Consider Everyone’s Interests

Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. Philippians 2:3-4

In baseball, one player may be asked to hit a sacrifice fly to advance another player into a scoring position. The batter hitting the sacrifice is out and doesn’t have a chance to score a run, but he follows his manager’s instructions for the good of the team.

I often suggest that my clients look for partnerships with other organizations to help them achieve their goals. In today’s complex environment, it helps when multiple teams share resources to achieve common objectives.

As Paul tells us, we should work together with one mind and purpose.

Problems arise when one or more of the partners place their own goals ahead of the greater good. When that happens, I step in to remind everyone that insisting on their own interests will not get them as far as maintaining team spirit.

It’s counterintuitive, but it works.