We normally celebrate our nation’s Independence Day on July 4th. But for me, Independence Day came on July 12, 1995. That was the day I turned in my resignation at my engineering job and decided to devote myself to my business full-time.
What I didn’t know at the time, was that independence is only the first step. All of us feel the need for a certain degree of autonomy, the power to control our destiny and have a say-so over our lives. But are any of us truly “independent?”
Being accountable for our actions is a great and noble thing. It doesn’t just mean accepting blame when things go wrong; it also means being able to feel good about our accomplishments when things go right. But in most cases, there are other people who were involved in either instance. And almost without fail, other people will be impacted by our actions in either case.
In his book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen R. Covey tells us that the highest state of personal effectiveness is not Independence, but Interdependence. Interdependence is what happens when two (or several) individuals have a relationship in which each has strengths and skills that are valuable to other, and in fact increase the overall productivity and effectiveness of the individuals and the group. It differs from dependence in that there is an equal relationship between the parties, where no one is (or feels) subservient and all are operating for mutual benefit.
Even though the original 13 colonies were independent, they relied on one another economically, politically and socially; not to mention countries like France, without whose military and financial support the American Revolution would not have been possible.
As entrepreneurs, we often feel like we are “going it alone.” In fact, we are all part of a team that includes our staff, vendors, customers and families. When each of us succeeds, we all succeed. Let’s remain mindful of that so that we respect one another’s contribution and make decisions for the benefit of all.
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