Self Interest v. Selfishness
People tend to confuse one with the other. Self Interest is not the same as selfishness and should not be interchanged one for the other.
Let me try to describe the difference between the two in a business setting.
Self interest is when the entry-level employee plans ahead a step by step goal to pursue their career. They might sacrifice a thing or two (more like a dozen in some cases) to achieve their goals.
Selfishness are sycophants. Defined by dictionary.com, “a self-seeking, servile flatterer; fawning parasite.” Parasite is not the perfect word but we’ll move on. The sycophantic employee is a selfish employee that tries to make themselves look good at the boss’ expense. Who does he think he is. In ever company, the business has a policy, a governance, something present to enforce a hierarchy system. Business in the U.S. is no longer an “I” workplace, we’ve transitioned into a “We” workplace.
Although my blog entry was very broad and maybe unclear to some readers, if you care about your career, you just got to do what you need to do. Become that determined entry-level worker with a strong self interest to succeed. Don’t make an unethical mistake in your early career as it will backfire against you down the long career path. Nowadays, employers have access to e-businesses where they provide a thorough background history of an individual.