By Clinton Browning
Feb. 16, 2012
As a Partner with an executive search firm, I have a familial sense of responsibility to the company I am helping grow and differentiate in our fast-paced, competitive industry. At a SMB (small and medium business), the need for teamwork is an inescapable fact—we work closely with each other to succeed. At the heart of teamwork is an attitude of dedication to and self-sacrifice for the organization as a whole. Conversely, in a company culture that emphasizes individual self-interest, the workplace is not a hospitable environment for the altruistic.
It is likely the focus on self is a result of the economic uncertainty we see today. The Gallup Economic Confidence Index measures how good or bad Americans believe the current economy is and future economy will be. The scores range from -100 to 100 and the Index has not broken into positive numbers since January 2008. In fact, it has been in negative double-digits for most of 2011. Uncertainty leads to fear, and fear causes people to take an “every man for himself” approach.
Ironically, a self-focused mindset actually works to impede the very thing that provides employees all opportunities for advancement, the success of the business. I discuss in a recent blog post that it can begin as early as the interview process. For example, when you ask a candidate if he or she has any questions, Candidate A asks what opportunities for advancement he may have at the company. The essence of this question is: “What can this company do for me?” Candidate B instead shares an idea he has on marketing the company’s leading product based on research he conducted prior to the interview. The essence of his question is, “What can I do for the company?” Who do you think will get the job?
Now, Candidate A isn’t wrong, he is simply trying to learn about his opportunities with the company and assess the job. But he could approach it a better way. If he focuses instead on his contribution, he can create his own opportunities for advancement.
The expression “the whole is better than the sum of its parts” certainly isn’t new, however, taking that idea and incorporating it into even the smallest parts of our workday will have impact both personally and for the organization as a “whole.”