It doesn't matter if you're watching children play softball or watching St. Louis Cardinals baseball. The best teams play together as a team, they are practiced, they know what to do with and without the ball. They cheer each other on. They communicate, they work – together.
I mowed lawns with a kid named Alan. I ran my mower at the normal height, but Alan ran his high. "The grass grows back quicker that way," he said. I was uncomfortable with that notion, but said nothing. One day, instead of me mowing the front and him the back, we followed each other around. We ended up with a corn maze effect, where his rows were taller, which the homeowner noticed. She made us redo the lawn, and since my mower cut lower, I had to go over all the places Alan mowed.
I learned two things that day: Work is better when you work as a team, and try not to be in business with people who don’t have the client’s best interests in mind.
John,
Excellent advice,but difficult for many to follow in this day and age.
Unfortunately, the lure of the "Almighty Dollar" often clouds the ethical judgment of even the most well-meaning business people.
In our society, agressiveness and opportunism are so admired and rewarded, that acting otherwise will often invite the label of "old school", or worse yet, "loser".
As a result, there's far too much rationalization going on today regarding questionable business practices. It probably boils down to responsibility and accountability, but until these things become fashionable, I am afraid we are stuck with the status quo.
As a post script to your advice, I would add that we may not be able to control others' behavior, but we can control ourselves.
J. Cunningham
Posted by: J. Cunningham | August 17, 2006 11:25 PM | Permalink to Comment