It’s amazing how much good you can do if you don’t care who gets the credit. I learned that early in my management career. It is far easier to build that team spirit and to brainstorm ideas if everyone believes their ideas will be implemented and the boss won’t try to take their ideas. This is certainly true if you are part of a group, organization, or club, too. It is quite common, in my experience, to encounter people in these groups who are ‘in it’ in order to make themselves look good–to feed their own egos.
This ends up in undermining all the good efforts to accomplish good and altruistic things. It kind of spoils the whole picture. I found that once I clarified that i did not care about getting credit, I just wanted the group to accomplish the goal, people were happy to lend their hearts and efforts to the goal.
As a result, people became selfless and honest. The ones who deserved credit often did end up getting credit. People resorted to becoming their better selves. I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it for myself many times over. At some point I gave up trying to get credit for my own efforts, ideas, and work. Instead I just put my shoulder to the plow and went about getting things done. Sometimes I ended up being credited for my work, sometimes not. But internally I knew what I had done and I was proud of myself. Suprisingly this was far more satisfying than any external praise. It was quite a revelation. The final benefit was that the group became quite cohesive. It was amazing.
Don’t we all have the tendency to be like bulding blocks that do not want to line up with the cornerstone! When we are all jumping around, trying to have preeminence, the whole wall falls down!
great imagery kathy—we all could use a lot more grouting by God!