People always talk about ‘chemistry’ in love relationships but who would have thought Physics had a role to play in matters of the heart? “Like poles repel and unlike poles attract… so make sure you marry a tall man”. That’s what my physics teacher said to me one day as he provided clues to help me solve a problem. I laughed and left his office but that word was planted like a seed in my mind.

I was going to marry a tall man so my kids would be privileged to see the world from a more elevated perspective than mine. I made sure I didn’t give any guy who wasn’t tall a chance to win my affection.

You see, even in business, we keep the future in mind when considering partnerships.

What is the other party bringing to the table?
What value will they add?
Will they help or hurt the vision of the company?

I took time to know myself and identify my deficiencies, then I did my best to become better in areas where improvement was possible, and to be on the lookout for someone who could complement me in those areas I had no control over.

The fact is that no one is perfect, so even in love relationships, we need to keep synergy in mind. No matter how wonderful you are, you should marry someone with whom you can bring about better results, higher returns, more stability, more influence, and so on. Both parties should be better off as a result of the union. Your mate should really bring out the best in you. As iron sharpens iron, couples should sharpen and influence each other toward increased effectiveness.

This goes on throughout the life of the marriage and because we’re thinking as a team with a common agenda rather than as distinct entities chasing our individual ambitions, we draw on each other’s strengths to make us and our family as a whole better.

So here’s a call to you to look out for and maximise synergy opportunities in your relationships and in your life as a whole. Happy Hunting.