Be Generous at Work

It is more blessed to give than to receive. I am sure you have heard of this Wisdom.

The workplace is a compilation of interactions that you have with your coworkers. Many are repeated interactions, such as collaborative interactions. You want to be the person that people want to collaborate with.

But, how do you become that person?

Be productive, straightforward, generous, and not selfish.

Without a doubt, people want to work alongside a person who is productive, truthful w/o a hidden agenda, and generous with his talent and time.

However, many still think that the path to success is to be selfish, focused on “What is best for Me” and “Look at what I can do.” What is my evidence? Well, self-help books are written to address commonly occurring problematic behaviors in a person’s life. Look up via your favorite search engine the phrase “servant leadership” or “good team player” and see how many hits you get.

You can make the claim that being selfish works. You may even be able to point to examples. However, the premise of this kind of thinking is that #1, your selfish behavior today will benefit the you in the future and #2, the community around you will not detect your selfish behavior. In other words, while you deal with those around you selfishly, those around you deal with you in an unselfish manner. In my experience, this premise is standing on shifting sands.

So, instead of being selfish, act in a manner that benefits your team. Again, the idea is to encourage the desire of your coworkers to continue to collaborate with you.

If you are eschewed or are chosen last, then something is wrong.