fit together. In my own learning, it means carrying a useful habit from one activity into another. These are small things I can practise every day.