I had an insightful conversation with a missionary to Haiti, where two of my children are from. She spoke of a communal mindset where people are not inclined to “get ahead” of the pack. For those that do advance, what is gained belongs to the community. This philosophy is opposite of our American concept of climbing the ladder and living our own American dream. We are encouraged to be aggressive in our career goals, put our success first, and move on from companies/organizations when our season is over, our feathers have been ruffled too often, or our talents have outgrown the place.
Underdeveloped countries and communities may have less cash flow in their economic system but their communities are rich with regard for the whole and their dependence on one another. The whole comes first, individual desires are secondary.
How can we incorporate community minded actions into a mature business culture that focuses on driving the sale, filling the pipeline, innovating, thinking out of the box, and winning deals?
What our team commits to is to keep everyone informed, every team member is up to speed on issues, goals, and expected outcomes of a project. This communication helps us work as a cohesive team toward the same goal, one that wins for us and our client. As a project progresses, there will be fewer surprises that occur from lack of communication. The old adage rings true – “Many hands make light work.”
