By  Goretti Kimani

The fact that jobs are scarce has never been in doubt. At any one moment, there are millions of people around the world looking for a job. Once successful, some employees quickly begin to apply all manner of tactics to catch and retain the employer’s favor.

Some people will trample over other people rights, hatch plans and execute them with little regard to the harm caused to others. They will do everything they can to get ahead. Nothing else matters to them.

While playing the survival game is not entirely wrong, acting selfish at the expense of other people and even circumstances is wrong. Selfishness is defined as having too much concern for self at the expense others.

It is focusing on doing, seeing and hearing only that which will only benefit them, mainly at the expense of others. While it is agreeable that concern for self is natural for survival and growth, it should be within acceptable limits.

Upbringing

But where does selfishness stem from? Individuals who are brought up in dysfunctional families with little or no love at all may exhibit the same traits when they grow up.

People with low self-esteem may also strive to overcompensate for the negative feelings by creating a superficial world where they play the king over everyone. Unfortunately the only achievement they get is being alienated and resented by others. For the above situations, self-awareness, determination and counseling can lead to a change in behaviour.

However, other people make a personal choice to be selfish. Crazy as it may sound, it is in some individual’s life’s values’ to be selfish. Why, you ask? The answer is simply that it ‘works’ for them. They play victim whenever they are caught on the wrong. They manipulate others to ensure things go their way and take credit for other people’s efforts.

Being served

 They believe in being served and never dream of reciprocating.  These are individuals who will hurt you one minute, and the next minute they are smiling as they seek yet another favor without blinking an eye. Such people are energy suckers who are highly abhorred by many.

In some circumstances, the work environment may also encourage selfishness. For instance, if the setup puts too much weight on informal communication channels, then selfishness is directly encouraged by the establishment, as everyone struggles to muzzle others. It is therefore not surprising that most of these organisations grapple with productivity as most employees focus on their own survival instead corporate goals achievements.

And yet others learn the selfish game from more accomplished players and decide to adopt the same habit.  Irrespective of the cause, selfishness is a curse that should be avoided at all times.

As with all inappropriate behaviour, the progressive minded individual should take bold steps to deal with this situation. The long-term consequences of selfishness are much more severe than the perceived short term benefits.

Not ignored

Never forget that the secret to greatness is service to others. Selfishness, therefore, should not be ignored, but urgently dealt with for the individual’s ultimate benefit.

The writer is a human resource specialist with Peoplelink Consultants Ltd.  Email: [email protected]

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