the third alternative is not your way and it's not my way it's a higher way it's a better way than any of us have thought of before because it transcends the typical gridlock most people face when dealing with problems or conflicts think about this most conflicts have two sides we are used to thinking in terms of my team against your team my team is good your team is bad or at least less good it's my political party my country my child my company my opinion or my side against yours in each case there are two
alternatives and we get stuck on those this kind of two alternative thinking is so deeply embedded in many of us that we can't see past our own positions that's why we faced so many frustrating impasses in life the problem however is usually not in the merits of the sides we belong to but in how we think we really believe there are only two alternatives but that is almost never true there is almost always a third alternative that is Beyond and better than either of our positions we get to the third alternative through a process called
synergy synergy is what happens when the whole becomes greater than the sum of the parts in a world of synergy one plus one equals three ten fifty hundred or more it happens when people determined to go beyond their preconceived ideas to meet a great challenge it's about the passion energy the ingenuity and the excitement of creating a new reality it is far better than the old reality Sanergy is not just resolving a conflict or coming to a compromise when we get the synergy we transcend the conflict we go beyond it to something new something that
excites everyone with fresh promise and transforms the future synergy is better than my way or your way synergy is a miracle it is all around us it is a fundamental principle at work throughout the natural world redwood trees mingle their roots to stand strong against the wind and grow to incredible Heights birds in a v-formation can fly nearly twice as far as a lone bird can because of the updraft created by the flapping of their wings the whole is greater and better than the sum of the parts begin by approaching a person you're having a
conflict with and sincerely ask this question are you willing to look for a solution that is better than either one of us has come up with this question can be magical the energy of the conflicts often drains away it allows you both to set out on a creative new road to find something new and better as you read the book the third alternative you will learn about many people who have discovered the power of synergy from their examples you will learn how to get to the third alternative yourself and that discovery will transform your work
your relationships and your life I promise you if you approach your most difficult problems or most promising opportunities with the third alternative way of thinking you will make powerful breakthroughs in your life you
