The Strength of the Wolf

Sometimes, 1 + 1 = 3

…

Seriously!

In life, there are so many instances where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

For example, jelly is just OK by itself – so is peanut butter. Put them together? It’s a whole new thing! And the combination of the two produces something better than either component by itself. I tried thinking of a few other examples:

• Vanilla ice cream (boring – sorry!) and hot fudge (too rich). Put them together? Way more delicious than any component by itself.

• Dual-threat quarterbacks. Ironically, being good at rushing opens up the passing game since defenses have to account for both. Talent at both running and passing makes a quarterback especially dangerous, as one skill enhances the other.

• Music Orchestration. Imagine your favorite songs without drums or beats. Then think about the drum tracks without music. When put together, aural magic happens.

Point being, the “1 + 1 = 3” phenomenon illustrates how collaboration and synergy can create outcomes greater than the sum of individual contributions. There are some very important applications of this principle in our career journeys. I’ll split them up into two categories: Team applications, and Individual applications.

Team Principle Application:

I came across a profound quote the other day from the Jungle Book: “The Strength of the Pack is the Wolf, and the Strength of the Wolf is the Pack.”

When you think about this quote, a similar relationship to the “1 + 1 = 3” phenomenon is at play. The individual enhances the team – the team enhances the individual. In this way, our inter-dependencies allow us to do more and go farther together than we could as individuals.

Consider how each of you have unique gifts, aptitudes, and talents. When working together, you can learn from one another. You can also help each other in unique ways to enhance your performance as a team. For example, let’s say one team member is really good at writing. If the others in the group all learn from that one person, then we now have a team of good writers.

In that way, the wolf (the good writer) acts as the strength for the pack (average writers), in turn making the pack stronger (better at writing), enhancing the support for the wolf. Can you see the principle at work? One talented writer helped create a whole team of good writers. Imagine if all the other team members also shared and taught their skills, either directly or just by working together. You would soon have an incredibly dynamic and capable team on your hands.

Thus, I invite everyone to make a conscious effort both to help and to learn from your respective teammates in life. Your collective efforts to learn from and enhance each other’s skills may power you to new heights of success.

“If you want to go fast, go alone; but if you want to go far, go together.“

Individual Principle Application:

This principle also works in regard to our personal development. Each new talent you develop can unlock facets of existing talents you have, providing exponential returns on your efforts. This works in the following way: whenever you gain one talent, you not only gain just that talent, but also whatever synergistic effects the new talent has on the old one.

A personal example of this phenomenon comes from the experience of exams in law school. Your grade in many law school classes comes down to a single four-hour curved exam at the end of the semester. There are many theories on the best way to attack this beast – however, there’s an oft-overlooked component to achieving high marks on the law exam: typing speed.

Yes, it’s true: typing speed is potentially one of the biggest factors to success in law school.

I didn’t fully realize this until I came across a law school meme with the caption “Not sure if that law school exam was a test of knowledge of the law, or how fast I could physically write.” The more I thought about this, the more it made sense – most of the slower writers I knew got bad grades. I somehow managed to hammer out almost 14 pages of essays for one exam. Imagine the disadvantage of only being able to write 9 pages during that time, even if you had a vastly superior knowledge of the law.

In the above example, typing speed is what I like to call a catalyzing skill – it’s primary utility is that it unlocks and enhances other skills. The slower typers couldn’t unlock the value of their knowledge of the law, condemning them to lower grades (and worse job opportunities down the road). There are many other examples of catalyzing skills, critical ones being communication, presenting, writing, and even social skills. Some pan these as “soft” skills, but they unlock the door to so many opportunities that they should be intensely pursued. Just make sure you have a few other skills to catalyze and you will quickly develop yourself into a dynamic high-performer.

In conclusion, use the “1 + 1 = 3” principle to re-think how you see personal development. Remember to develop those “catalyzing” skills, then build out your talent stack. Your quick progress over time might surprise you!