Why is the Devil on the Other Side?
and God on ours…
Human beings are very interesting to observe when conflict arises. We tend to think in group’s identity and our leaders know this.
Consider when two countries are getting ready to go to war.
It is not uncommon for a country to make another country evil. Who doesn’t want to fight the devil-like enemy?
But for a moment consider that the same thing is happening on the other side of the conflict. They believe to also be right. To them we are the devil.
Our opponents, whether another country or team, also has the same level of righteousness as we do about what they want to do. Both righteousness and both firm in their belief that the other side is wrong.
Dangerous!!!
This us vs. them happens in business as well. I have been a part of negotiations where there was such high level of distrust that I did not believe we would ever come to agree on legal terms. There was demand after demand and very little compromise.
Even though the business wanted the vendor to do work, it was acting aggressively in a legal ways to assure that the supplier would be so liable that at times I thought they would walk away. If it was not for millions of dollars they probably should have.
Again, us vs. them.
Businesses behave as if the other side of the table has to lose in order for them to win. They seldom consider a win-win compromise. That is creating a war like situation and often leads to legal actions to prove intent and wrongdoing later.
It is unnecessary risk.
When people and companies try to minimize their risk exposure they often protect themselves with their lawyers to the point that most often they assure a one time business dealings. Who wants to repeatedly deal with a pain in the ass customer? You or they will fire each other after the deal.
I have been on both sides of the deal and have always looked for that middle ground. It does not do me any favors to destroy the relationship for a one time deal. I consider the long term relationship and benefit to be the key to success for both sides.
I am a capitalist. I want the other side to make their profit like I want to make my profit. Their profit should not take away from mine and mine away from theirs.
Those types of dealings take patience and trust. You want the supplier to feel that you are fighting for them as much as you are fighting for your company’s interest.
Otherwise it is an eye for an eye situation and both companies go blind.
Why the picture?
The obvious choice for this story was to include a devil or an angel BUT this small animal had the right look. It had the intensity of looking like it was trying to figure out what you would do. It had the little fang like teeth out of the corners of the mouth. Could it be trusted or was it going to behave wildly?
My four cents…
