Here at Five Degrees Consulting, we have a book called “The Rules of Engagement.” It is twenty-one ideas to keep employers and employees on target and engaged. One of those rules is “Make other’s success your #1 job.”

When we share this with our clients, it is interesting to hear and see their reactions. For some, it really sets them back as they consider what it means to them day in and day out.

From the book…

An offensive lineman’s #1 job is to make the quarterback successful. He does that by making sure the defensive lineman never puts a hand on the quarterback. When we make sure the person standing next to us is successful, we create a chain of success that builds a strong organization.

In our world of dog eat dog, this can be a very difficult idea to implement. I commonly have to ask myself what I am doing to ensure that my colleagues are finding success. Sometimes I do all I can, other times I fall short. It gets even deeper when we consider that not everyone defines success the same as I do.

I’m curious what you think. Can one improve their own lot while focusing on the success of others? Will what goes around eventually come around professionally? Have you seen this work in your life?

Authored by: Meagan Nielsen

Meagan is the business manager at Five Degrees Consulting. This is a blog we share between several of the Consultants at Five Degrees, guest authors and colleagues. We work with companies large and small on People and Organization strategies. Our work specializes in organizational development, leadership effectiveness and executive development. With a focus on working with leaders at all levels to create an intentional corporate culture, we help organizations increase employee engagement, energize working teams, develop critical leadership competencies and enhance strategic communications for more information about our services, please connect with us.