day 417: Don't Go It Alone

It is a tendency within our jobs to find ourselves going it alone. As I have written a number of times, I believe this is largely a function of how business and organizations are architected to operate and how they compensate. We work within hierarchies and teams bottle neck around a leader who may or may not truly recognize or care about the overall strength and health of the team versus the work just getting done. These are the leaders who say, "You, just go get it done and I will reward you for it." They may not be that blatant, but that is the tone and the gist of the message. So, from there what do we do? We run off as individuals and we do whatever we can to be sure that we succeed and achieve personally in the eyes of our superiors and while we say we care, we actually don't spend too much time worrying about the overall team. This is why it is so hard for us to hear someone else say, "It is important that we/you work within the team." We understand it and it makes sense but in the next hour someone will be recognized, rewarded and/or given more responsibility because they took on the load themselves and made it happen in solo fashion. It is very situational but I do believe that part of what we are supposed to leave behind is that we have made others better along the way. Unless we are willing to let go of some things and get out of the way, then we will have missed this opportunity and potentially missed the greatest impact we can make within our careers. Let's be honest, if at the end of our work days all we have to show for it is our own success and not the success of others there won't be many reunions or phone calls in the future about the good old days. Plus, the burden that we carry by ourselves is likely to shorten our work-lifespan versus sharing the work with others. Jethro told his son-in-law Moses this in Exodus 18:22; "...So it will be easier for you, for they will bear the burden with you." Today, you may find yourself in a place where you have been going it alone for too long. Today could be a great day to start looking around and letting go of some of what you like to do, so that others may grow. A little sharing right now and not going it alone could be the beginning of something great for you.

Reference: Exodus 18:22 (New King James Version)