Eight Reasons Why Greed Is A Dead End Strategy
Inspiration
December 9, 2014
Frank Sonnenberg
Some people believe that you have to be ruthless in order to achieve success. I’m here to tell you that they’re dead wrong. Here are common fallacies about winning in the game of life.
Promote Yourself To Make A Great Impression - Self-promotion won’t always lead to a favorable impression. In fact, the opposite may be true. If you want to make a great impression, spend your time listening and making others feel special rather than telling them how great you are.
You Have To Move Fast To Get What You Want - Relationships are built on trust, which takes time to develop. When people are viewed as “a bull in a china shop,” their motives are likely to be misinterpreted.
If I Don’t Take It first, Someone Else Will - When someone makes a concerted effort to be fair, others often return the favor. The opposite is also true — when someone thinks only of himself or herself, it breeds suspicion and contempt.
Packaging Yourself Is Everything - When you work smart and provide significant value, you don’t have to use gimmicks or play dirty to be recognized as a star. The best way to differentiate yourself or your organization is to be honest, caring, and hardworking.
Always Try To Get The Upper Hand - Relationships are all about identifying areas of shared interest and creating opportunities for everyone to be a winner. When someone gains the upper hand at the expense of others, it creates envy and resentment.
Don’t Compromise If You Don’t Have To - Relationships are built on compromise. When you watch your partner’s back, your partner will watch yours. Compromise is key. If two people are five steps apart, the best way to meet in the middle is for each person to take three steps forward.
In Business, Everyone’s A Competitor - Some people believe that the best way to propel their career is to outmaneuver their colleagues. But when you make people look good, you’ll earn their trust and respect, and they’ll be supportive of your efforts. Plus, they’ll want you on their team.
There’s Not Enough Time To Help Others - When you make an effort to help others, you’ll create an army of people willing to return the favor for you one day. But remember, please don’t keep score.
This is adapted from Frank’s new book Follow Your Conscience, released November 2014.
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I think #2 resonates the most with me. I worked for someone like that once. Although there was a lot more to her than the “bull in the china shop,” the fact that it was so prevalent in her public persona obscured a lot of her wonderful qualities.
I hear you Paula. Some folks want things so bad they can taste it. What thy don’t realize is that they’re hurting their efforts. That’s a tough lessons for some folks to learn. Have an awesome day! — Frank
Hi< Frank
Solid set of effective and positive leadership principles here:)
I especially like the skewering of "Always Try to Get The Upper Hand". I once worked in an organization where this was a common issue. Most of our discussions were about how we could "win" and how to make everyone else, including those in other departments, "lose" … The Silo Perspective gone Mad Max:)
John