Whether you believe the Bible is the word of God, just a bunch of old stories, or that the world was really created in just six days, you have to admit, the tales found on those pages give us great lessons that can be applied to our life today. The bible story of Adam and Eve is one of those oldest recorded stories. In it, we hear how the sin of Selfishness caused the entire human race to be thrown out of paradise forever.
What caused this eviction?
Adam and Eve failed all three tests given by the serpent and were both found guilty of selfishness, and it is through this one Predominate Flaw that every other transgression against our fellow men and women stem. If people steal, lie, cheat, or even murder, their actions began with the imperfection and manifestation of Selfishness. Let’s take a minute to analyze Adam and Eve’s decisions and apply it to our business lives.
First, they were Self-Indulgent in wanting and believing that they should be able to eat from any tree in “their” garden. It easy for us to imagine the garden as our company or household. How many times do we, as leaders or parents, make decisions about our company or our family without considering that our coworkers, customers, and loved ones also view the company / family in the same way; as “their” company / family? Do our words, thoughts, and actions take into consideration the broad spectrum of those impacted by our decisions in our “garden”?
Next, Adam and Eve allowed their Uncontrolled Desires to draw them astray through the beauty of the fruit of that “special” tree. As leaders, we are expected to not let our emotions and personal desires influence our business or family decisions; sadly, that is easier said than done. The power of influence that the leader of a company, family, or team possesses can breed thoughts of aloofness that can be classed as special; when in reality, it’s not.
The final test of their decision-making skills gave way to the sin of Self-Importance; desiring to be equal to God. I don’t believe many leaders actually feel equal to God or that they are even striving to be viewed as equal Him. Instead, the question we should ask ourselves, is does our words, thoughts and actions lend others to question our motives. Do we ever take the stance that we know it all? Do my thoughts, words, or actions come across as “all knowing” or more important than others in the organization we all a part of?
Three manifestations of the same error of judgement, Selfishness. This one negative mindset leads to neglecting the considerations of others, causes countless problems and issues each and every day because we do not truly show our concern for others in our lives.
If we, as business leaders, family heads, or coaches could ever determine how to overcome the human flaw of Selfishness what would the world be like?
The good news is there is only one solution to this one problem: Love. First, we must truly love our God, the one who does have all the answers. Only then can we love our neighbor as our self, on equal par. If we follow the old business adage, “A decision has to be a Win, Win, Win proposition”, we will overcome the selfish battle.
The funny thing is that as leaders, we think we have to solve countless problems every day when in essence, a leader may have only one main problem that must be solved, Selfishness.
If this is my last post, I want all to know there was only one purpose for all that I have written; to have made a positive difference in the lives of others.
Anthony “Tony” Boquet, the author of “The Bloodline of Wisdom, The Awakening of a Modern Solutionary”
